UBER can't find good help locally. (Pittsburgh, California: luxury, incomes, living in)

[PghYinzer]

There are variables in this situation that Uber has control over and some that it doesn’t. They can’t control the weather, or really make an impact in public transportation (unless they fund a rail line) but they can control the salary. Heck, I would move to Tampa if you paid me enough.

As for clean air being an issue, no offense because it is a wonderful place, but large swaths of San Francisco smell like p*ss.

[_Buster]

Originally Posted by corpgypsy

Blackbeauty, I respectfully disagree with you regarding your insistence that it is not difficult to recruit top notch or qualified talent or candidates, in many fields, to our area. I maintain it was and still is a problem.


That was indeed the point of the Trib article which was reporting on the Pittsburgh Technology Council meeting. That was the very point that John Barres ( Director of Uber's Advanced Technology Center) made when he joked at the beginning of his address. That was the difficult and uncomfortable point UNDERSTOOD by the other tech officers attending that meeting.


It is what it is. Many recruiters and head hunters would love to get to the salary negotiation stage, but all too frequently, they cannot, due to the Pittsburgh relocation obstacle.


You do provide great anecdotal evidence of students attending our colleges and living in our communities. However it is, as illustrated in the article ( which is the topic of this thread) difficult to retain those best and brightest with the advanced degrees and highest skill set, due to the competition from corporations and companies in San Francisco, San Jose, San Diego, Seattle and Boulder who also are heavily recruiting from the same pool.

Part of this is that all of the large companies like to make a public issue about not being able to find enough talent, so that they can keep the pressure on to increase H1-B visas. Intel and many others have been doing this for years -- and just yesterday Intel announced 12,000 layoffs. Yes there is a part of this that is aimed at putting lower pressure on salaries while importing cheaper foreign labor or offshoring. And to do that they first play the PR game by complaining about lack of talent.

[MountainDewGuy]

Originally Posted by PghYinzer

But even a single person moving here and replacing the old couple means that people are moving here.

We may not be growing, but we are replacing old with new, which takes people moving here.

The key is the word moving, when you use it, it implies that someone moved.

Not necessarily. More people could be staying instead of leaving.

[MountainDewGuy]

Originally Posted by Blackbeauty212

You do know that Allegheny County had/has the 2nd highest population of Elderly folks proportional to total population only succeeded by South Florida ... These people unfortunately do Die and/or move to warmer climates. In the past there was nothing replacing elderly deaths, especially with such a low birth rate. Now Pittsburgh is poised to offset the high death rate with marginal gains in the next census. What's offsetting the high Death Losses if Birth Rates here remain historically low.

There's a Reason why the East End, Downtown, South Side, North Side are Gentrifying like crazy. Doesn't take a rocket scientist. Its why you have the Yinzers in a heated battle with progressive ideas like bike lanes. Its why you have the same handful of bellyachers on here, complaining about Rising Rents/COL. Its why Pittsburgh is all of sudden the talk of the town in National Media Outlets, its why we're the new Foodie paradise (supposedly). Its why more millennials are staying here after College.

I remember when Oakland used to be an utter Ghost town during the Summer Months, like it is during Christmas break.... To now see Oakland with a serious Hustle in late May/June/July means kids are not going home like they used too they're sticking around and getting Summer work, more kids are coming here for Summer Classes/Internships.

None of these "issues" would be happening if people we not moving here and "discovering" the Burgh.

Seriously this Pittsburgh pessimism among natives pisses me off to no-end. Natives just have a hard time believing this city has changed/is changing and accepting it for the better.

If that is all true, then why is a place like Uber having trouble getting qualified workers, if so many people are moving here?

I'm someone who moved back to Pittsburgh with my wife several years ago, so try to spare lumping me in the category of pessimistic yinzer. I just prefer not to wear the rose colored glasses all the time, and don't like coming up with every excuse imaginable for why something is the way it is, instead of looking at what is really happening and what could really help.

There is a reason why the population here is older in the first place, and making excuses instead of coming up with solutions that would have kept people here is one of them.

[MountainDewGuy]

Originally Posted by PghYinzer

There are variables in this situation that Uber has control over and some that it doesn’t. They can’t control the weather, or really make an impact in public transportation (unless they fund a rail line) but they can control the salary. Heck, I would move to Tampa if you paid me enough.

As for clean air being an issue, no offense because it is a wonderful place, but large swaths of San Francisco smell like p*ss.

