Re: comparisons with university grads
University education is heavily subsidised in Ireland with citizen students only paying max registration fees of €2,500 per year (€10k for a 4 year degree), and possibly zero depending on their family circumstances.
I don't think that's comparable to a pilot who has privately funded his/her own training to €100k. Surely we'll get to a situation where good candidates won't train as pilots as the deferred reward of a low salary is not worth it.