The job is excellent, but the pay is lousy. It really is as simple as that for a lot of people.
The pool of pilots who have the experience required and are happy to do what is required to the required standard for the money on offer is drying up.
Unfortunately RFDS management refuse to accept that reality.
Rather than trying to attract people who are only ever going to use them as a leg-up to the airlines they’d be better off properly looking after the pilots already there so that they don’t leave. Believe me, a lot of them don’t want to leave but they have a family and a life like everyone else.
As has been mentioned above, the fact that the pilot is the lowest paid person out of everyone in the aircraft is a disgrace.