Ask HN: Are you unable to find employment?

Hacker News Discussion ↗

Engineers across the US and Europe report unprecedented difficulty finding work in tech, even with years of experience and strong pedigrees. Commenters point to a mix of factors: post‑ZIRP cutbacks and failed startups, offshoring and H‑1B dependence, AI and remote work reducing demand for mid‑level roles, rising salary expectations, and ageism. There is sharp disagreement over how much diversity policies and immigration are to blame, but broad agreement that junior and mid‑career candidates now face an employers’ market where networking, niche skills, and pay cuts are increasingly necessary.

Overall state of the tech job market

  • Many posters across the US, Europe, Australia, and India report the toughest market they’ve seen in years, especially since late 2022.
  • Common patterns: hundreds of applications, very few interviews, multi‑round processes ending in rejection, and long unemployment spells (6–12+ months).
  • Juniors and mid‑levels report near-total lockout; seniors say they still get interviews but face lower offers, more hoops, and more competition.
  • Some respondents, especially with strong networks or niche skills (ML, embedded, SDET, finance/low‑latency), report landing jobs relatively quickly and question how “bad” the market really is.

Drivers: macroeconomy, AI, and company behavior

  • End of zero/low interest rates and post‑COVID correction: less speculative hiring, more focus on cost and profitability.
  • Many firms cut large portions of staff, froze or reduced hiring, and reallocated budgets into AI initiatives.
  • LLMs are seen as boosting productivity of existing engineers, especially juniors, reducing demand for new hires in some shops.
  • Several describe “fake” or placeholder job postings, very slow response times, and automated resume filters eliminating candidates early.

Offshoring, H‑1B, and pay

  • Strong perception that companies are shifting hiring to lower‑cost regions (India, Poland, Brazil, Mexico, etc.) and to H‑1B workers, often at much lower salaries.
  • Some argue this is straightforward cost optimization and has been happening for years; others frame it as systemic suppression of domestic wages and mobility.
  • Several describe US and UK teams being replaced or “restructured” into foreign offices.

Age, race, and DEI

  • Many older engineers report ageism: resumes filtered for “too much” experience, visible gray hair or long careers seen as a liability, advice to hide graduation years and early roles.
  • Debate around whether white men are now disadvantaged:
    • Some cite DEI policies, diversity targets, and anecdotes of being passed over.
    • Others counter that URM hiring is still limited, DEI peaked around 2020–21, and the primary issue is oversupply and cost, not race.

Education, oversupply, and skills

  • CS enrollment keeps rising; bootcamps and weak university programs are blamed for a glut of mediocre candidates.
  • Complaints that many grads can’t code without heavy library use; others say the real issue is employers demanding narrow, “perfect-fit” experience.

Coping strategies

  • Recurrent advice: network and get referrals; cold applications are seen as low‑yield.
  • Some pivot to self‑employment, consulting, game dev, or non‑tech work; others double down on open source to signal skill.