Agreed. However, since I don't like being underpayed, I will pack my things and move to Switzerland after having received my taxpayer-funded education.
I assume you feel underpaid only when you look at Swiss salaries form German CoL perspective. But I assume Swiss salaries are not high when you're also paying Swiss CoL, then they're just regular salaries.
I'm from Vienna - CoL compared to salaries here is pretty high but managable with social housing.
It's just that my friend working for a subsidiary of my employer in Zürich makes 3x as much, gets to keep a lot more of that money due to the significantly lower tax burden and then after that her CoL is ~2-2.5x what it is here.
Additionally, her salary is paid in CHF which is deflationary while I get my money in Eurozone Funbucks. As you might know, Austria has been a European inflation leader in the last 1-2 years (~10%).
Compared to the Swiss we are completely and utterly underpaid. For equivalent work and similar living conditions she's left with almost double the money at the end of the year. Note: We both do not live lavishly by any means.
Yeah well, that's the cost of the Austrian welfare state and the "m'uh most livable city in the world" which is only so livable if you're on cheap social housing instead of paying private market rates.
And now the people expect even more handouts from the state to combat the insane inflation and the higher consumer prices than in Germany and even higher corporate and "high-icome" taxes to fund it all because that's what people vote for, whichever party promises more handouts and getting rid of foreigners, so say goodbye to all the skilled workers ever thinking about moving there to pay taxes.
The country is going down the drain and the rats are leaving the sinking ship. Last one to leave please turn off the lights.
Austria was never really a sought after destination for skilled immigrants since WW2 - just compare the quality of Turks or Yugoslavs that arrived in Switzerland vs. those that wanted to live in Austria.
This is even quantifiable to some extent when comparing the total economic output of the migrants in CH vs AT. Like night and day.
We're a tiny country governed by laws and systems created for and by a huge monarchy.
Sure, but nobody in Austria wants to change that in order to improve the situation and make it attractive to skilled workers, high earners and investors both local and from abroad.
Ask on Austria subreddit and everyone thinks Austrian SW devs are overpaid and should be taxed even higher eve though a developer from Poland or even Romania or Bulgaria makes more than them, or unionized bus driver for the local public transport company makes as much as a SW dev while having better benefits and job security to boot.
Ask them if there should be any tax breaks for skilled foreigners to come here like in the NL and everyone will think you're crazy. People vote for worse conditions for foreigners and high earners out of spite and for as much welfare as possible for the idle and lazy who know how to work the system.
Given this, is it any surprise that no skilled foreigner with high earning potential wants to work in Austria? You reap what you saw. If you wage a pitches and forks which-hunt against skilled workers and high earners, but of course not on those with massive untaxed inherited wealth who pay zero taxes, that's what you get, an unsustainable Ponzi welfare and pension scheme that will collapse in the future.
Berlin, Munich and other big cities, where most of the tech jobs are, have had massive inflation over the last few years. There is a huge gap in terms of rents and mortgages between those who bought or signed a rental contract prior to 2021 and now. Meanwhile the strong CHF has led to Swiss inflation being somewhat lower. Kurzgesagt: German CoL is catching up but salaries remain behind.
Whoever said that in Germany people make enough are nuts.
Let's suppose you have 2 kids. If you get a rental contract in Berlin Today, in 2023. The ideal space according to the government and known research is 30m2 per person, you'd need an apartment with 120m2.
120m2 apartments are like 2500 euros per month, more than half of your salary post-taxes. Tenants typically ask for rents to be 30% of your income, you'd have trouble finding an apartment.
Here's why people also don't have kids in Germany, salaries are terrible.
I've been living here in Berlin for almost 10 years. And only after 8 years I could have a decent life here, even making definitely above the market salaries. And by decent I mean, better than my third-world country.
People won't be willing to move to Germany if they'll live in a shoebox and have no disposable income. They'd rather stay home where their parents, family and friends are, save money and speak their local language.
And without Immigrants, given that Germans in general don't want to reproduce because they can't afford having kids, the country's population size will start decaying.
This post-war mindset from a few people in Germany that people need to get paid just enough to buy Bread and live in a shared flat is what is sinking that country.
>Whoever said that in Germany people make enough are nuts.
You make enough if you're some senior manager at Siemens, Bosch, Porsche, BMW, DHL, DB, Lufthansa, Infineon, big-pharma, etc. one of these companies who are Germany's FAANGs.
That's still very good money for German wages, also keep in mind that senior managers at those big wealthy German companies don't do shit all day while having a iron clad job security. Just send emails, drink coffee, have chats with other managers, then drive home, while ICs at scale-ups have a lot more work, stress and responsibility on their shoulders of keeping the ship afloat and the services running.
That's only true if you want to live within the most popular areas of Berlin, within the ring and in fancy kiezs. There are many areas around that you can easily aford a 120m2 apartment, do not spread misinformation please.
Sure, not everybody can raise a family in mitte or prenzlauer berg with a single salary. But that kinda makes sense, no ?
Sure, but rents and property prices in Zurich and Geneva aren't low at all either. Quite the contrary. My friend in Geneva is feeling super broke. Salaries are high only at the companies of the top of the food chain where it overpowers the insane CoL.
>Kurzgesagt: German CoL is catching up but salaries remain behind.
Ha, Austria laughs at this. Lower salaries than Germany with higher prices than Germany. Someone shout BINGO.
Sincerely, a tech worker