Will this post be welcomed ?
I'm not an economist, but everything works in an economic framework.
There is no law that says a pilot will work for "X" or " 0.5 X " or "2.0X" ( when times are good)`
It's in man's nature to bitch when he feels hard done by and brag when he feels top of the heap.
I see that a lot of people here are rather more affected than at the bitching/bragging level but that is what happens in major swings in the economy cf. house repossessions '92- 95