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U.S. Employers Struggle to Match Workers with Open Jobs

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Re: U.S. Employers Struggle to Match Workers with Open Jobs

#11

Post by atom-morgan »

surfmike wrote: post #10
qudat wrote: post #3

In my mind this is screaming for apprenticeship programs like in Germany.[1][2] Companies need a more streamlined process to get employers early in their career so employees have the necessary training and then get promoted within. All the while employees get paid to learn and work. This one-size-fits-all 4-year college track that every U.S. citizen is being pushed through is failing miserably. [1] https://www.theatl…

Even for people who go to college, more work experience is a huge plus. Waterloo's coop system (4 months of school, 4 months of internship, repeated) provides a great mix of practical experience and academics. It would be great if all majors could have an experience like that.

It was somewhat unbelievable how much my jobs working at Gamestop and Walmart helped in college when so many people around me had never worked a job in their life. Time to rethink minimum wage?

Re: U.S. Employers Struggle to Match Workers with Open Jobs

#12

Post by turk183 »

expertentipp wrote: post #7

There is flood of American outsourcing centers in post-Communist EU countries. Top salaries for software devs/eng, including seniors, are USD 40k gross annually. They can treat the employees in the worst "corporate America" ways - their offices, available hardware, policies, laughable benefits, annual leave, create a perfect package for miserable professional and private life.

Thomson Reuters did this using Belarus. Any systems in "maintenance mode" get sent to code monkeys in former Eastern Bloc nations. The quality is fair, but a lot better than what happened with India (sorry, India, I still love some of you guys, but the frustrations have left deep scars, too).

It's not like American developers are faring much better in those items you listed--offices have become crap, hardware middling, policiies, Ha! Whatever they can geta away with, typically mental torture. Benefits and time off have been historically good but are dropping, pure misery, you betcha!

Re: U.S. Employers Struggle to Match Workers with Open Jobs

#13

Post by turk183 »

fiblye wrote: post #4

To sum up the article, businesses are making ridiculous demands and expecting to pay prospective employees marginally above nothing. Aside from the people posting these job ads, nobody is really surprised.

If you're not in some high-level management role, expect to be shat upon.

Re: U.S. Employers Struggle to Match Workers with Open Jobs

#14

Post by watwut »

expertentipp wrote: post #7

There is flood of American outsourcing centers in post-Communist EU countries. Top salaries for software devs/eng, including seniors, are USD 40k gross annually. They can treat the employees in the worst "corporate America" ways - their offices, available hardware, policies, laughable benefits, annual leave, create a perfect package for miserable professional and private life.

Do you have source about post communist programmers being exploited by American companies and presumably unable to change job?

Re: U.S. Employers Struggle to Match Workers with Open Jobs

#15

Post by crispyambulance »

fiblye wrote: post #4

To sum up the article, businesses are making ridiculous demands and expecting to pay prospective employees marginally above nothing. Aside from the people posting these job ads, nobody is really surprised.

Job postings are ridiculous, but one would think employers would gradually learn a lesson when not enough applicants come forward and relax puffed-up requirements.

But if anything, job "requirements" in postings have been getting even more absurd and persnickety in the last 10 years or so. Are employers simply not adapting or is there something else more complex going on? I suspect the latter.

Re: U.S. Employers Struggle to Match Workers with Open Jobs

#16

Post by expertentipp »

watwut wrote: post #14
expertentipp wrote: post #7

There is flood of American outsourcing centers in post-Communist EU countries. Top salaries for software devs/eng, including seniors, are USD 40k gross annually. They can treat the employees in the worst "corporate America" ways - their offices, available hardware, policies, laughable benefits, annual leave, create a perfect package for miserable professional and private life.

Do you have source about post communist programmers being exploited by American companies and presumably unable to change job?

The other opportunities are not any better. Better opportunities are in more developed EU countries. It's a perfect environment for corporate America to thrive in. You will not find any exploited programmers there because the signs of underperformance are picked up early (mid level management is so efficient!), the employee labeled as "unhappy", and let go. There are only fulfilled and happy people working there.

Re: U.S. Employers Struggle to Match Workers with Open Jobs

#18

Post by crispyambulance »

CoolGuySteve wrote: post #8

"A players hire other As, B players hire Cs..." "The cost of a bad hire is higher than a false negative..." "... culture fit.." "We solve hard problems so we need the best.." It's pretty clear that hiring in technology is a cargo cult that mostly serves to waste time and haze newcomers. But I think the hiring ritual in general of 'post requirements -> get resumes -> interview' is ineffective bullshit. Each filter is…

    > post requirements -> get resumes -> interview' is ineffective bullshit
I agree, but that's not necessarily the way many (most?) jobs even get filled. There are other channels, professional networks and word-of-mouth, etc.

Re: U.S. Employers Struggle to Match Workers with Open Jobs

#19

Post by jarsin »

5trokerac3 wrote: post #6

Insert comment about requiring 5 years of experience in a 3 year old language HR gating really is the worst thing going in American hiring practices today. "Do you have multiple years of experience with 99.9% of the skills listed as requirements, which only a handful of people in the country have? Yes, but I see that on our web form that you had to use to submit your resume you didn't check the box next to 'Degree in…

Or in the software world...I see you have essentially built my exact company before and have tons of experience, but what I really need to know before I hire you is...Can you show me how many queens you can put on a chess board in code!

Re: U.S. Employers Struggle to Match Workers with Open Jobs

#20

Post by kbart »

crispyambulance wrote: post #15
fiblye wrote: post #4

To sum up the article, businesses are making ridiculous demands and expecting to pay prospective employees marginally above nothing. Aside from the people posting these job ads, nobody is really surprised.

Job postings are ridiculous, but one would think employers would gradually learn a lesson when not enough applicants come forward and relax puffed-up requirements. But if anything, job "requirements" in postings have been getting even more absurd and persnickety in the last 10 years or so. Are employers simply not adapting or is there something else more complex going on? I suspect the latter.

Don't forget visas. Many of these puffed-up requirements are just to show regulators that company "can't find" a suitable candidate in a local market so they must bring somebody from abroad (usually that somebody is from 3rd world country who agrees on worse pay/conditions).
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