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More demand in Open Source, Amazon’s pot-welcome approach, and remote culture

Another tech jobs report, this time in Open Source.     The 2021 Open Source Jobs report found more demand than ever, and 92% of managers are having trouble finding enough talent and many of them are also having fits holding on to their existing senior open-source staffers.   50% of employers surveyed stated they are increasing hires this year.  The difficulty for companies is, as 92% of managers report, finding enough talent and hanging onto existing talent in the face of fierce competition.

And while we’re on hiring… Amazon announced on Tuesday they are supporting two bills designed to decriminalize pot nationwide and to expunge and reduce the criminal records and sentences of those who have been incarcerated for it.     Why?     If you pull at the thread.. it’s about making more people eligible to be hired.   

Hackajob’s survey says only 22% of tech workers surveyed  agreed that remote working had a negative effect on workplace culture, with the majority (44%) feeling that it had no impact at all.   Almost three-quarters (72%) cited remote working as one of the key perks they looked for as part of a jobs package, while 67% said they had broadened the scope of their job search due to the possibility of remote working.  And, one in five (21%) said they were looking to leave their current job because of a lack of flexibility from their organization, with 21% citing a lack of remote working options specifically.

Why do we care?

My continued focus on hiring and employees.    Amazon’s looking to expand it’s worker pool, and so it’s lobbying to make that happen.    With sentiment towards legalizing marijuana increasingly popular, and already passed in a number of states, this seems logical to me.    Particularly for SMB companies, considering changes to drug policies could make a lot of sense.

Remember all these stats when you hear the push to return to the office chorus start again later, and my recommendation is to resist.     Worth considering – how much impact is remote working really having on culture?  Nearly half of those workers think none.  I’m skepticial, and this is opinion… but if workers feel the culture is the same, doesn’t that make it so?