[rlpb]

> It's the kind of thing where an active government would step in and manage hiring and/or dictate pay.

That's where things start to go wrong - because it may be that some industry is in decline because it's being eclipsed by something else entirely, and artificially propping up that industry causes a market distortion that results in lower efficiency. The free market can still sort it out - ultimately as supply goes down, either prices will rise, or we'll find that there is insufficient demand because buyers far away in the supply chain are finding another, more efficient way.

I agree though that "labour shortage" is partly a misnomer. It's more accurately described as a market labour upwards price adjustment in progress!

[mcculley]

It is both. The pay has increased. But that doesn't make licenses magically appear now. They still require training and seatime.