Rote Ive been in the industry now for about 22 years and I can tell you theres ALWAYS been this cr@p about a pilot shortage just around the corner. In actual fact theres never been a shortage globaly, only sporadic short-term ones here and there in particular localised areas. It usualy follows an economic recesion when airlines stop recruiting for a while. Ive been through 3 alreadey and the storey is always the bloodey same.