6 ms·

Tech salaries continue to increase as firms search for talent

59 points by herbertl 4y ago

CharlieDigital 4y ago
Despite the high profile cuts at at tech firms, I have noticed more recruiters in my inbox not less.
- zaphod12 4y ago
  Actually asked a recruiter about this because I'd noticed the same. More people staying put, so fewer replies, so they are blasting out to a wider audience and loosening search criteria. It's a numbers game even more so.
  - delfinom 4y ago
    More than just "staying put" at a company. All the recruiters I've dealt with are struggling because nobody literally wants to relocate anymore. Housing is insanely expensive nationwide, couple that with economic uncertainty and you have even more risk to take when moving. In my industry, defense contractors are absolutely beyond desperate now. They spent decades moving their facilities to from very well populated suburbs of big cities out to low tax areas....in bumfuck nowhere and they more or less could force the boomer generation individuals to move there. Now, especially post COVID, they can't find anyone willing to sacrifice their quality of life anymore. To the point they have been opening up some jobs that can be as remote for security clearance jobs. Though I've heard of at least Boeing bait and switching individuals hard out of desperation.
- lozenge 4y ago
  This can indicate an oversupply of recruiters which is in the process of correcting.
  - CharlieDigital 4y ago
    Recruiters work for customers; they are fulfilling a demand. It feels like some areas are still seeing demand for tech workers.
  - dexwiz 4y ago
    Recruiters are one of the first things to go. Conversely they are the first thing to grow. Need to scale up and hirer a bunch of people, got to hire recruiters first.
questime 4y ago
Salaries yes, TC no. I've started ignoring all these articles about tech compensation since it's become so predictable that they are simply using salary which may be reasonable for the median dev but in HN world a lot of comp is equity based. It seems like compensation is significantly depressed with the most lucrative employers retreating from the hiring market.
ldjkfkdsjnv 4y ago
I'm currently on a team at a big well known tech company. I would argue we actually don't have the right talent to solve the problem at hand. A very complex technical vision, and a team of 10 all making > 300k. And yet, the execution and technical architecture is mediocre. Companies are hemorrhaging money on developers that can execute, but struggle to create innovative flexible ground breaking software.
- kajaktum 4y ago
  300k? Jesus that's actually incomprehensible to me. What kind of industry is this? I am going to be honest, I love programming only as an intellectual endeavor and I would rather work on my dad's farm since it's more fulfilling. I am looking to get in and get out. Right now my interest is spread thin and I don't mind doing any of them but I would rather do something that pays.
  - Gortal278 4y ago
    "big tech" pays those comps, the bigger tech can hit 300k for SDE2's.
  - NSMutableSet 4y ago
    In California, a good chunk of that $300k is taxed at nearly 50%. Anyone who did not sell vested RSUs between 2020 and today likely has a negative delta, and paid taxes at peak prices. It's still a lot of money, but it's not as much as you think it is, since it's not just pure salary. Even if it was, odds are it would still be taxed significantly, because most high-paying SWE jobs are in California or New York. California has 7x SWEs as Washington, which I would consider a better state in terms of how much overall compensation you can keep after taxes. It's better, but there's just less jobs in comparison.
    - borroka 4y ago
      I work in California, make more than 300k not at a FAANG doing work that people with half of my competence would be able to do (but they would not be hired for the job), and I am not taxed at nearly 50%.
UncleTucanSam 4y ago
Throwaway account because I’m not ready to be fired. At my company, external hiring and internal transfers are all on hold, at least until next year. Comp is going to continue falling, given it depends more on equity than salary. Projects aren’t really slowing down though, and we’re continuing to burn people out at an even faster rate. I’m waiting for my upcoming equity grant. Going to quit, do nothing for 6 months, then look for a job. Is it a good idea to quit just before the economy really tanks and most companies freeze hiring? Probably not. I’m so burned out from this fucking, abusive company. I hope the government steps in, jails their executives, and breaks this company apart. 70% of this business wouldn’t survive if that happened, and these cold, soulless so-called “leaders” would be begging anyone for a job. Amazon couldn’t pay anyone enough for the verbal, mental, and physical abusive it offers.
deleted 4y ago
[deleted]
doubtingtom 4y ago
I call bs. I’ve been receiving the same $140k-$160k salary ranges from recruiter emails for senior devops engineers/sysadmins for 20 years. They have literally never changed, I could show you at least 5,000 emails and linkedin messages with these ranges. If you dont worn at FAANG or a company in that range, then your salary has not even kept up with inflation in 20 years. Talked to a recruiter yesterday who said “we have a generous package, we can pay up to $160k and give you 12 days of vacation, 15 days after 3 years”. In San Francisco no less. FAANG salaries out outliers and we do a lot of harm by claiming that all techies are making $300k+ If you arent good enough for FAANG, texh is a dead end career. I know Assembly line workers who dropped out of high school and make as much as I do With my wasted 6 years in uni.
- wittycardio 4y ago
  - doubtingtom 4y ago
    $160k was fine as a single guy with a severed vas deferens living illegally in punk warehouses in Hunter’s Point and East Oakland for sure. I couldn’t imagine being a nuclear family on one income, or two if both aren’t in the six figure range.
    - strikelaserclaw 4y ago
      you want to support an entire family in one of the most expensive localities in the world on a "average" developer salary?
      - totony 4y ago
        A full time job should be able to do that. That it doesn't is an abhoration.
      - doubtingtom 4y ago
        [flagged]
ulfw 4y ago
Lucky. All I am seeing in the market lately is offers 50% down from my previous ones because "the economy".

