In my experience VS Code (with TypeScript) even the main refactoring options don't work very well. For example when I rename a method, move a file between directories, or move methods, the imports are not correctly updated and I have to spend time fixing errors before compiling.
With IntelliJ + Java I can do more advanced refactors (change method signature for example) and it compiles without any manual effort.
Ah don't get me wrong, I absolutely agree. For advanced refactoring and bigger project, IntelliJ is very much ahead. I just think that vscode is itself far ahead of emacs/vim in that regard. It's in a middle ground between IDE and an editor once you get a language plugin installed.
Compare:
https://www.jetbrains.com/help/idea/refactoring-source-code.... (note the possible refactors in the sidebar)
https://code.visualstudio.com/docs/editor/refactoring