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I'm not sure I find this convincing. There are lots and lots of skilled tech workers in the UK that want permanent roles, but the really good ones already have

I'm not sure I find this convincing. There are lots and lots of skilled tech workers in the UK that want permanent roles, but the really good ones already have well paid jobs, usually either for the finance sector or with Google/Facebook/etc. £100k to relocate to Cardiff isn't even slightly tempting to these people (source: I'm one of them). For many years the UK has had very low tech salaries compared to similar locations, and compared to other similarly skilled jobs[0][1]. As demand for good tech staff rises this is starting to equalise. This is a trend that's unlikely to reverse, and IMO this is a good thing. I appreciate that if you're trying to run a small business it's frustrating that you can't get the staff you want at the price you want to pay, but the solution isn't to hope that people will work for less you make you richer. You'll need to either adjust your budget, your expectations, or offer something that their current job doesn't give them (share of the business (with the same liquidation prefs that you have), or 100% remote, or something else along these lines). If you really can't do any of those things, then maybe your business just can't afford what you want and you'll need to hire more junior people and train them up. I've been on both sides of this fence, lots, and I've never once felt there was a shortage of good tech people in the UK, or found it hard to find smart candidates, it's just that the good ones expect to get paid well for the skills they have spent many years honing. 0: e.g. in Zurich finance and tech are compensated similarly, in London finance gets significantly more (sources: https://www.payscale.com/research/CH/Location=Zurich/Salary https://www.payscale.com/research/CH/Location=Zurich/Salary https://www.cwjobs.co.uk/salary-checker/average-financial-salary-city-london https://www.cwjobs.co.uk/salary-checker/average-financial-sa... https://www.cwjobs.co.uk/salary-checker/average-software-engineer-salary https://www.cwjobs.co.uk/salary-checker/average-software-eng...) 1: http://www.p2pfinancenews.co.uk/2018/02/08/london-tech-salaries/ http://www.p2pfinancenews.co.uk/2018/02/08/london-tech-salar...

matthewmacleod 8y ago
For many years the UK has had very low tech salaries compared to similar locations, and compared to other similarly skilled jobs Hang on, I think that's a bit off – you're comparing the UK average with the Zurich average. If you compare the London finance sector wage with software, the latter is higher: https://www.cwjobs.co.uk/salary-checker/average-software-engineer-salary-london https://www.cwjobs.co.uk/salary-checker/average-software-eng... I get that the solution isn't to underpay as a business, but it does seem reasonable to look at ways to get more people into the industry, if the situation is at a point where it's not economically feasible to run businesses because of the cost of staff. We do the same with workers in other sectors, after all.
- jfindley 8y ago
  Okay, my other link turned out not to be London-specific, sorry about that, so by that metric it now looks like they're on a par, which is good news, as they didn't use to be, by my recollection. Certainly the comparative salary for the same tech-related position in London vs places like Zurich, NY, SF, etc seems lower, but I don't have data to support that which I can publicly share, so I guess I can't prove that point. I'd suggest that if you feel there aren't enough people even at very junior levels, then maybe there's a problem and we should look at why not enough people are in the industry. If there are plenty of junior or poorly skilled people but not enough highly skilled people, then it's more likely that you aren't paying enough (or aren't advertising in the right ways to find them). My perception is that it's the latter, but I don't really have anything beyond my own experience to support that.

matthewmacleod 8y ago

For many years the UK has had very low tech salaries compared to similar locations, and compared to other similarly skilled jobs Hang on, I think that's a bit off – you're comparing the UK average with the Zurich average. If you compare the London finance sector wage with software, the latter is higher: https://www.cwjobs.co.uk/salary-checker/average-software-engineer-salary-london https://www.cwjobs.co.uk/salary-checker/average-software-eng... I get that the solution isn't to underpay as a business, but it does seem reasonable to look at ways to get more people into the industry, if the situation is at a point where it's not economically feasible to run businesses because of the cost of staff. We do the same with workers in other sectors, after all.

jfindley 8y ago
Okay, my other link turned out not to be London-specific, sorry about that, so by that metric it now looks like they're on a par, which is good news, as they didn't use to be, by my recollection. Certainly the comparative salary for the same tech-related position in London vs places like Zurich, NY, SF, etc seems lower, but I don't have data to support that which I can publicly share, so I guess I can't prove that point. I'd suggest that if you feel there aren't enough people even at very junior levels, then maybe there's a problem and we should look at why not enough people are in the industry. If there are plenty of junior or poorly skilled people but not enough highly skilled people, then it's more likely that you aren't paying enough (or aren't advertising in the right ways to find them). My perception is that it's the latter, but I don't really have anything beyond my own experience to support that.