Part of the problem is, currently it is very expensive to get to those 1500 hours. Between ground school, flying instruction and in-air time, most people trying to become pilots can’t afford it. Some airlines, like United are opening their own pilot academies to get the training needed and add to the pilot pool.
CC
My son wanted to go to the Univ. of North Dakota to study. Told him I wasn’t going to let him go into $160,000 worth of debt for a $30,000 a year job. We had a neighbor who was an Air Force pilot & told him to join the military & let Uncle Sam teach him. He never dd and he’s getting to the age where he only has a year or two left if he wanted to make the jump. Ironically, he shared an apartment in DC with a friend whose dad has a big job with FedEx. Thought that might push him towards becoming one.