[whyenot]

Another problem that the article didn't mention is that with the end of mandatory retirement, professors take a lot longer to leave [1]. With people sticking around longer, there is less turnover in tenure track positions, and more competition when positions open up. It's the reason people accept the poor pay and terrible job security of being an adjunct: you've got to hang out somewhere waiting for that dream job and you don't want to stray that far from academia... Serial postdocs are doing the same thing. From personal experience, its very difficult to find that one thing that you absolutely excel at, your life calling, but having to face the likelihood that you may never get that dream professorship and make the money to have children or buy a house.

1. https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2013/08/02/new-study-sho...