Software engineers worry about workforce growth slowing
10 posts in the last 60 days, all from r/cscareerquestions.
“Outside of FAANG, there are currently 50,000 software engineering jobs right now in the market. The problem is that recruiter agencies are becoming selective and gatekeeping who gets in.”
“That assumes there won't be an increase in demand for software... and I'm not sure that's the case. In an individual company? Maybe. Across the industry? I wouldn't be so sure. [re: Harvard just released another study about AI productivity in software engineering and it found…”
“Faang company new grad packages are over 200k. I’m curious why the TC is high and increasing every year. Is it because there is no shortage of software engineers but still a huge shortage of competent engineers who meet the technical bar?”
Users express concern over a flattening of the software engineering job market, citing statistics showing slowed growth and potential layoffs. Some believe this indicates a more challenging environment for finding and retaining employment.
SOURCES (11)
“That assumes there won't be an increase in demand for software... and I'm not sure that's the case. In an individual company? Maybe. Across the industry? I wouldn't be so sure. [re: Harvard just released another study about AI productivity in software engineering and it…”
“Faang company new grad packages are over 200k. I’m curious why the TC is high and increasing every year. Is it because there is no shortage of software engineers but still a huge shortage of competent engineers who meet the technical bar? submitted by /u/Inevitable_Mango592 [link] [comments]”
“I recently completed an analysis of software-development employment trends from 2022 (when ChatGPT was introduced) to the present. This analysis, which is summarized here , found that employment has continued to increase since 2022, though unemployment rates have increased as well. It also appears that employment increases have been stronger for more seasoned developers (e.g., those aged 30-44) than those in their 20s. I plan to update this analysis in the coming months and years as new Current”
“Not right now. This depends more on the overall tech job market. Right now, there are way more supply than demand for software engineers, and it's a employer's market. [re: Are there tech jobs that work less and pay more than being a doctor?]”
“What fields are actually experiencing considerable growth? I think frontend engineers are disappearing fast. Full-stack roles seem to be just completely oversaturated and too competitive. So what actually stands a chance to stay alive in the next 5-10 years? Cloud? Cybersecurity? MLOps? Pure MLE? Just trying to see everyone’s thoughts. submitted by /u/SomberDreamer [link] [comments]”
“Outside of FAANG, there are currently 50,000 software engineering jobs right now in the market. The problem is that recruiter agencies are becoming selective and gatekeeping who gets in.”
“Meta: 2019 - 45,000 2022 - 86,000 2025 - 79,000 Google: 2019 - 118,000 2022 - 190,000 2025 - 191,000 Microsoft: 2019 - 144,000 2022 - 221,000 2025 - 228,000 Oracle: 2019 - 136,000 2022 - 143,000 2025 - 162,000 Salesforce: 2019 - 35,000 2022 - 73,000 2025 - 76,000 Many of these companies doubled over the course of 3 years. That is simply unprecedented and obviously unsustainable. But according to you all, these headcount’s are absolutely fucked and the whole world is collapsing even though the la”
“The bureau of Labor Statistics predicts that the Software Engineering career with grow by 10%-18% over the next decade which comes out to something like 300,000-400,000 jobs and is 3ish times more than the overall job market. Software development is definitely easier now, but that means that everyone and their mom is going to be wanting to do software development. But they’ll all quickly realize that you actually need SWEs once it gets even slightly more complex than a React SPA. Somewhere aroun”
“"Between 2019 and 2026, the U.S. professional software engineering workforce grew from 2.5 million to 3.2 million developers. The market saw a massive pandemic-era surge, adding roughly 600,000 engineers between 2020 and 2024 to peak at 3.1 million. Since 2024, headcount growth has flattened significantly, stabilizing at 3.18 million in 2025 and anchoring at 3.2 million today." So it still growing albit slowly. Engineers who loose their jobs get rehired in the industry.”