AIRWAY
You are 100% completely wrong. Airlines do not hire low houred pilots for their relatively low employment cost. They are hired because an airline needs to keep the correct distribution of experience across the entire line. I would happily move to australia, new zealand or eastern europe for a job, i have applied to the carriers most relevant to me in each of those countries and many more.
Cost is a considered factor but a FATPL cannot command the same salary as an ATPL, but potentially a FATPL may cost more to train than an ATPL.
The cost of an individual comes into play when the airline decides whether they want to employ an UK national on a permenant basis or they can get two chaps from abroad on contracts for the same cost. This is exactly what is happening.