The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects software developer employment to grow 17.9% from 2023 to 2033, about 303,700 more jobs. That is among the fastest growth of any occupation in its analysis of AI's effects on the projections, and faster than computer occupations overall at 11.7%.
The reasoning in the article is plain. Developers can use AI to develop, test, and document code, and developers will be needed to build and maintain AI systems. The tool makes the work different. It does not make the work go away.
I think the harder question for engineering leaders is where those developers come from. If AI takes on more of the routine work that used to be how a new engineer learned a codebase, the first year of a career looks different, and it is worth asking what replaces that year. Senior engineers do not arrive fully formed.
My view is that teams that build a real path for early-career engineers are investing in a pipeline the whole industry depends on. That was always true. A projection like this one just makes it visible.
What does a first year look like on your team now, compared with a few years ago?
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