Tl;Dr, the government distinguishes between “programmers” and “developers.” There are many more developers than programmers, and the number of programmers has dropped dramatically since ChatGPT showed up, while the number of developers has dropped slightly.
Main takeaway from the article:
Computer programmers are different from software developers, who liaise between programmers and engineers and design bespoke solutions—a much more diverse set of responsibilities compared to programmers, who mostly carry out the coding work directly. Software development jobs are expected to grow 17% from 2023 to 2033, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The bureau meanwhile projectsabout a 10% decline in computer programming employment opportunities from 2023 to 2033.
I don’t get it, it’s not clear to me at all how they are drawing the line. From the bls.gov website, the definitions of the two professions are:
Software developers design computer applications or programs.
Computer programmers write, modify, and test code and scripts that allow computer software and applications to function properly.
So what kind of job would be considered a software developer, vs what kind of job would be considered a programmer, if they are both writing software, from the perspective of the people putting together these statistics?
In over 30 years in software development, I’ve only seen “programmer” jobs in government, usually using long-dead tech and with published salaries in the $30-40k range. Private employers in industry know that you’re not going to hire anyone by labeling your open position as a programmer. It’s no surprise the position is dying. The article is much ado about nothing.
