Comment by mabbo | Hacker News Reader

Comment by mabbo | Hacker News Reader

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There will be just as many jobs for just as many people. There aren't many places where software engineers are unemployed.

What's interesting is that there are places where people are paid much less because there's so little demand for labor there- if you're the only employer of software developers in 100 miles, you can pay a pittance. And at the same time, places like Silicon Valley pay a premium for labor because there's a shortage (let's not discuss the reasons around that- I don't feel the need to drink).

When the market is merged, it will be leveled. And I cannot imagine those who stay in San Francisco are going to benefit. But the brilliant developer who has been paid terribly at a small software firm in the middle of no where, who can't leave for other reasons, that developer is going to see their fortune changed for the better.

Doesn't that mean that developers will be forced out of living in desirable areas with higher costs of living?

Some but not all. There is still an advantage to locality (near VCs, technology events, ease of meetups, local talent pool).

Companies were definitely overestimating the need/benefit for this locality but that doesn't mean it is now zero.

Yes but that's part of the equilibrium I suppose.

Places where current wages are low are going to see wage increases (because of higher demand / lower supply), which in turn will lead to an increase in costs of living.

Places where current wages are very high are going to see downward pressure on wages (because of lower demand / higher supply), which in turn will eventually lead to a lowering of costs of living.

Obviously that's valid in the "fullness of time". How long it can actually take for this new equilibrium to be fully realized is anyone's guess.

> Places where current wages are low are going to see wage increases (because of higher demand / lower supply), which in turn will lead to an increase in costs of living.

I'm not sure that there's so many SW people outside of the big tech hub areas so as to make such a difference. If they are more uniformly distributed across the country, their impact on each community will likely be negligible.

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