In recent years, the rapid development of artificial intelligence technology has had a profound impact on the global job market, especially in the field of computer programming. According to the latest U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ latest demographic survey, employment in the computer programming field in the United States has dropped to its lowest level since 1980. This phenomenon not only reflects the acceleration of technological change, but also reveals the huge challenges faced by traditional professions.
Looking back at history, in 1980, there were more than 300,000 computer programming positions in the United States, and by the early 21st century, this number once climbed to more than 700,000. However, with the popularity of artificial intelligence technology, the opportunities for programming work have been greatly reduced, and currently only about half of the previous ones are left. This change is in stark contrast to the growth of the overall job market – the overall U.S. employment has increased by nearly 75% over the past 45 years.
It is worth noting that there are significant differences in the nature of work between computer programmers and software developers. Programmers are primarily responsible for coding, while software developers need to design and implement more complex solutions. This refinement of the division of labor makes software development jobs expected to grow by 17% over the next decade, while computer programming jobs are expected to drop by about 10%.
Since 2023, the average 12-month employment in the computer programming industry has dropped by 27.5%. This phenomenon is closely related to the ChatGPT tool launched by OpenAI. ChatGPT can efficiently handle coding tasks, reducing users' demand for coding knowledge, thereby reducing the demand for professional programmers. Some experts point out that there is a significant correlation between the rising unemployment rate in the programming industry and the rapid development of artificial intelligence.
Mark Mouro, a researcher at the Brookings Institution, said employment in the programming industry does reflect the early impact of artificial intelligence on the labor market. Some companies are beginning to introduce AI in recruitment and firing decisions. For example, after working with OpenAI to develop a chatbot, Klarna, a company that announced the hiring stop, claiming that the bot could replace the work of 700 full-time employees, although the work focused mainly on customer service rather than programming.
However, the employment prospects of programmers may change. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg said artificial intelligence can complete the coding work of intermediate engineers. Although some experts believe that the reduction in programming positions is an early sign of AI's job market, IBM CEO Alvin Krishna believes that even if AI can automatically complete some coding tasks, human programmers are still necessary. He predicts that only 20% to 30% of the code writing work that artificial intelligence can replace. Programmers will be asked to engage in more complex tasks, and AI will help them handle simple and time-consuming tasks, thereby increasing overall productivity.
Key points: The number of American programmers employment has dropped to a new low since 1980, and the impact of artificial intelligence is obvious. It is expected that computer programming jobs will decrease by 10% over the next decade, while software development jobs will increase by 17%. Although artificial intelligence can complete some coding tasks, human programmers are still indispensable in complex tasks.