North Bay Business Journal

Relative to the rest of the Bay Area, are North Bay wages and compensation competitive?

• Yes (21%, 8 votes)
• No (76%, 29 votes)
• Don't know (3%, 1 votes)

Total voters: 38

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This NBBJ Pulse Poll ends Oct. 9.

Have you encountered this sort of hiring dilemma? Share your thoughts and experiences in the comments section at the end of the Ask Jen column.

View all polls.

Jennifer Laxton, president of Santa Rosa-based ESA Consulting, in her Ask Jen column in the Oct. 1 issue of the Business Journal fielded a perplexing question that may shed some light on  struggles some North Bay companies have in hiring top talent.

Question: We are a financially solid North Bay company looking to build our company’s engineering team. Several times after making what we believe is a strong offer, they accept positions with other companies. … This is taking far longer than we anticipated. Do you have any advice for us?

Excerpted answer: Salaries in the North Bay tend to be 20 percent to 30 percent below the greater Bay Area. This puts companies like yours at a distinct disadvantage in what I call the war for talent. … Are you prepared to offer above-market compensation packages for top professionals and perks for their families to attract them to come here? [read more]