The Hidden Perk Of Tech Salary Stagnation
Beyond monetary job benefits toward a subtle benefit that determines your experience in a job — and your career trajectory.
The following short read is an excerpt from my weekly newsletter, Extract. Transform. Read. sent to nearly 3,000 aspiring data professionals. If you enjoy this snippet, you can sign up and receive your free project ideation guide.
While LinkedIn is typically a sea of positivity, a Wall Street Journal headline revealed a trend that should disturb early career professionals and job seekers alike–Job Seekers Hit Wall of Salary Deflation.
LinkedIn News’ post title was more blunt: Job Hopping? Don’t Expect More Pay.
The article argued that the 2021–22 trend of job hopping for notable salary bumps has ended in 2025; the Co-Founder of Levels.FYI, one of the bibles of tech salary data suggested that median software engineer pay declined 1–2% in 2024.
Constraints in budgeting and “low-ball” salary offers have made it obvious companies are bracing for a macroeconomic disruption, if not outright recession in the near future. So if your current employer can’t give you more money, why would you stay?
A mixture of factors including company-sponsored health insurance, coveted hybrid/remote arrangements and other intangibles has kept employees locked in “bronze handcuffs” (of course, golden cuffs are reserved for the C-Suite).
An overlooked, intangible factor is your social capital within your team, division and organization at large; I’m talking about the ability to wield influence won through years of successful tasks and revenue-driving projects.
For some, having the ability to delegate and advocate for individuals and initiatives is more attractive than a 10% raise. Knowing how to navigate complex office dynamics and say “no” to tasks that can inflate your workload and result in greater stress might be a perk worth retaining.
Gaining and maintaining influence is a matter of:
- Positioning yourself on projects that represent “big wins” for the team and org
- Being a go-to by saying “yes” and not being afraid to say “no” or deprioritize based on your domain knowledge
- Developing cross-team and external contacts, especially for technical support to help escalate issues that make you look good for having a “quick fix”
- Proving yourself to be a reliable collaborator; I’ve been asked to offer feedback on projects and POCs (proof of concepts) I’m not directly part of because I’ve provided value in past collaborations; this makes me a “go-to” for a broad range of topics
If you’re job searching, don’t let these headlines discourage you. First, there’s a lot of negativity surrounding the job market and economy at large. Some concerns are warranted but there’s a lot of sensationalism out there. Choose your sources carefully and filter accordingly.
When you’re interviewing, look for orgs that might help you nurture and grow your influence. Typically smaller teams enable more individual ownership of projects/products which, in turn, results in greater influence on related initiatives.
Unlike monetary salaries, it takes a lot to deflate an influential force.
Thanks for ingesting,
-Zach Quinn
