[jcadam]

> Why does a "real need" have to be urgent?

Because continuously reposting the same position for months/years and interviewing hundreds of candidates just in case a god of computer science happens to apply to your company wastes candidates' time and makes us hate you ("He would be prefect except for that thing he does with his eyebrows while he talks, so let's pass and wait for a better candidate.")

> This bullet point sounds absurd to my European ears.

I'd rather my employer just hand me a (large) wad of (tax-free) cash and say "Go buy yourself some health insurance", but that's not what happens. My current employer's prescription drug plan (Express scripts), for example, is the worst thing in the universe. I'd much rather be able to shop around.