I've been down a rabbit hole and came across this quote from Captain Sullenberger, 2009, some 15 years ago. It still resonates.(My bold)
Members, I attempt to speak accurately and plainly, so please do not think I exaggerate when I say I do not know a single professional airline pilot who wants his or her children to follow in their footsteps. I am worried that the airline piloting profession will not be able to continue to attract the best and the brightest.The current experience and skills of our country’s professional airline pilots come from investments made years ago, when we were able to attract the ambitious, talented people who now frequently seek professional careers elsewhere. That past investment was an indispensable element in our commercial aviation infrastructure, vital to safe air travel and our country’s economy and security. If we do not sufficiently value the airline piloting profession and future pilots are less experienced and less skilled, it logically follows that we will see negative consequences to the flying public and to our country.
We face remarkable challenges in our industry. In order to ensure economic security and an uncompromising approach to passenger safety, management must work with labor to bargain in good faith, we must find collective solutions that address the huge economic issues we face in recruiting and retaining the experienced and highly-skilled professionals that the industry requires and that passenger safety demands.
https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/...1hhrg47866.pdf