I have a market question. This can vary depending on where in the world you are, but I want to ask.
Recently, I’ve seen a few jobs advertised for Notes Developers that had a price range of $25,000 - $30,000 a year. I have also seen rate drops like this for other IT skills as well. I’m just curious and I want to ask the Notes community – are others seeing rate drops like this?? Compared to what it used to be, this seems pretty silly.
I’m in the Chicago and working full time at a much higher price so it really doesn’t really matter at this time, but it really makes me wonder if this what I can expect if I go back out in the market again. Hell, if a company thinks that are going to pay $25,000 a year for a skill such as programming and expect 24/7 support on an exempt salary – I’ll go back to driving a fork lift.
As much as I like Notes and IT – It’s not worth it at that price!!
This sounds familiar. Companies advertise at ridiculously low rates like this and then go to the government for permission to bring a worker in from overseas on a “fast track” work visa, claiming they could not fill the position with a UK worker (hence the mythical “skills shortage” … My 2 cents
But I wouldn’t blame the companies for it. The government’s protectionist policies and ridiculously low quotas for foreign workers make it necessary for employers to jump through these hoops. While I’m not in a position to hire people myself, I think the government’s notion that it has a right to tell me whom I can hire, is wrong-headed.
Free competition in all areas might bring down salaries in IT somewhat, but the resulting lower prices for nearly everything you buy, would more than make up for it.
(These are my own opinions and don’t necessarily reflect the position of IBM or its bigwigs, whose opinions I don’t know anyway.)
Andre wrote: “The government’s protectionist policies and ridiculously low quotas for foreign workers make it necessary for employers to jump through these hoops.”
Andre, one can properly debate the merits of protectionism versus free trade, and I have no problem with that. One can also properly debate the free financial market policy issues at the root of the short-term profit imperative that has so substantially changed the landscape of business in the US during the past 30 years. One can properly debate the inherent contradictions and ill effects caused by the inconsistency of a free-market treatment of financial markets, versus protectionist treatment of labor markets. One can also properly debate the issues of sovereignty and of obligation of a nation-state to the domestic welfare for its own citizens, which is the subtext of all of these issues.
But fraud is off the table for proper debate.
The “hoops” you are referring to are fraud. Advertising a position for a salary far below the US market rate, for the purpose of establishing a false salary benchmark and proving that there are no qualified US citizens available for the job is outright fraud. There is no running away from this.
Ergo, you appear to be saying that obeying the protectionist law makes it necessary for employers to engage in fraud. I doubt you mean that. I hope you can agree that it is an outright false proposition.
The protectionist law makes it necessary for employers to obey the protectionist law while it is in effect, or suffer punishment under that law. It also may make it necessary for employers to lobby to change the protectionist law. But those are the only two things that the protectionist law makes necessary. It does not make committing acts of fraud necessary.
Any employer who is doing other than obey the law and lobby for more favorable changes is doing it not because it is necessary, but because it is profitable. Such employers are seduced by the ease with which flouting the law can be accomplished given lax enforcement and lack of effective penalties. This seduction is enticing because it brings very the thing that corporations and their managers are measured on: short-term profits.
Such employers are not doing what is necessary. Rather than investing in training and retention of employees, they are using throw-away people at the lowest possible rate because that is how to maximize short-term profits.
I hope I did not cause anything, world trade is not one of my strengths. All I know is that the career that I’ve worked so hard to get into because I have a love for it – is slipping away and I can’t control it. It’s not the money so much as the false hopes our government made to us by telling us how great this is, when in fact they’ve sold it from us.
You get what you pay for… my employer outsourced/offshored the Helpdesk and the quality of service is now horrendous. You cannot convince me that there are no capable US Helpdesk employees available. But then, I also object to the use once, throw it away imported junk for sale at those great low prices at Walmart.That said, contract Domino rates around Boston are $40 to $60/hr if you can find one. This is actually an improvement over the past few years.
“might bring down salaries in IT somewhat” – to $25,000 - $30,000 ??? Oh my God!!!
Please name a few things that are inexpensive to the consumer that justifies my job either going over seas or the import of cheap workers? Oil? Food? Toys? Please. What good is a cheap item if I don’t have a job to buy it. or if I’m going to be making pennies while being dragged down by support/long hours/stress — what good is it?
If the current consumer items are considered “Cheap”, I can’t imagine what the prices would be if this attack on the middle class was not happening – nothing is cheap.
I agree that it is the fault of the government, but I also blame corporations for taking advantage of our corrupt governments. There are no cheap goods, just record profits for the top dogs in the companies.
The job I mention for $25,000 - $30,000 is the “Only” job currently listed in Chicago, and the company is selling it to outsiders with the blessings of my government.
Sorry to complain, but as I mention, I have a feeling I will be going back to driving a fork-lift because there will be nothing left in this country for me in terms of IT – it’s all going away. Look at the names in this forum and think about it. At least for me driving a fork lift, the goods that are made in China have to move in this country to the consumers. That is more job security than any IT job.
And the real sad thing about all this is that our wonderful government still tells us that IT is still a hot job with tons of opportunities. I think our government is speaking to the wrong nation and the wrong people.
let me correct myself… there is only one “Domino Development” job in Chicago at this time.
Lastly, sorry about my complaints. It was a bad day. I should be happy that I can buy cheap goods and should be proud of the government and the corporations that it supports.
So what if little Johnny has lead in his bloodstream from sucking on a tainted toy! I paid a fraction of of what it MIGHT cost if it was made in the no good USA!!
A new report released by ITAA said the U.S. can further boost IT employment and sharpen its competitive edge by turning to locales not known as technology centers.
Even with IT employment at a four-year high, the report said the United States could strengthen its position in the global IT marketplace if businesses, academic institutions, and federal, state and local governments consider so-called lower cost domestic (LCD) sourcing as part of their worldwide business and economic development strategies. The report cited several companies already benefiting from IT services from rural communities and metropolitan areas in the United States that are not typically known as technology centers