US Engineers Turn to Public Sector Amid Big Tech Layoffs
Forum users discuss US engineers shifting to public jobs after Big Tech layoffs, trading lower pay for stability.
English · Original discussion in Spanish · Published
US Engineers Turn to Public Sector Amid Big Tech Layoffs
As major US tech companies continue laying off staff trinc years of record profits, some forum users argue that a portion of software engineers has stopped viewing FAANG companies as the ideal destination. Public sector employment, offering lower salaries but guaranteed job security and pensions, emerges in these discussions as the rational alternative. The paradox, according to these same users, is that this refuge is built on contractors and agencies that also lay off staff between projects.
What Has Changed in the US Tech Labor Market
The starting point they describe is a repeating sequence: mass hiring, quarterly results exceeding expectations, and then, months later, workforce adjustments celebrated by the stock market. One user describes joining a company with good culture, high pay, and excellent treatment, only to be laid off alongside 10% of the staff before completing their first year. The company rehired afterward. The lingering question is whether it is worth returning.
Against this cycle, these users argue, the US public sector offers what the private sector no longer promises: permanence, insurance benefits, and publicly guaranteed pension systems. In the Anglo-Saxon world, they maintain, public employees have retirement supplements backed by the state, something that has been eroding in the private sector. The volume is not insignificant: figures suggest **23 million public jobs** in a country of 333 million inhabitants, and just one specific federal agency concentrates **500,000 mid- and senior-level employees**.
The Calculation Made by the Most Educated Generation
Comparing gross salaries is misleading, according to these users. In California, big tech pays well but demands long hours and consumes a fortune in housing costs. When doing the full math, the gap narrows. And in several states, labor laws and strong unionization make losing a job difficult even in the private sector.
Some argue the paradigm shift is cultural rather than economic: the younger generation is beginning to understand the American Dream as living peacefully with a stable job and a comfortable salary, not getting rich while enduring the pace of FAANG companies. During the era of cheap money, that effort paid off. With expensive money, mega-corporations lay off staff even while making massive profits.
The Refuge Also Has Cracks
Job security in the US public sector is not absolute. International organizations have stopped hiring permanent staff and chain temporary contracts. At agencies like NASA, personnel have historically protested because they are laid off between projects and then pray the next one comes through. Local administrations also face pension problems: some municipalities go bankrupt unable to pay generous retirements, and the usual response is to subcontract everything except police and some central services.
In Spain, the picture is different but shares the underlying theme. A user claims civil servants are virtually un-fireable, something that only happens here and in France, and that average public sector salaries exceed those in the private sector. The consequence, according to this narrative, is a trickle toward secure positions: a nurse or midwife with a permanent post earns more than €3,000 and has a job for life, while the local alternative involves 60-hour workweeks in the Galician textile industry. The problem is that almost all these posts require moving to Madrid, and with a €1,500 salary, the move is hardly attractive.
The Trap of Short-Term Calculation
The appeal of public employment has an uncomfortable flip side. International organizations pay well and offer half the workload, but rarely provide permanent positions anymore. Contractors in the US public sector earn excellent salaries and accumulate valuable experience, although the government only allows dismissals for justified production causes or contract breaches. Stability, in many cases, belongs to the contract, not the position.
One unanswered question remains: if the difference in compensation and pressure is so favorable, why isn't the migration toward secure posts massive? Part of the explanation lies in the entry barrier. Civil service exam boards leave vacancies unfilled not due to lack of candidates, but because many fail the tests, and preparing for a *oposición* (civil service competitive exam) requires at least a year of study. The secure post has become a prize to be earned, not a right inherited with a degree.
As major US tech companies continue laying off staff trinc years of record profits, some forum users argue that a portion of software engineers has stopped viewing FAANG companies as the ideal destination. Public sector employment, offering lower salaries but guaranteed job security and pensions, emerges in these discussions as the rational alternative. The paradox, according to these same users, is that this refuge is built on contractors and agencies that also lay off staff between projects.
What Has Changed in the US Tech Labor Market
The starting point they describe is a repeating sequence: mass hiring, quarterly results exceeding expectations, and then, months later, workforce adjustments celebrated by the stock market. One user describes joining a company with good culture, high pay, and excellent treatment, only to be laid off alongside 10% of the staff before completing their first year. The company rehired afterward. The lingering question is whether it is worth returning.
Against this cycle, these users argue, the US public sector offers what the private sector no longer promises: permanence, insurance benefits, and publicly guaranteed pension systems. In the Anglo-Saxon world, they maintain, public employees have retirement supplements backed by the state, something that has been eroding in the private sector. The volume is not insignificant: figures suggest **23 million public jobs** in a country of 333 million inhabitants, and just one specific federal agency concentrates **500,000 mid- and senior-level employees**.
The Calculation Made by the Most Educated Generation
Comparing gross salaries is misleading, according to these users. In California, big tech pays well but demands long hours and consumes a fortune in housing costs. When doing the full math, the gap narrows. And in several states, labor laws and strong unionization make losing a job difficult even in the private sector.
Some argue the paradigm shift is cultural rather than economic: the younger generation is beginning to understand the American Dream as living peacefully with a stable job and a comfortable salary, not getting rich while enduring the pace of FAANG companies. During the era of cheap money, that effort paid off. With expensive money, mega-corporations lay off staff even while making massive profits.
The Refuge Also Has Cracks
Job security in the US public sector is not absolute. International organizations have stopped hiring permanent staff and chain temporary contracts. At agencies like NASA, personnel have historically protested because they are laid off between projects and then pray the next one comes through. Local administrations also face pension problems: some municipalities go bankrupt unable to pay generous retirements, and the usual response is to subcontract everything except police and some central services.
In Spain, the picture is different but shares the underlying theme. A user claims civil servants are virtually un-fireable, something that only happens here and in France, and that average public sector salaries exceed those in the private sector. The consequence, according to this narrative, is a trickle toward secure positions: a nurse or midwife with a permanent post earns more than €3,000 and has a job for life, while the local alternative involves 60-hour workweeks in the Galician textile industry. The problem is that almost all these posts require moving to Madrid, and with a €1,500 salary, the move is hardly attractive.
The Trap of Short-Term Calculation
The appeal of public employment has an uncomfortable flip side. International organizations pay well and offer half the workload, but rarely provide permanent positions anymore. Contractors in the US public sector earn excellent salaries and accumulate valuable experience, although the government only allows dismissals for justified production causes or contract breaches. Stability, in many cases, belongs to the contract, not the position.
One unanswered question remains: if the difference in compensation and pressure is so favorable, why isn't the migration toward secure posts massive? Part of the explanation lies in the entry barrier. Civil service exam boards leave vacancies unfilled not due to lack of candidates, but because many fail the tests, and preparing for a *oposición* (civil service competitive exam) requires at least a year of study. The secure post has become a prize to be earned, not a right inherited with a degree.
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Summary of a discussion on Burbuja.info - Foro de economía, actualidad y política., translated from Spanish and reviewed before publication. Read the full discussion (106 replies).
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