This is an example of not looking at reality. That reality being... the Pittsburgh air quality is HORRENDOUS, yet we feel the need to attack other places. If we want to bring in more young folks, then Pittsburgh needs to get itself removed from annually making the Top 10 worst list.

[Blackbeauty212]

Originally Posted by MountainDewGuy

If that is all true, then why is a place like Uber having trouble getting qualified workers, if so many people are moving here?
.

Because the people moving here are STUDENTS and ENTRY LEVEL Grads ..... That's not who Uber Wants to recruit, they want Experienced professionals which the Burgh lacks at the moment (according to Uber) ... funny Google and other Tech companies here are NOT having this same problem.

Which leads me to believe the problem is Salaries offered. Professionals will gladly move here, Pittsburgh does not have the negative sigma it once had. Those professionals not willing to take the significant pay cut, that Uber is looking for, just because the Burgh is much cheaper than the Bay Area, Seattle, etc. Pay still needs to be comparable.

I moved from NYC to Shadyside, for family reasons primarily but also because my office has a progressive work allowance that permits me to work remote, and travel to NYC on occasion. Would I have made the move if I couldn't keep my NYC salary and had to take a cut down to what standard for my profession in the Burgh. I would really need to think about that. But the fact I got to keep my NYC salary, telecommute and live in a much cheaper location with better QoL, oh and it just happened to be my Hometown, it was a 'best of both worlds' deal.

[MountainDewGuy]

Originally Posted by Blackbeauty212

Because the people moving here are STUDENTS and ENTRY LEVEL Grads ..... That's not who Uber Wants to recruit, they want Experienced professionals which the Burgh lacks at the moment (according to Uber) ... funny Google and other Tech companies here are NOT having this same problem.

Which leads me to believe the problem is Salaries offered. Professionals will gladly move here, Pittsburgh does not have the negative sigma it once had. Those professionals not willing to take the significant pay cut, that Uber is looking for, just because the Burgh is much cheaper than the Bay Area, Seattle, etc. Pay still needs to be comparable.

I moved from NYC to Shadyside, for family reasons primarily but also because my office has a progressive work allowance that permits me to work remote, and travel to NYC on occasion. Would I have made the move if I couldn't keep my NYC salary and had to take a cut down to what standard for my profession in the Burgh. I would really need to think about that. But the fact I got to keep my NYC salary, telecommute and live in a much cheaper location with better QoL, oh and it just happened to be my Hometown, it was a 'best of both worlds' deal.

The problem isn't salaries Uber is paying. They are paying a lot and I have it on good authority. The problem is that they are very picky AND people don't want to come here for reasons like poor transportation infrastructure and terrible air quality. That is also what the Uber person suggested, but of course according to some he must not be telling the truth, since Pittsburgh can't possibly ever have something negative said about it. His comments must have some hidden meaning like Uber just wants an excuse to hire people from India.

Even someone like you who is from Pittsburgh has to think twice about moving to Pittsburgh even with an appropriate salary for your job. Of course people want to live here (or Cleveland, Buffalo, etc) if paid the same salary as they received in NYC.

[Blackbeauty212]

Originally Posted by MountainDewGuy

The problem isn't salaries Uber is paying. They are paying a lot and I have it on good authority. The problem is that they are very picky AND people don't want to come here for reasons like poor transportation infrastructure and terrible air quality.

You can't back that up with any evidence other than your assertions... Again why isn't Google and other tech companies having this same problem. Why aren't they crying about Talent here, Google pays damn well too and is a progressive work place...

Poor Transportation infrastructure exists all over the country. Yes our Public Transit could be better, I'm at the forefront on that. But being an absolute deterrent is simply not true, Pittsburgh has one of the highest uses of Public Transit in the country. Air quality, is really reaching.... Compared to California's Air ... ROFLMAO....

Quit Making Sh*t Up.

[PghYinzer]

Originally Posted by MountainDewGuy

This is an example of not looking at reality. That reality being... the Pittsburgh air quality is HORRENDOUS, yet we feel the need to attack other places. If we want to bring in more young folks, then Pittsburgh needs to get itself removed from annually making the Top 10 worst list.

I am not attacking, I love San Francisco, but it smells like p*ss. That is a known thing with that town.

[_Buster]

I wonder if people working at Uber on automated car technology are really the types who want to ride public transit? Not saying some of them don't, but public transit is not exactly great in silicon valley either. and it is a company that focuses on cars.