59 points by herbertl 4y ago

CharlieDigital 4y ago

Despite the high profile cuts at at tech firms, I have noticed more recruiters in my inbox not less.

zaphod12 4y ago
Actually asked a recruiter about this because I'd noticed the same. More people staying put, so fewer replies, so they are blasting out to a wider audience and loosening search criteria. It's a numbers game even more so.
- delfinom 4y ago
  More than just "staying put" at a company. All the recruiters I've dealt with are struggling because nobody literally wants to relocate anymore. Housing is insanely expensive nationwide, couple that with economic uncertainty and you have even more risk to take when moving. In my industry, defense contractors are absolutely beyond desperate now. They spent decades moving their facilities to from very well populated suburbs of big cities out to low tax areas....in bumfuck nowhere and they more or less could force the boomer generation individuals to move there. Now, especially post COVID, they can't find anyone willing to sacrifice their quality of life anymore. To the point they have been opening up some jobs that can be as remote for security clearance jobs. Though I've heard of at least Boeing bait and switching individuals hard out of desperation.
lozenge 4y ago
This can indicate an oversupply of recruiters which is in the process of correcting.
- CharlieDigital 4y ago
  Recruiters work for customers; they are fulfilling a demand. It feels like some areas are still seeing demand for tech workers.
- dexwiz 4y ago
  Recruiters are one of the first things to go. Conversely they are the first thing to grow. Need to scale up and hirer a bunch of people, got to hire recruiters first.

questime 4y ago

Salaries yes, TC no. I've started ignoring all these articles about tech compensation since it's become so predictable that they are simply using salary which may be reasonable for the median dev but in HN world a lot of comp is equity based. It seems like compensation is significantly depressed with the most lucrative employers retreating from the hiring market.

ldjkfkdsjnv 4y ago

I'm currently on a team at a big well known tech company. I would argue we actually don't have the right talent to solve the problem at hand. A very complex technical vision, and a team of 10 all making > 300k. And yet, the execution and technical architecture is mediocre. Companies are hemorrhaging money on developers that can execute, but struggle to create innovative flexible ground breaking software.

kajaktum 4y ago
300k? Jesus that's actually incomprehensible to me. What kind of industry is this? I am going to be honest, I love programming only as an intellectual endeavor and I would rather work on my dad's farm since it's more fulfilling. I am looking to get in and get out. Right now my interest is spread thin and I don't mind doing any of them but I would rather do something that pays.
- Gortal278 4y ago
  "big tech" pays those comps, the bigger tech can hit 300k for SDE2's.
- NSMutableSet 4y ago
  In California, a good chunk of that $300k is taxed at nearly 50%. Anyone who did not sell vested RSUs between 2020 and today likely has a negative delta, and paid taxes at peak prices. It's still a lot of money, but it's not as much as you think it is, since it's not just pure salary. Even if it was, odds are it would still be taxed significantly, because most high-paying SWE jobs are in California or New York. California has 7x SWEs as Washington, which I would consider a better state in terms of how much overall compensation you can keep after taxes. It's better, but there's just less jobs in comparison.
  - borroka 4y ago
    I work in California, make more than 300k not at a FAANG doing work that people with half of my competence would be able to do (but they would not be hired for the job), and I am not taxed at nearly 50%.

UncleTucanSam 4y ago

Throwaway account because I’m not ready to be fired. At my company, external hiring and internal transfers are all on hold, at least until next year. Comp is going to continue falling, given it depends more on equity than salary. Projects aren’t really slowing down though, and we’re continuing to burn people out at an even faster rate. I’m waiting for my upcoming equity grant. Going to quit, do nothing for 6 months, then look for a job. Is it a good idea to quit just before the economy really tanks and most companies freeze hiring? Probably not. I’m so burned out from this fucking, abusive company. I hope the government steps in, jails their executives, and breaks this company apart. 70% of this business wouldn’t survive if that happened, and these cold, soulless so-called “leaders” would be begging anyone for a job. Amazon couldn’t pay anyone enough for the verbal, mental, and physical abusive it offers.

deleted 4y ago

[deleted]

doubtingtom 4y ago

I call bs. I’ve been receiving the same $140k-$160k salary ranges from recruiter emails for senior devops engineers/sysadmins for 20 years. They have literally never changed, I could show you at least 5,000 emails and linkedin messages with these ranges. If you dont worn at FAANG or a company in that range, then your salary has not even kept up with inflation in 20 years. Talked to a recruiter yesterday who said “we have a generous package, we can pay up to $160k and give you 12 days of vacation, 15 days after 3 years”. In San Francisco no less. FAANG salaries out outliers and we do a lot of harm by claiming that all techies are making $300k+ If you arent good enough for FAANG, texh is a dead end career. I know Assembly line workers who dropped out of high school and make as much as I do With my wasted 6 years in uni.

wittycardio 4y ago
- doubtingtom 4y ago
  $160k was fine as a single guy with a severed vas deferens living illegally in punk warehouses in Hunter’s Point and East Oakland for sure. I couldn’t imagine being a nuclear family on one income, or two if both aren’t in the six figure range.
  - strikelaserclaw 4y ago
    you want to support an entire family in one of the most expensive localities in the world on a "average" developer salary?
    - totony 4y ago
      A full time job should be able to do that. That it doesn't is an abhoration.
    - doubtingtom 4y ago
      [flagged]

ulfw 4y ago

Lucky. All I am seeing in the market lately is offers 50% down from my previous ones because "the economy".