I think Gordinho's point about the emloying McPilot's for McJobs is valid.
Due to the greater intensity of working patterns in some airlines these days - I'm thinking of low cost of course - it must have an effect on career paths. Consider embarking on a thirty year career flying 900 hours a year of short sectors. Is this really feasible for an individual. Certianly not one who wants a life - and a family life too.
The problem is that this is probably what the airlines actually want. Get the pilots in the system in their early twenties. Train them, bond them so they cannot change airline easily, work them very hard to get a return on investment, let them get early commands as the incentive and then flog them to death as Captains for a few years until they burn out in their early thirties.
There is a clear commercial advantage hear. You get stability of employment because you will do your time due to the bond and the command prospects with the enhanced earnings. You also get a labour force that is cheaper overall.
Why? Because you do away with incremental salary increases, costly pension scemes and other benefits. The overall salary package is therefore cheaper. Furthermore you don't have a pilot shortage as there will always be a younger, willing workforce to work hard for ten years or so. Additionally a younger workforce is less likely to be unionised and the airlines hate unions.
So, the airline gets what is wants.
But . . . where do all the experienced pilots go and what are the safety implications?