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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

#141

Post by rb808 »

goodcanadian wrote: post #130
rb808 wrote: post #101

I dont understand the hate on Canadian salaries. Its a safer, more liberal country that looks after its poorest. If you want cut throat lifestyle that pays the most - with the guy who cooked you dinner keeping one eye out for an ICE van, your ex-slaves in prison and some homeless guy going through your dumpster - you'll love the US. If you want to live a fairer society (Canada, France, Germany, Australia etc) don't c…

I don't think people would complain if it were only a little less for the benefits you describe, but the factor of three that is mentioned by other comments is not an exaggeration. It is one thing to take a pay cut of 20% to live in a "safer, more liberal country." It is quite another to take a pay cut of 70%. Right now, I am trying to move back to Canada. My goal is to get about 50% of the salary that I got at my la…

Sure but the second problem isn't the general level of salaries its that most countries dont have a city like the Bay Area or NYC. If you compare similar types of cities: Portland/Vancouver and Chicago/Toronto I dont think the salaries are 3x.

(Though I get the point that this isn't consistent with my first comment)

Re: Canada's Tech Firms Capitalize On Immigration Anxiety

#142

Post by acchow »

linkregister wrote: post #115
acchow wrote: post #84

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

? You have completely changed your goalposts. I will remind you of your previous points: 1. Canadian companies don't make much money so they can't afford high salaries 2. Canadian companies don't forecast they will have high growth after expensive hires. Please tell me if I have misinterpreted your comment.

Sorry, let me clarify.

My primary point was "The motivation to pay more for talent is to make more money" (quoting myself). Companies won't pay top dollar if they don't think they will make more money by hiring top talent (#2 above), or they don't have the money to afford the top talent (#1 above), or...let me add #3:

Companies won't pay more for top talent if they can acquire that talent for cheaper (which happens when there is no competition for that talent). Tho #3 is kind of a metafeature - the ecosystem needed for #3 to be satisfied requires many companies that all satisfy #1 and #2.

Re: Canada's Tech Firms Capitalize On Immigration Anxiety

#143

Post by dang »

alphonsegaston wrote: post #28

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 extrem…

We detached this subthread from https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14540417 and marked it off-topic.

Re: Canada's Tech Firms Capitalize On Immigration Anxiety

#144

Post by jamiek88 »

linkregister wrote: post #102
frandroid wrote: post #65

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> We settle for "good enough" The main problem is investment. You just don't have the investment capital in Canada that you can get in the U.S. I'm not just talking tech, but throughout the economy. Lots of successful Canadian SMEs get bought out by Americans because there's no one here who has the balls to invest in them. In many cases, their (head) offices are moved to the U.S., further reducing the economic impact…

There are numerous counterexamples throughout the Canadian economy: banking, oil & gas, mining, agriculture, etc. Software investment is probably the only sector that is undercapitalized in Canada.

Well you've basically stated those industries that are specifically and geographically tied to Canada.

Of course commodities and the financial system to support them as well as local consumer banking have that funding. All nations do.

It is the 'soft' economy outside of that where the differences lie.

Re: Canada's Tech Firms Capitalize On Immigration Anxiety

#146

Post by jamiek88 »

sumitgt wrote: post #47

One reason that is often over-looked is the green card backlog issue in the US that affects tech workers from India/China. I'd easily make the choice to move to Canada where I can get a green card right away rather than wait 10 years for a green card in US. Salaries might be low, but one cannot put a $ amount on peace of mind.

10 years?

Unless you are an Indian PhD it's more like 60+ years. Basically becoming impossible.

This coupled with H1B abuse has created a very difficult position for some people who are basically indentured.

Re: Canada's Tech Firms Capitalize On Immigration Anxiety

#147

Post by FT_intern »

gricardo99 wrote: post #88
ohhhwell wrote: post #59

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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). Whe…

The sales tax in canada is brutal

Re: Canada's Tech Firms Capitalize On Immigration Anxiety

#148

Post by canadian123456 »

didibus wrote: post #135
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…

I'd love it so much if Canada had comparable salaries. I'd move back for sure, at least if it came 10% within Seattle and SV. But, I'm not sure it's possible for companies to do so. I mean, first of all, in the US, outside of a few cities like NY, SV, Seattle, Bellevue, you start to see lower pay which gets closer to Canadian pay. Appart from that, Canada just doesn't have the same market. That's the biggest differen…

> I mean, first of all, in the US, outside of a few cities like NY, SV, Seattle, Bellevue, you start to see lower pay which gets closer to Canadian pay.

In cities where the pay lowers so does the cost of living. Canada will never get over the exchange rate + availability of goods in America. Canada is an amazing country to live in but America is great too when you have money.

Re: Canada's Tech Firms Capitalize On Immigration Anxiety

#149

Post by canadian123456 »

rb808 wrote: post #141
goodcanadian wrote: post #130

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't think people would complain if it were only a little less for the benefits you describe, but the factor of three that is mentioned by other comments is not an exaggeration. It is one thing to take a pay cut of 20% to live in a "safer, more liberal country." It is quite another to take a pay cut of 70%. Right now, I am trying to move back to Canada. My goal is to get about 50% of the salary that I got at my la…

Sure but the second problem isn't the general level of salaries its that most countries dont have a city like the Bay Area or NYC. If you compare similar types of cities: Portland/Vancouver and Chicago/Toronto I dont think the salaries are 3x. (Though I get the point that this isn't consistent with my first comment)

Entry level for a really good engineer in Toronto is... 90k if we're optimistic & it's changed since I last looked last year? Entry level for a really good engineer in America is 185k+. Total compensation, obviously.

That's before taking into account the volume of job opportunities, exchange rate, and access to goods and services.

Re: Canada's Tech Firms Capitalize On Immigration Anxiety

#150

Post by vkou »

canadian123456 wrote: post #148
didibus wrote: post #135

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'd love it so much if Canada had comparable salaries. I'd move back for sure, at least if it came 10% within Seattle and SV. But, I'm not sure it's possible for companies to do so. I mean, first of all, in the US, outside of a few cities like NY, SV, Seattle, Bellevue, you start to see lower pay which gets closer to Canadian pay. Appart from that, Canada just doesn't have the same market. That's the biggest differen…

> I mean, first of all, in the US, outside of a few cities like NY, SV, Seattle, Bellevue, you start to see lower pay which gets closer to Canadian pay. In cities where the pay lowers so does the cost of living. Canada will never get over the exchange rate + availability of goods in America. Canada is an amazing country to live in but America is great too when you have money.

The cost of living in Vancouver is just as high as the cost of living in Seattle. This is after the Canadian dollar tanked. In fact, right now, the cost of buying a house in Seattle is much, much lower.

Engineer wages in Seattle were ~30-100% higher - before the Canadian dollar tanked. Now they are ~50-160% higher.

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