This is very likely a function of recruiters dealing with HR departments or hiring managers who are merely trying to fill a seat with a warm body. Market dynam

This is very likely a function of recruiters dealing with HR departments or hiring managers who are merely trying to fill a seat with a warm body. Market dynamics work to the extent that the incentive structure is aligned with the "correct" interests. Where incentives diverge, suboptimal results can be expected. To add my own experience to this thread, recruiters have always come off as used-car-salesmen-y to me. I have been hiring developers for nearly a decade now, and I have yet to think of a reason to use recruiters. They offer rather expensive terms( 30-40% )in exchange for poor candidates( generally cannot even reason about fizzbuzz, let alone implement it ). I have always had spectacular luck finding candidates on IRC and craigslist.