No shortage in Europe. Maybe a shortage for experienced jet rated pilots, but there's no shortage of 200 hour CPL/IR holders waiting for an airline job.
@hargreaves99: Nope there IS a shortage of WELL TRAINED 200 hour CPL/IR holders able to operate to AIRLINE STANDARDS... That is the big issue, don't get confused by the screamers with 200 hours and that is it..
There is and always will be 200 hour girls and boys that never should have been trained or who should have smelled the coffee themselves before starting training and a fair number of them make a lot of noise but I have seen too many 200 hour guys and girls during gradings whom I would not trust to handle a job in a burger joint let alone a multi million pound aircraft.
Who is to blame for that? Lack of proper selection by FTO's, lack of proper airline programs, bank of mum and dad too eager to get his or her career of the ground (pun intended).. A lot.. But I can tell you: a well trained 200 hour guy or girl will get a job in a heartbeat in the current market.
This statement will piss of a number of guys and girls because they don't have a job "while I have all the papers so I am as good as any" but the lack of preparation for their first job of a lot of these new colleagues is shocking...
There is plenty of good programs out there to brush them up but they expect to be aviation finest from day one and be treated like that...
So STOP saying that there is 1000s 200hours without a job: they are NOT and the 100s that are left all have a reason why they don't have one...
RANT OVER