I have seen the hiring process too when doing my PhD and decided to go to others sector too. Scarily similar story to OP. Granted it was not the main motivator

I have seen the hiring process too when doing my PhD and decided to go to others sector too. Scarily similar story to OP. Granted it was not the main motivator for my leaving, as it also showed me that being close to faculty staff similar guaranteed a position eventually and I was generally close to all senior faculty. But I saw people being skipped with stellar records. Industry hiring isn't fair either, but there is a lot less competition, more flexibility and generally much better pay.