Remote Work And Tech Salaries in the Era of Coronavirus

The Covid-19 pandemic has rocked the world in numerous and profound ways. A significant trend encouraged by the pandemic has been the rise of remote work. Many tech companies, from Twitter to Facebook, have announced that employees can continue working from home even after Covid-19.

Adapting to a remote work-based system is complicated. One of the many things companies need to figure out is what to pay remote employees. Some, like Facebook, have announced they will implement localized compensation. This refers to adjusting a worker’s salary according to where they live.

For now, though, most companies are not implementing localized compensation, which means workers can maximize their earnings if they move to one of several secondary tech hubs in the US. Cities like Austin, Atlanta, Seattle, and Chicago have seen tremendous growth in the tech industry, but living costs remain significantly low compared to San Francisco and New York.

Taking advantage of this, many are choosing to move to these cities, where their hard-earned dollars go much further. According to Hired, making $155,000 in San Francisco’s Bay Area is similar to making $224,000 in Austin, Texas. In Denver, Colorado, it equates to making $202,000.

In a survey of more than 2,000 tech professionals, a third of respondents said they’d be happy to take a salary cut if, in exchange, they were given work-from-home privileges. In addition, 53 percent said these privileges would make them “likely” or “very likely” to move to a cheaper city, while about half said they’d want to go back to the office “at least once a week” after the pandemic.

With these figures in mind, let’s examine some tech industry professions and what they can expect to make in a post-pandemic world.

Software Engineers

Software engineers are the professionals behind the apps and programs that the world runs on, from entertainment apps to productivity software. These professionals offer services that can be delivered online, so remote employment is possible. Software engineers earn high salaries. According to ZipRecruiter, most software engineering positions offer salaries between $79,000 and $115,000 annually. The national average salary for software engineers is almost $98,500 per year.

Web Developers

Web developers build websites, including the one on which you are reading this article. With thousands of websites joining the Internet daily, demand for these professionals will continue to grow, even after Covid-19. Like software engineers, these professionals boast skills that can be deployed remotely. The salary depends on experience, with senior web developers earning over $90,000 on average. To learn how to become a web developer, visit the Career Karma website.

UX/UI Designers

Another career path with excellent remote prospects is product design. Regarding product design in the tech world, we mainly discuss two roles. A UX designer specializes in the user experience (UX), ensuring product use is as easy and intuitive as possible. A UI Designer (UI), on the other hand, focuses on the product's overall look, making aesthetic choices such as the text font or where to place the buttons on a website. If you want to know more about how to become a web designer, check out the Career Karma website. UX/UI designers earn high salaries. According to ZipRecruiter, the average salary for a UX/UI designer is almost $90,000 per year.

Data Scientists

More and more companies rely on data science to draw insights to streamline their processes, boost sales, and stay ahead of the competition. Data scientists are in high demand now and will continue after the pandemic. With technical skills, these professionals can lend their services from the comfort of their homes or anywhere else where they have a powerful computer and a solid Internet connection. Data scientists earn high salaries. According to ZipRecruiter, the average salary for a data scientist is over $108,971. Entry-level data scientists usually earn more than $95,000, while more experienced professionals can earn as much as $185,500 a year.

Mobile App Developer

Whether for iOS or Android, someone has to design and build the millions of apps people use on their smartphones. Mobile app developers can also work remotely, and with society’s reliance on mobile apps growing by the day, demand for them is not likely to wane anytime soon. iOS developers can expect to earn over $113,000, with some jobs offering up to $171,500 annually. On the other hand, Android developers should expect to earn over $111,000, but more experienced developers can earn up to $162,000 annually. Salaries also depend on your company and location. For example, Android developers in San Francisco usually earn over $130,000 per year. The same developer in Atlanta would earn around the national average.

As you can see, all these professionals earn handsome salaries. If you want to join the ranks, consider attending a coding boot camp. These short but intensive courses focus on the skills needed to break into your chosen tech profession. Some of the best ones out there are General Assembly and Springboard.

Outsourcing Company

Outsourcing companies are professional resources that are skilled at operating teams that work dependently for you. With the rise of the pandemic in recent months, unpredictability has become one of the most concerning concerns for companies in the West. Many have not been paid, and companies are forced to pay them even though there is a cash crunch by borrowing money from banks to pay bills.

Companies that had to outsource were better off paying less and could escape the crunch it created in the past few months of lockdown.

We will also analyze how outsourcing companies reduce costs.

Companies planning to outsource their resources and save plenty of money could hire software engineers at $25,000 – 35,000 annually. If you think this is less, yes, it is way less, but trust us, outsourcing could help you hire a talented, skilled software engineer for the price.

Web Developers can be hired for $15,000 – 23,000 per year, and UI/UX designers and others can be hired for $25,000 – 40,000 per year.

There is always a way out, and this way out is better than committing as we are not sure what will happen.

To sum up, every professional comes with a handsome salary, and if you are not getting hired with an attractive salary, career karma is your lookout.

For companies that have felt the crunch, they should evaluate themselves in hiring an outsourcing company.