Dear 332m,
(if that’s not too patronizing)
The down turn can’t last forever, we have huge economies like China India and others demanding oil. Nobody, seems to know when the recruitment freeze will begin to thaw, but it will. As you say, the ‘big boys’ are off loading pilots, who subsequently, contract down to the smaller offshore companies. There is natural wastage, of course and those positions will be taken up by the contractors. However, there is only a finite number.
Anyway, I thank you for your kind words and I’ll share a glass of beer with you in the optimistic future…...that’ll be the half full glass not the half empty one!
ET