Demand Growing Again for CompSci Majors
Business Insider, 3 Apr 2026, "AI Isn't Killing Software Coding Jobs - They're Booming"
- Data from TrueUp, a tech hiring analytics firm, shows demand has doubled since the low point of mid-2023 and is up 30% year-to-date!
- "Alot of the 'AI is replacing engineers' narrative isn't grounded in job posting data"
- There are still entry-level tech jobs, but the pool of candidates is bigger due to increased enrollments prior to 2022
New York Times, 3 May 2026, "Why the A.I. Job Apocalypse (Probably) Won't Happen"
- Despite AI companies marketing of themselves (NYC billboard reads: "Stop Hiring Humans"), the macrodata isn't matching the "anecdata." Unemployment rate now is same as before Covid. Average hourly earnings are stable. "Demand for software engineers is booming."
- Economist at University of Chicago thinks in terms of scarcity. History shows that automation has an impact, but something is always scarce. Nespresso machines didn't put Starbucks out of business - in fact the opposite! There are more neighborhood coffee shops than ever. The 1979 VisiCalc electronic spreadsheet didn't eliminate accounting or bookkeeper careers.
Conversations with App State CS alums
- They are as busy as ever
- They are not working in the same way: less code "typing", more code "thinking"
- They recommend staying true to strong fundamental knowledge to make discerning judgments on AI tool output
- They recommend exploration of AI capabilities on personal projects
U.S. Government Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook
Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Outlook Handbook (OOH) 10-year outlook is released each August. The data for 2024-2034 was released August 2025.
- The total number of 2024 jobs was about 4.5 million, which is down less than 1% from 2023.
- There are 10 occupation areas in the Computer & Information Technology occupation group.
- Three of those project a “decline” in job growth, but note that much of that decline is persons moving to another occupation area in the group, for example “Computer Programmers” moving to the higher skill area “Software Developer.”
- One other occupation area forecast “as fast as average” growth.
- The remaining 6 occupation areas forecast “much faster than average” growth.
- Combined together, the Technology occupation group as a whole forecasts growth of over 8.5%, which is considered “much faster than average.”
The Pragmatic Engineer, 19 Mar 2024, "Is the 'AI developer' a threat to jobs – or a marketing stunt?"
Article Link (last accessed 6 May 2026)
- 2 years old, but how different is the landscape really? The AI company names have changed. The tool names have changed. The tools are better but since jobs are now increasing, not really a threat.
- AI companies are hyping the market to position themselves as worthy of investment.
- Historically, claims of "replacing software engineers" (e.g., Cobol designed to allow non-programmers to do the work, frameworks, recent low/no code tools) just don't ever seem to really pan out. In fact, they create more demand!
