Market

Crackdown on Minor Infractions (Stealth Layoff?)

  • On November 24, 2024
A little horror story for you all: companies are now cracking down on minor infractions, possibly as a stealth layoff per WSJ. Here are the sins employees committed recently leading to their termination: –    Meta employees used $25 meal allowances on household items instead of restaurant meals. –    E&Y employees watched multiple training […]
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Change, Market

2024-25 Economic Trends Affecting the Job Market

  • On November 17, 2024
I am often asked what I’m seeing. The short answer: the job market is better than last year and seems to be improving. I’m testing the market and consuming reports for you. Analysis from this past week: Highlights from the LinkedIn newsletter The Work Shift (“Keeping you informed about the economy, labor market and evolving […]
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Market

What’s Going on with the Bay Area Job Market?

  • On July 7, 2024
The Bay Area job market and pay have dropped from peak 2022. Per SFGate, the good news: “Workers in the Bay Area received the highest average tech pay of any American metro. The bad news: “but also withstood the largest year-over-year drop at 15.25%.” Pay decline was due to area layoffs. Comp dropped 26% for […]
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Job Search, Market

Job Hunting is Like House Hunting in the Bay Area

  • On June 9, 2024
We all know the joys of buying a house in the Bay Area. Supply is low, and there is fierce competition. Yes, job hunting now is like this. Here are some applicable lessons for the win: Target the area. Like knowing what neighborhood you want to be in, you have to know what jobs and […]
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Market, Networking

Hidden Market vs. Early Job Market

  • On April 13, 2024
Is there a secret backdoor to the job market? While unposted or “hidden jobs” exist, they’re not that common. Here are the circumstances I’ve seen for hidden jobs: small companies/startups in growth mode, super strategic jobs the employer doesn’t want to notify the market about, and replacement of someone sitting in the job that the […]
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Market, Move

Is SF Still Relevant?

  • On February 4, 2024
We all know tech and the SF Bay Area have both been hit hard. How relevant is our region now? It’s still leading in tech innovation and the tech talent pool! Investment in tech is still coming in. The Bay Area received more investor funding than other cities. Last year “more venture capital funding went […]
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Market

How’s the Legal Market Doing: Summer Edition

  • On July 30, 2023
WSJ reported yesterday that the US economy “is sticking the soft landing,” i.e., the economy, which is sending “repeated mixed signals,” is “averting the long-anticipated recession” while still steadily cooling as the Fed fights inflation. In this environment, what do leading firms with top tech clients say about the economy, tech, clients, and the legal […]
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Market, Move, Startup

Will the Bay Area Stay Relevant in Tech? Yes Because of AI

  • On July 23, 2023
Good news for those of us still in Silicon Valley. The New York Times reports that the locus of AI currently sits in the Bay Area, which “has ruled the technology industry for decades, from early days of personal computers to the social media boom.” Researchers from the Brookings Institute predict that AI (like other […]
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Change, Departure, Market, Timing

The “Great Resignation” Is Over. What Does That Mean?

  • On July 16, 2023
The NYT reported the Great Resignation is over — the rate workers quit their jobs has fallen almost to pre-pandemic levels. Will workers keep gains made (flexibility on in-office, high pay, etc.), or will employers regain leverage (especially as the economy remains unstable)? NYT thinks the “pendulum may be swinging back toward employers,” and I agree. […]
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