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How much have tech layoffs affected engineers vs. other departments?

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Re: How much have tech layoffs affected engineers vs. other departments?

#121
post #80

Small company around 500+ employees hiring freeze (for everyone not just eng) for a month to assess.

$40-50B is a small company? I see.

Yeah I got that number wrong, that's the valuation for this particular industry as a whole.

Re: How much have tech layoffs affected engineers vs. other departments?

#122
post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Actually it's the opposite. I am done with dapps and blockchain development and just looking for fullstack (preferring only backend when possible) typescript/golang positions. I am getting a good amount of recruiters contacting me for blockchain related positions but every single time I speak with them their projects are so ridiculously stupid I am flabbergasted that they got investors. "Normal web dev" recruiters? J…

I used to have 2 requests a week on average on Hired. Now, my profile has expired twice without a single request. Definitely, something is wrong with that service. Guess fewer companies are using it. By contrast, it's odd the day I don't get a message on LinkedIn.

I had 8 companies reach out to me via Hired.com when I put my profile on there in June/July 2021. One of those companies successfully hired me. They were also where I was getting the highest stated offer ranges (and got the highest offer).

LinkedIn was a crapshoot and most of the stated offer ranges were lower, although I did get bombarded with recruiters via LinkedIn (30 reached out the day I flipped the switch, 18 the next day, then it started slowing down).

But in general I had a good experience with Hired and plan to use them again next search.

Re: How much have tech layoffs affected engineers vs. other departments?

#123
post #119

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yup, a single dev can build out a massive business via severless cloud components in what used to take a large army of engineers. It just so happens job growth has historically exceeded efficiency gains. The equilibrium point seems close from my perspective, especially if there’s a shock of recession to hammer tech employment

The real value add of software engineering hasn't been code for awhile, it's figuring out what code needs to be written and which architecture/services are the most efficient to implement it.

Yes, same as the value of a plumber, electrician or architect. Difference there is there isn't a supply/demand imbalance of labor in those jobs. And there soon won't be one in engineering either

Re: How much have tech layoffs affected engineers vs. other departments?

#125
post #47

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not for nothing, but that sounds a bit like a market peak if I've heard one. Why would the person actually doing the work settle for a mere 300k when the director/VP gets double without doing the hard work? there is a balance here - but it seems like a good time to lure engineers with real equity compensation to early stage startups.

Which industry has it different? I mean there are exceptions like sport teams but by and large this stuff happens everywhere else too.

Difference in tech has been that productivity has largely been divorced from capital, OpEx, and experience. This may be becoming less true today with large enterprises owning specific market segments through network effects... but I wouldn't bet on that quite yet in the long-term.

A doctor can't help but work at the world's best hospital, because it probably will still be the world's best hospital next year. A jet engine designer can't help but work at Boeing. A fresh college grad can start a tech business tomorrow.

Re: How much have tech layoffs affected engineers vs. other departments?

#126

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is a pointless battle. There is a US election this year so there is zero chance a recession will be admitted until mid November regardless of facts on the ground.

US gov uses a non-partisan third party think tank to officially declare recessions.

Like the Fed with the 1980 election, non-partisan semi-governmental groups prefer to not make themselves to blame for election outcomes and risk inane increases to oversight by legislators.

Re: How much have tech layoffs affected engineers vs. other departments?

#127

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm seeing a massive uptick in recruiting for contract roles compared to a year ago though. A year ago (and even, 3-4 months ago) it was all full time positions nearly exclusively, now it's all heavily weighted toward contract Lots of "18+ month" or "long term" contract verbiage, but contract none the less. Definitely a shift. Seeing more contract to hire too

I guess hiring for contracts routes around arbitrary headcount limits.

I think it has more to do with getting around benefits, usually.

The expense for businesses isn't just the salary, in fact alot of businesses, if they could just pay the salary, would be able to retain / hire more people, but benefits + high salary is harder to take on.

This is a great argument for universal healthcare and a nationalized pension system, but I digress

Re: How much have tech layoffs affected engineers vs. other departments?

#128
post #83

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Non-partisan usually means people aren't directly influenced by political leadership. Pelosi has no recourse if NBER doesn't make the decision that she wants, whereas, she can punish/reward the junior Congresspeople in her party by withholding seats or funding for election campaigns. Thus, NBER is non-partisan while Democratic Congresspeople are partisan. I would hope that every member of NBER votes. It's their civic…

In that case why wouldn't they try to influence the election? It depends on what kind of people sit there, but most academics favor democrats. So I don't see how that statement gives us a good reason to believe that they aren't taking one side here.

Economists don't favor democrats but rather seek reality, and the argument that conservative viewpoints are somehow not present in universities, especially in economics departments where Marxists econ profs and Austrian econ profs dine at the same tables and chair the same candidates, is both hilarious to people who have lived experience there and somewhat sad for those same because to communicate reality to folks espousing the silliness that conservatism is under attack at universities is not worth the effort. Truly a shame. Dinner parties are ruined by similar conversations around religion and politics, yet neither matter when the grill is ready.

Re: How much have tech layoffs affected engineers vs. other departments?

#129
post #116

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The economy is shrinking because boomers are retiring at a rate faster than we can fill jobs. The Boomer economists at the Fed have responded by raising interest rates so that Xers, Millennials, and Zoomers don't get uppity and ask for more money.

Really? I thought it was high inflation triggering consumers into savings mode. And monetary tightening destroying investments.

nope it's 100% the boomers up to their usual antics /s

Re: How much have tech layoffs affected engineers vs. other departments?

#130
post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There is a large backlash happening against blockchain right now in Europe, from your profile I would assume that that is the problem.

Actually it's the opposite. I am done with dapps and blockchain development and just looking for fullstack (preferring only backend when possible) typescript/golang positions. I am getting a good amount of recruiters contacting me for blockchain related positions but every single time I speak with them their projects are so ridiculously stupid I am flabbergasted that they got investors. "Normal web dev" recruiters? J…

I'm in the UK and I've noticed the same thing. I have a job, but currently looking for something else at the moment as it's looking quite unstable.

I've been getting maybe an email or two a day from recruiters and I haven't received a phone call in weeks, which is at lot less than I would usually get. I emailed two recruiters back this week with my CV and neither replied. I'm fairly experienced too (12+ years) so I was kind of surprised. Normally I'd at least get a call back.

It didn't seem too bad a couple of months ago, but this last month things seem to have really slowed.

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