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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

#81

Post by bogomipz »

BrainInAJar wrote: post #21
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.

>"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."

This is an honest question - is it worth living somewhere you "hate" for increased pay? Why not take less money and live in place that would make you happy?

Re: Canada's Tech Firms Capitalize On Immigration Anxiety

#82

Post by [deleted] »

smnrchrds wrote: post #77
Pxtl wrote: post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Quick googling says income tax has doubled in 2017. reply This is not true, and was likely posted by a conservative hardliners. Canada uses an after-price sales tax like the USA, but in higher quantities - it will vary between 5% and 13% depending on province. Also, all provinces are currently implementing a carbon pricing system, so some provinces will have an additional sales tax on carbon intensive goods like ga…

> In every case, there are taxes paid separately to both the federal government and provincial governments. I would like to just add that unlike the US, where some states do not have state income taxes, all provinces in Canada have provincial income taxes, and with the exception of Alberta, all of them have provincial sales taxes.

[deleted]

Re: Canada's Tech Firms Capitalize On Immigration Anxiety

#83

Post by ryanobjc »

schwap wrote: post #69
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…

> Is it... paying more so people don't have to choose between their country and financial security? I don't think many software developers in Canada are facing that choice. Is there the opportunity to be 'more' secure in the States? Sure. But being a developer in Canada is hardly a bleak proposition.

If you are in Vancouver, isn't it though?

Cost of home ownership at SF levels. Check. Salary to match? Nope.

I used to love Vancouver, I went to school there. I wanted to stay. But I doubt I'd move back except to retire.

Re: Canada's Tech Firms Capitalize On Immigration Anxiety

#84

Post by acchow »

linkregister wrote: post #52
acchow wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

I don't think this holds water since Amazon engineers in Vancouver, five hours north of Seattle, experience a 30% pay differential from their U.S. counterparts. The simple fact is that quality Canadian engineers will accept jobs for lower pay. I expect that over time, the software engineering market will demand higher pay. I hope OP does start that company in Waterloo to kickstart the whole process.

You haven't countered my point at all....Amazon Vancouver isn't going to offer Seattle comp if no one else in Vancouver is.

It takes multiple companies all making bay-area-style profits to create upward pressure on labor prices to end up with bay-area-style salaries.

Re: Canada's Tech Firms Capitalize On Immigration Anxiety

#85

Post by sintaxi »

angst_ridden wrote: post #72
AnonNo15 wrote: post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Canada is one of the easiest First World countries to immigrate to. Apply for college -> graduate and find a job -> get residence.

It is if you're young. Over 40? Much harder. Over 50? Extremely difficult.

That's because young educated people are more valuable.

Re: Canada's Tech Firms Capitalize On Immigration Anxiety

#86

Post by robotresearcher »

angst_ridden wrote: post #72
AnonNo15 wrote: post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Canada is one of the easiest First World countries to immigrate to. Apply for college -> graduate and find a job -> get residence.

It is if you're young. Over 40? Much harder. Over 50? Extremely difficult.

Of course. Because on average your remaining tax-paying and GDP-contributing years are short and your benefits-consuming years are long and imminent.

Canadians are friendly but not suckers.

Over-50s can immigrate if they are joining family, employing people, or exceptionally skilled, etc. You have to make a case that you're a net benefit to Canadians.

Re: Canada's Tech Firms Capitalize On Immigration Anxiety

#87

Post by shados »

schwap wrote: post #69
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…

> Is it... paying more so people don't have to choose between their country and financial security? I don't think many software developers in Canada are facing that choice. Is there the opportunity to be 'more' secure in the States? Sure. But being a developer in Canada is hardly a bleak proposition.

After living expenses, health insurance, taxes, etc, just moving south my net income tripled.

5 years later, I'm pushing something like 8x what disposable income would have been by now if I compare with my old colleagues.

And that's even after I take out the extra expenses of my mortgage being 11x what my rent used to be (by choice, it was "only" 4x higher originally, since I lived in a rent controlled area for almost 30 years.

The difference is absolutely absurd. And since a lot of things don't vary in price with the average cost of living (cars are not more expensive south of the border. Neither are smartphones or restaurants), it matters.

Re: Canada's Tech Firms Capitalize On Immigration Anxiety

#88

Post by gricardo99 »

ohhhwell wrote: post #59
BrainInAJar wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

Unrelated tangent: It always baffle me how people view exchange rate as something that can "eat away your salary" and when you see people making statements like "it's so expensive in the UK, a pound is like 130% of a dollar". Makes me wonder if people who are only used to currencies that are roughly on the same scale view currencies in a different way than people who are used to 10x / 100x differences in currencies.…

I think you misunderstand the comment about exchange rate. In Canada, the price difference of goods with the U.S. is beyond just the exchange rate. Thus, you can convert a salary between USD and CAD, but that doesn't account for higher prices of goods in Canada (beyond exchange rate differences). This is why many Canadians shop in the U.S. (if feasible), or travel to the U.S. to make big purchases (such as cars). When CAD gets stronger, w.r.t. USD, prices in Canada don't respond proportionately. Likewise, when CAD gets weaker, prices in Canada tend to respond quite rapidly. It seems asymmetric, and is another factor when comparing US/Canada cost of living. I'd love for an economist to explain this. It's never really made sense to me, but anecdotally, it's well known phenomenon in Canada.

Re: Canada's Tech Firms Capitalize On Immigration Anxiety

#89

Post by fnbr »

avaer wrote: post #60

The reason engineer salaries in Canada are low, especially for startups, isn't that companies are cheap. It's that there is no funding or support network for growing companies -- nothing compared to the valley. In my experience seed funding in Canada doesn't mean "this idea looks like it's on a promising growth trajectory, here's 100K for a bit of equity to see what we can make of it". Instead it means "show us $500K…

Yup. Or, it's "here's 100k for 30% of your company."

I have a friend who has been trying to raise for his company, and the expectations that investors have in terms of how much equity they want is much worse than in the US.

Re: Canada's Tech Firms Capitalize On Immigration Anxiety

#90

Post by ryanobjc »

personjerry wrote: post #27
acchow wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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 bein…

There are plenty of ambitious Canadians working on moonshots.

They live in the Bay Area, LA, NYC and more.

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