It's a very good question and a freaking matter to be concerned with as a citizen.
I do have noticed this trend since the last ten years with pilot "natural" skills falling down. The fact is that young commercial airliner pilots (as might be in military) hve less and less interest in aviation than the years before.
The career (old) advantages have drawn a new array of public in aviation jobs (pilots, engineer, mechanics) that does not makes any diff btw average technologies and aviation sciences. [I do recall engineer's talks about the relative technological advance btw auto industry and planes with a surprising opinions candidly surfacing as the end result -And I won't name the plane manufacturer's plant were this conversation has occured
]
The direct effect is that such individuals are not committed them self the way it should be. I mean that the level of awareness in competencies has drop from active research motivated by personal interest, passion and the desire to excel down-to minimal requirements for job qualifications.
Obviously this is not to be generalized to the majority of individuals but as more the aviation industry (in North country) is seen as a job heaven with sexy outfits (you see my pilots wings) the more it will drag in that kind of individuals and screen out by direct Newtonian relation the more talented ones.
Sadly when flying in Eu as a can packed passenger I can feel alrdy the diff btw companies only during climb out and landing.
But what is scaring me the most with the kind of story like the airfrance crash is the wall of smoke layered by professional representatives in such accidents when any Aviation professional should hve agreed much earlier that the pilots reacted strangely to the situation.
Note1 : A330 hve rear CG balancing resulting that "bckward" pilot's induced oscillations during stall might be needed to put the plane out of a stabilized stall - only pure speculation from me due to the size of the balancing arm
Note2: for the AirFrance fight 447 crash go to :
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_France_Flight_447