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> They do it because they hate the leverage and mobility it gives employees This really goes both ways. If you can work from anywhere, I can hire from anywhere

> They do it because they hate the leverage and mobility it gives employees This really goes both ways. If you can work from anywhere, I can hire from anywhere, possibly from somewhere where the cost of living is much lower, where people are willing to do the job for less. The leverage really is coming from there still being a limited supply of labor, but that is not a perpetual given.

gxs 3y ago
Even if it goes both ways, at the very least it evens the playing field. Today it’s lopsided in the companies’ favor.
- RestlessMind 3y ago
  It is also lopsided in favor of employees in SV or other tech hubs. They can command high salaries at a mediocre talent level simply because they have no competition.
brendamn 3y ago
Offshoring has been around for decades, and if it produced the desired results at the desired price then employers would replace every expensive employee with a cheaper one (where possible). As it stands, offshoring is commonly used by large body shops, and a non-zero amount of work is done offshore, yet the cost for tech talent has increased (at least on average, the last year or two has seen somewhat of a correction). There are definitely highly talented individuals in low cost areas, but they quickly realise they can earn a Big Tech wage, and are willing to relocate (often relocation is a bonus; as much as we complain sometimes, quality of life in a HCOL area is comparably quite nice compared to many LCOL areas). The threat of hiring a bunch of cheap offshore labour is a bogeyman; companies would already have done this if it were feasible.
- pjmlp 3y ago
  They are doing all the time, Wipro, TCS, Infosys, HCL aren't having any shortage of customers.
- incrudible 3y ago
  I'm not even talking about offshoring, the difference in cost of living even within the US can be massive, especially if you take off the commute and associated expenses. Quality of life is subjective of course, but in many respects is inversely correlated with the availability of high-paying jobs. > There are definitely highly talented individuals in low cost areas, but they quickly realise they can earn a Big Tech wage, and are willing to relocate Then we're not talking about remote work.

gxs 3y ago

Even if it goes both ways, at the very least it evens the playing field. Today it’s lopsided in the companies’ favor.

RestlessMind 3y ago
It is also lopsided in favor of employees in SV or other tech hubs. They can command high salaries at a mediocre talent level simply because they have no competition.

brendamn 3y ago

Offshoring has been around for decades, and if it produced the desired results at the desired price then employers would replace every expensive employee with a cheaper one (where possible). As it stands, offshoring is commonly used by large body shops, and a non-zero amount of work is done offshore, yet the cost for tech talent has increased (at least on average, the last year or two has seen somewhat of a correction). There are definitely highly talented individuals in low cost areas, but they quickly realise they can earn a Big Tech wage, and are willing to relocate (often relocation is a bonus; as much as we complain sometimes, quality of life in a HCOL area is comparably quite nice compared to many LCOL areas). The threat of hiring a bunch of cheap offshore labour is a bogeyman; companies would already have done this if it were feasible.

pjmlp 3y ago
They are doing all the time, Wipro, TCS, Infosys, HCL aren't having any shortage of customers.
incrudible 3y ago
I'm not even talking about offshoring, the difference in cost of living even within the US can be massive, especially if you take off the commute and associated expenses. Quality of life is subjective of course, but in many respects is inversely correlated with the availability of high-paying jobs. > There are definitely highly talented individuals in low cost areas, but they quickly realise they can earn a Big Tech wage, and are willing to relocate Then we're not talking about remote work.