I have never been an airline pilot but I have been a CFI and taught many pilots to pass ATP, with checkrides in both Lear 23D and CE500. The ones who were competent in stick and rudder I did in teh lear of they wanted it. The others ahd to fly the Cessna because i wanted to stay alive myself. I have trained many dozens of pilots from all over the world.
In my very humble view the first and foremost problem is abnormal/emergency procedures training. The second, just as critical is crm. Almost all the accident reports I ever have reviewed have had a combination of both problems.
More simulator training, not less and more recurrency simulator training, not less, can vastly reduce the risks, regardless of hours.
Boeing has gone through hoops to reduce training requirements. Airlines do that too. No secret, simulator training is expensive and emergencies are rare.
I am strongly in favor of more competent automation and more extensive automation. I also don't care a whit how many hours a pilot has. I care if they know what to do when something goes wrong.