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What does this have to do with "owing" anything? They will tell you they use location factor to determine salary, and then use a location factor that isn't actu

What does this have to do with "owing" anything? They will tell you they use location factor to determine salary, and then use a location factor that isn't actually based on cost of living so that a Canadian city that is far more expensive to live in still ends up paying less than a place where the cost of your Vancouver single-room apartment buys you two houses and several acres of land out in the US boonies, and your monthly living cost outside of rent pays for an entire family.

sokoloff 4y ago
The location factor is based on the local job market (what your next best option is), which is related to the cost-of-living, but is not directly such a measure. (I'm not arguing that this is right or wrong; I'm just saying how I think it is. This is an "is", not an "ought", argument.)
- TheRealPomax 4y ago
  Indeed, which is how Canada gets the short end of the stick.
ipaddr 4y ago
They probably are using Seattle rate for the entire state. They probably get most applicants from Seattle so it makes sense. Someone could move to a smaller town in state and profit over the difference.. you could do the same in BC or move to rural Alberta. Policies like this are sometimes made because US employees might have state/federal tax breaks. Usually it is because the average developer wage in a region is a certain amount. Why pay $500k when $250k lands the same group of candidates. If it's too low let them know and move on.
j45 4y ago
First a typo.. funding=finding. When there is a complaint about a company not providing things a certain way, there’s a degree of unfairness owed that was perceived. Companies do not owe anyone a location based factor of San Francisco and allow the employee to arbitrage it, or not. They have a hard enough time staying sustainable. My preference is that location indexes are always in the employees favour. I’m a familiar with some of Vancouver’s challenges, incl downtown. Depending on one’s situation, it’s often easier to live elsewhere and fly to Vancouver on weekends to live, or schedule flights in advance cheap enough to be in for work meetings. Anyone who’s had an Amazon recruiter chase them from outside of Vancouver to move there may have done the math. Van has a lot of sustainability challenges, between schools closing, the amount of household income required to buy a home from outside of its circle, the cost of living. If someone is able to live in Vancouver, and if they have a family, those kids may not be able to own a home of their own. And bask in the 230 or so days a year that aren’t precipitating in some way. Incredible city those 100-130 days a year though when the sun is out.

sokoloff 4y ago

The location factor is based on the local job market (what your next best option is), which is related to the cost-of-living, but is not directly such a measure. (I'm not arguing that this is right or wrong; I'm just saying how I think it is. This is an "is", not an "ought", argument.)

TheRealPomax 4y ago
Indeed, which is how Canada gets the short end of the stick.

ipaddr 4y ago

They probably are using Seattle rate for the entire state. They probably get most applicants from Seattle so it makes sense. Someone could move to a smaller town in state and profit over the difference.. you could do the same in BC or move to rural Alberta. Policies like this are sometimes made because US employees might have state/federal tax breaks. Usually it is because the average developer wage in a region is a certain amount. Why pay $500k when $250k lands the same group of candidates. If it's too low let them know and move on.

j45 4y ago

First a typo.. funding=finding. When there is a complaint about a company not providing things a certain way, there’s a degree of unfairness owed that was perceived. Companies do not owe anyone a location based factor of San Francisco and allow the employee to arbitrage it, or not. They have a hard enough time staying sustainable. My preference is that location indexes are always in the employees favour. I’m a familiar with some of Vancouver’s challenges, incl downtown. Depending on one’s situation, it’s often easier to live elsewhere and fly to Vancouver on weekends to live, or schedule flights in advance cheap enough to be in for work meetings. Anyone who’s had an Amazon recruiter chase them from outside of Vancouver to move there may have done the math. Van has a lot of sustainability challenges, between schools closing, the amount of household income required to buy a home from outside of its circle, the cost of living. If someone is able to live in Vancouver, and if they have a family, those kids may not be able to own a home of their own. And bask in the 230 or so days a year that aren’t precipitating in some way. Incredible city those 100-130 days a year though when the sun is out.