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Canada's Tech Firms Capitalize On Immigration Anxiety

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Re: Canada's Tech Firms Capitalize On Immigration Anxiety

#21

Post by BrainInAJar »

eigenvector wrote: post #5

"For years, Canada's tech industry has watched in frustration as Microsoft and Google hired the country's top computer science grads for high-paying jobs in Seattle and Silicon Valley. Now Canada believes it has found a new way to lure American and international tech workers." Is it... paying more so people don't have to choose between their country and financial security? Let's see. "Canadian tech companies are eage…

As a Canadian tech worker in SF... Nope. I tripled my salary coming down here even in just nominal terms (ie, before you factor in the exchange rate that eats 25% of your salary.)

I hate SF/SiValley. I would love nothing more than to go home, but I'm not about to take a paycut that's measured in multiples of the median Canadian salary.

Re: Canada's Tech Firms Capitalize On Immigration Anxiety

#22

Post by eekthecat »

binarymax wrote: post #13
aaron-lebo wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I guess Canadians are pretty happy with their country. Why should they not be picky about who they let in?

Because the pickiness is a stereotype and a form of discrimination. EDIT - removed the "arbitrary", which I could argue for but for the purposes of the discussion concede. I stand by the rest of the claim despite the downvotes :)

If their economy needs you, they let you in. If they don't, you don't. Simple as that.

Unless we abolish the concept of countries and all live in a global government of sorts, that's how it works _everywhere_.

Re: Canada's Tech Firms Capitalize On Immigration Anxiety

#23

Post by drpgq »

kareemm wrote: post #8

Think Canadian salaries don't compete with US companies? Guess what happens when supply increases? Most other professionals (doctors, lawyers, accountants, etc) throttle supply through things like certification, but for some reason developers can't / don't want to get their act together to do the same. Even worse, they (we) welcome more supply! The mind boggles. And I say this as a Canadian employer who would certain…

Yeah with the points system as it is, a big percentage of immigrants are tech workers so Canadian salaries were already lowered. Sadly it seems that the only way to become wealthy now in Canada is through real estate.

Re: Canada's Tech Firms Capitalize On Immigration Anxiety

#24

Post by Pxtl »

kareemm wrote: post #8

Think Canadian salaries don't compete with US companies? Guess what happens when supply increases? Most other professionals (doctors, lawyers, accountants, etc) throttle supply through things like certification, but for some reason developers can't / don't want to get their act together to do the same. Even worse, they (we) welcome more supply! The mind boggles. And I say this as a Canadian employer who would certain…

Because software isn't a zero sum game. Having "too many developers" in a community doesn't mean a glut of developers fighting for scraps, it means Silicon Valley. It means you get bigger companies doing bigger things with bigger success which means bigger quantities of cash whirling around up for grabs.

Being the only plumber in town means you can charge whatever you want. Being the only developer in town means you're telecommuting and competing with Satyam.

Re: Canada's Tech Firms Capitalize On Immigration Anxiety

#25

Post by vetinari »

binarymax wrote: post #13
aaron-lebo wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I guess Canadians are pretty happy with their country. Why should they not be picky about who they let in?

Because the pickiness is a stereotype and a form of discrimination. EDIT - removed the "arbitrary", which I could argue for but for the purposes of the discussion concede. I stand by the rest of the claim despite the downvotes :)

You don't have an inherent right to enter a random country. People living there have to decide, who they allow to enter and who not. Usually, they set up a set of rules to decide, and it is up to them how these rules reflect their values.

Re: Canada's Tech Firms Capitalize On Immigration Anxiety

#26

Post by Pxtl »

ChemicalWarfare wrote: post #14

Not sure how exactly they are planning on "luring American tech workers" when they are paying much less on average, taxes are higher and real estate prices in large cities where these jobs are typically at are pretty insane compared to most of the US.

Toronto and Vancouver are Canada's big insane housing markets. There are smaller tech communities in Ottawa, Waterloo, and Montreal, and those cities have normal housing markets.

Re: Canada's Tech Firms Capitalize On Immigration Anxiety

#27

Post by personjerry »

acchow wrote: post #17
personjerry wrote: post #7

I just can't believe tech companies in Canada don't realize/aren't willing to just pay the price for top engineers. Like, how can they be such cheapskates? One day I'll start a company in Waterloo and address this problem.

Which Canadian tech company makes money hand-over-fist like Google, Facebook and Apple? The motivation to pay more for talent is to make more money... but Canadian tech companies 1) Do not make all that much money (with exception of Shopify) and 2) Don't believe that they will eventually make all that much money after hiring more.

>Don't believe that they will eventually make all that much money

That is a pattern I've noticed in Canada in contrast to the US in fact; We settle for "good enough" or "profitable" but not the "moonshots" or strive to be "the best".

Whether in tech, business, or even global influence, we are a "middle power" and we seem happy about it (my high school politics teacher explains that this is a result of constantly being the US's little brother). This makes me immensely unhappy, and I hope to make Canada more ambitious one day.

Re: Canada's Tech Firms Capitalize On Immigration Anxiety

#28

Post by alphonsegaston »

While I agree with this sentiment overall, what pay differential can compensate for a more general stability? It would be great if someone could get a high-paying job and not worry about being bankrupted by an unforeseen medical disaster, but that's not the case in the US.

And by the same token, almost no amount of pay (within the tech spectrum) could convince me to live in the cities in Texas where right-wing extremists are rallying outside mosques with assault rifles.

Re: Canada's Tech Firms Capitalize On Immigration Anxiety

#29

Post by jimmyk »

binarymax wrote: post #13
aaron-lebo wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I guess Canadians are pretty happy with their country. Why should they not be picky about who they let in?

Because the pickiness is a stereotype and a form of discrimination. EDIT - removed the "arbitrary", which I could argue for but for the purposes of the discussion concede. I stand by the rest of the claim despite the downvotes :)

It's pretty much the exact opposite of arbitrary.

Re: Canada's Tech Firms Capitalize On Immigration Anxiety

#30

Post by AnonNo15 »

binarymax wrote: post #9

"Starting Monday, Canada's government says it will streamline the visa process so that international tech workers can get a work permit in just two weeks — compared to a complicated process in the U.S. that can take months." I'm increasingly troubled by the notion that the only way one can move from one place to another, is by some contrived rule of value-add that person may offer. Aside from this new rule, Canada ot…

Canada is one of the easiest First World countries to immigrate to.

Apply for college -> graduate and find a job -> get residence.

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