| > You are comparing the best the US has to offer with the standard for European employees. And you're moving goal posts by refocusing off of software developers and tech, an area where the EU and Europe badly lose to the US. The median US software developer earns ~$110,000 this year before you get to any other compensation. That median employee (1.4m software developer jobs in the US) is not working in the bay area, NYC, or Seattle. The US median software developer salary is over twice that of the EU. I haven't checked for an exact comparison but it's now probably close to twice that of a first tier EU economy like France, given how much higher incomes are in the US and how badly compensated software developers are in Western Europe. EU workers are also typically paying for their health insurance through high taxation. That $110k employee is not paying for their health insurance via high taxation. The only argument there is that their corporate compensation could be even higher, maybe $125k-$130k per year, if the corporation didn't cover health insurance (shifting the burden to the employee). The only work advantage an EU software developer has over the US, is the greater guaranteed time off from work. In exchange for that, they have far less economic upside potential and fewer jobs per capita available. |
I've worked in a US company (in a German branch) and the work hours, late night meetings etc. they did in the US were insane to all of us. I can't say if this is typical or not, but from what I hear it is.
In Germany, people usually give their best effort... for 8 hours, then they go home and enjoy their free time (or family time, if they have one). Of course, sometimes emergencies happen and you stay longer, but this is seen as an exception. Worker protection is also very strong here, meaning that things like "on call duty without compensation" aren't even legal.
Also, if you're in the valley you might not be able to afford to live there, so you have to factor in commuting too. Commutes are generally much shorter in Europe and public transportation is also usually better.
Yes, it's true that you earn a lot more in the US, even factoring in health insurance, rent etc., and I agree that European (and in particular German) employers should be paying more (and salaries are already starting to rise significantly), but still, I wouldn't want to trade because in the end, money is not all that matters.