> even with the layoffs, we're still no where near head counts for 2019.
So then the question is where did all these people come from in just 2 years?
So then the question is where did all these people come from in just 2 years?
To clear it up, I did mean that despite the massive increase in workers, with today's layoffs most of them have not yet reverted back to their pre-pandemic 2019 headcounts.
Where did all of these workers come from? Overall as an industry we did not actually substantially increase our headcount. We're about at par. Why?
- People did retire/leave the industry due to 2020 layoffs/Covid - Big tech, who had the largest "influx" actually just vacuumed people from other non-big tech (e.g. banks, mid-size, startups, etc.) - Much of the headcount growth was actually in non-technology positions, especially HR, marketing, sales etc. because many companies wanted to capitalize on pandemic growth
And I think the answer is that this is the population that would work for big tech if they didn’t have to move, or if they didn’t have to work long hours, or whatever. (IMO the last few years have been cushier at big tech than usual).
Deaths weren't a big labor market driver. Around 1 in 300 Americans died from covid, but only a quarter of those were working age, and tech skews even younger. Long covid could be another story.
That said, I read the comment the same as vineyardmike. More people are working in tech today than in 2019, and that's beyond if the 2019 trend had held.