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Ask HN: How to increase SWE salaries in Europe?

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Re: Ask HN: How to increase SWE salaries in Europe?

#101

Post by ojbyrne »

ergocoder wrote: post #14
Jyaif wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In 3 years in the US you earn significantly more than in 5 years in France, so the vacation and health coverage arguments do not hold, unless you have an expensive illness (>30k$ per year). The job security on the other hand is very real, so if you want to coast at your job, europe is the way to go.

There is absolutely no way to get 500k/year from being just an engineer in Europe. I recall the React creator's base salary is 100k/year in London, and he works at Facebook.

I would guess that his total compensation is probably 2-5x that.

Re: Ask HN: How to increase SWE salaries in Europe?

#103

Post by Xylakant »

LaEc wrote: post #2

Lower income tax. Lower corporate tax. Eliminate onerous labour laws. Eliminate unnecessary regulation. Improve English education. Raise public sector tech salaries. Stronger accounting and capital market regulations. Stronger contract laws.

> Lower corporate tax.

This may quite likely have the opposite effect. Corporate tax is auf on earnings. If corporate tax is high, the push to generate higher earnings is decreased - a large chunk would end up in the tax authorities pockets. Paying your employees more this hurts less since part of the delta is paid from taxes.

Re: Ask HN: How to increase SWE salaries in Europe?

#104

Post by anonuser123456 »

Be more productive. Companies can only pay more when they make more.

SV is awash in capital because it grows earnings in the 20+% YoY basis. Euro zone companies don’t seem to do this.

My understanding is that EU regulates high growth away too early in corporate life cycle, so anyone wanting to grow fast goes somewhere else.

Re: Ask HN: How to increase SWE salaries in Europe?

#106

Post by ketamine__ »

shekispeaks wrote: post #102

In Silicon valley, its usually a race of execution. Hire an engineer today at any price rather than wait for tomorrow. This is due to sheer competition breathing down your neck. I do not see this in Europe and hence they do not have the urgency and low wages.

I'm guessing SWE's in more chill markets make more as well.

Re: Ask HN: How to increase SWE salaries in Europe?

#107

Post by slumdev »

Your university education and healthcare are free, your public transportation is ubiquitous and functional, and your retirement is a bit more secure than ours.

The method of financing these things (VAT) affects your employer's top line.

Where in the United States we get to see the money first and then have to dispense it, in Europe, it's gone before it even shows up as revenue to your employer.

To-may-to, to-mah-to.

I doubt it's strictly SWEs who are affected by this phenomenon, either. Most of your professionals probably appear to make less than their U.S. counterparts.

Re: Ask HN: How to increase SWE salaries in Europe?

#108

Post by matthewmacleod »

chrisseaton wrote: post #93
cmdshiftf4 wrote: post #48

What’s the incentive for companies to pay European devs more?

If they could compete with American companies to get better developers they could build move valuable companies.

I’m pretty certain that lack of technical talent is not one of the factors contributing to the relatively fewer numbers of large European tech companies.

Re: Ask HN: How to increase SWE salaries in Europe?

#110

Post by betaby »

arcticbull wrote: post #85
alkonaut wrote: post #55

I got my higher education for free. I expect to save nothing for my children or their education. I expect to have to put aside very little for retirement. The thing is, I just can’t find an argument why I should be able to get very rich doing my job. It’s a comfortable job. It pays a good salary. I got here by taking no risk at all. I wouldn’t want to switch jobs just to drive up my pay even if I could. I have other…

A lot of folks here are calling out the lower pay for SWEs in Europe and Canada as a failure - but also praise the low wealth inequality and low income inequality in Europe and Canada. You can't have low inequality by definition if you decide to start paying one group a ton of money. Well, this is a lot like the housing conversation in the US. "I want my house to go up in value, and be a great investment!" Also: "Why…

I wouldn't call Canadian (or Fr or Se) wealth inequality 'low'. 'Why I can't afford a house', again is more a problem in Fr/De/Se than in US, see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_home_owne...
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