Google, Apple, Facebook: how much do programmers with work visas earn in the USA

When the question arises about how much software developers in the United States are paid at the country's largest technology companies, the answer seems simple: quite a lot. But there are nuances in this data that are worth paying attention to, writes Dice.

Photo: Shutterstock

To obtain accurate data, the authors consulted the H-1B Visa Holders' Salary Database, which indexes information on the US Department of Labor's working conditions. The analysis was narrowed down to software engineers and used data from October 2019, and then added information for July 2020.

For example, in October 2019, the median salary for a software developer was:

Google - $138 per year;
Microsoft - $125;
Apple - $120.

By July 2020, salaries have increased significantly (the authors added data from two more companies):

Google - $142 per year;
Facebook - $167;
Microsoft - $143;
Apple - $168;
Amazon - $145.

This is much higher than the $ 94 "average" technology professional salary, but about the level these big tech companies pay their software developers in general.

Here's a breakdown of the entry-level software developer salary:

Amazon (SDE I)

• Salary – $115
• Bonus – $21
• Securities - $15
• Total - $152

Microsoft (SDE)

• Salary – $105
• Bonus – $20
• Securities - $29
• Total - $155

Apple (ICT2)

• Salary – $125
• Bonus – $17
• Securities - $24
• Total - $167

Google (L3)

• Salary – $120
• Bonus – $20
• Securities - $39
• Total - $180

Of course, this is not the complete picture. These technology firms hire H-1B subcontractors of all specializations from business services and consulting firms; for example, Apple recruited 2274 H-1B workers from this secondary market in 2019, while Google recruited 889 workers, according to U.S. Department of Labor data. And data suggests that H-1B workers at these subcontracting firms earn significantly less than their counterparts at other companies: At Accenture, the average H-1B salary is $96, at Tata it's $366, and at Capgemini it's $68 ( at IBM, which does business consulting in addition to its technology business, it is $000).

Once you start peering into this secondary market, determining the average or average wages for various jobs on H-1B becomes a lot darker, despite the federal government's attempts to force these companies to disclose more data.

On the subject: 'Come along' pay less: 7 unexpected discoveries about moving to the USA on a work visa

Trump's temporary ban on H-1B visas (which expires at the end of the year but could theoretically be extended if Trump becomes president again) could also have a significant impact on the wages of H-1B workers already in the country. Especially if they do have a specialized skill set, companies can have a lot of trouble finding contractors.

The emphasis on domestic talent is one of the intentions of the ban.

“As we administer our nation's immigration system, we must be mindful of the impact foreign workers have on the United States labor market, especially in the current emergency of high domestic unemployment and declining labor demand,” the order states. “Historically, when recovering from economic shocks that lead to large declines in productivity, the recovery in employment has lagged behind the improvement in economic activity.”

Of course, it will take several quarters to accurately measure the impact of the ban. Meanwhile, the biggest tech companies seem happy to pay relatively high salaries to their H-1B software developers—at least the ones they employ directly.

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