Not saying that analysts, airline management, Boeing or whoever else is wrong. They do have a pilot shortage but it's not because the pilots don't exist, it's because they aren't paying them. If a major carrier absorbed its regional and paid those pilots LCC rates or higher then attrition would stop instantaneously and applications would go through the roof. They refuse to do that so "pilot shortage".

Look at the number of ATPs issued in the last 10 years and you'll see your answer.

I guess it's cheaper to train people to fly a few hundred hours and watch them leave to an LCC and then park jets in the desert instead.