[yawgmoth]

Living in the Midwest and currently working remotely for a NY based company. Remote / coastal salaries are so much higher than typical Midwest engineering salaries that I'll never be able to return to the office again. This feels like a problem worth examining, but what can be done?

[JackMorgan]

For possibly the first time in human history we workers are able to get the benefits of geographic arbitrage and still command some of the highest salaries in the world. I really like that and appreciate it. However, if the dual benefits of going into an office and living in the Midwest are important enough for you, that office will cost you a lot in missed opportunity costs. I don't know if that's a problem that can be solved, or just a natural law of constraints.

[cebert]

I live in the Detroit area, and also noticed a huge salary discrepancy between local salaries and those for remote positions. The positive is there are many great opportunities for us to increase our income while living in a lower-cost area than Seattle, NYC, SanFran, etc. Midwest based firms need to reconsider their pay bands, or they’re going to have problems competing for talent.

[humanrebar]

Midwest salaries have been low for a long time, and it has had an effect on the ability to attract and retain top talent. The difference now is that the market for employment for engineers unwilling to relocate to those coastal cities has expanded dramatically. The new entrants are coming in with market-clearing salary offers. I predict we'll see salary expectations in the Midwest increase dramatically. Some Midwest employers will have to adjust their business plans accordingly. For instance, consulting shops may have to increase pricing quite a bit.

[_jesseb]

Same here, midwest working for a SV company. Nobody in my city is even close to competitive to my salary, and my salary isn't even that amazing for SV.