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Also one thing to note here: these are 'Labor Condition Applications', not actual salaries. Often they are one and the same, but (for example) they do not include pay rises. I've ended up being paid more than every LCA I've had since I've been in the US.
I've analyzed the hell out of this "salary bubble" issue (or non-issue, because there is no such thing) at length.
http://michaelochurch.wordpress.com/2014/05/24/whats-a-mid-c...
http://michaelochurch.wordpress.com/2013/11/03/software-engi...
According to the data here, salaries for "Senior software engineer" in both SF and NYC are lagging rental inflation over the last 5 years. Does this jibe with reality? Is the data bad, or are engineers losing ground?
There is another potential effect: as part of the labour certification process, the company is required to post up the applications of all foreigners it is hiring in a "prominent location" for around two weeks, to make sure all other employees are aware of it. It can be rather awkward to post up an LCA with a number on it that is significantly higher than what others in the company are getting.
My experience has been that many people are paid significantly more than the prevailing wage on the application. As mentioned, this is also just the base rate, without bonuses or equity.
I would say this analysis is useful for drawing comparisons between companies and observing trends, but less useful for the absolute numbers.
Especially from these companies with large profit margins and huge revenue per employee numbers. It seems like engineers have captured almost nothing of the fruit of their labors.
According to the data here, salaries for "Senior software engineer" in both SF and NYC are lagging rental inflation over the last 5 years. Does this jibe with reality? Is the data bad, or are engineers losing ground?
http://www.infocaptor.com/dashboard/what-will-america-pay-to...
Why are tech salaries so low? Especially from these companies with large profit margins and huge revenue per employee numbers. It seems like engineers have captured almost nothing of the fruit of their labors.
Over here in Europe (or at least Germany) salaries are incredibly uniform (doesn't really matter if you suck or get as much done in a day as others in 1-2 weeks; if your bugs get constantly reopened or your code is rock-solid), and most people seem to get maybe 35-50k€ after graduation (diploma/master's degree).
Engineers are just middle class who didn't get screwed. The real bubble is in the medical industry and Wall Street and it's not gonna pop any time soon.