Software Developers
Computer and Mathematical Occupations- O*NET-SOC code
- 15-1252.00
Research, design, and develop computer and network software or specialized utility programs. Analyze user needs and develop software solutions, applying principles and techniques of computer science, engineering, and mathematical analysis. Update software or enhance existing software capabilities. May work with computer hardware engineers to integrate hardware and software systems, and develop specifications and performance requirements. May maintain databases within an application area, working individually or coordinating database development as part of a team.
- Data source: BLSPublished: 2026-08
Very high· relative
LowFour relative bandsVery highGroup-level value
Scale, basis and source
Four relative bands (Low / Moderate / High / Very high)
831 detailed occupations in the BLS Employment Projections table. Assigned per National Employment Matrix (NEM) code, so occupations sharing a NEM code carry the same band
- Data source: AnthropicPublished: 2026-03
0.288
0.000Range of values carried here0.745Scale, basis and source
Observed exposure index, 0–1 as published
Mapped onto O*NET tasks
Published per SOC 2018 occupation; every O*NET occupation with the same SOC 2018 code carries this value
- Data source: ILOPublished: 2025
0.53
0.09Range of values carried here0.70Group-level value
Scale, basis and source
Generative AI exposure index, 0–1 as published
Published per ISCO-08 unit group. Linked to this occupation, wholly or in part, by applying U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics crosswalks (ISCO-08 to 2010 SOC, 2010 SOC to 2018 SOC) as published
What kind of figure this source publishes
The BLS category is a relative rank, not an absolute level, and it is not a first-hand measurement: it groups an occupation's percentile ranks across several published studies into four bands. It is not an employment or wage forecast, not a probability of adoption, and it does not separate automation from augmentation.
Task-level exposure
Show 11 hidden tasks19 rated tasks · 18 tasks with β ≥ 0.5 (94.7%)
β = direct exposure (E1) + 0.5 × exposure when tools are available (E2), per the source repository's definition.
- Source unit: O*NET 27.2 tasks → O*NET 31.0 occupation code
- 2 rated tasks are not in the O*NET 31.0 task list; their scores are kept as published for O*NET 27.2.
- Source
- OpenAI "GPTs are GPTs" exposure rubric
- Release
- gh-main-0471612
- License
- MIT License, Copyright (c) 2024 OpenAI
Tasks of O*NET-SOC 2010 occupations 15-1132.00 Software Developers, Applications; 15-1133.00 Software Developers, Systems Software, linked to this occupation by the O*NET-SOC 2010 to 2019 crosswalk
| Task (O*NET 20.1) | Claude.aiRaw / share % | APIRaw / share % |
|---|---|---|
Modify existing software to correct errors, allow it to adapt to new hardware, or to improve its performance.15-1132.00 | 4.158654.0 | 8.655753.7 |
Modify existing software to correct errors, to adapt it to new hardware, or to upgrade interfaces and improve performance.15-1133.00 | 1.821623.7 | 4.026125.0 |
Analyze user needs and software requirements to determine feasibility of design within time and cost constraints.15-1132.00 | 0.56717.4 | 1.54469.6 |
Design, develop and modify software systems, using scientific analysis and mathematical models to predict and measure outcome and consequences of design.15-1132.00 | 0.27803.6 | 0.36022.2 |
Store, retrieve, and manipulate data for analysis of system capabilities and requirements.15-1132.00 | 0.19012.5 | 0.54373.4 |
Analyze information to determine, recommend, and plan computer specifications and layouts, and peripheral equipment modifications.15-1132.00 | 0.10491.4 | 0.03640.2 |
Direct software programming and development of documentation.15-1133.00 | 0.08471.1 | 0.10920.7 |
Consult with customers about software system design and maintenance.15-1132.00 | 0.08221.1 | 0.00990.1 |
Develop and direct software system testing and validation procedures, programming, and documentation.15-1132.00 | 0.08031.0 | 0.42872.7 |
Evaluate factors such as reporting formats required, cost constraints, or need for security restrictions to determine hardware configuration.15-1133.00 | 0.07651.0 | 0.00700.0 |
Prepare reports or correspondence concerning project specifications, activities, or status.15-1133.00 | 0.05790.8 | 0.02430.2 |
Design or develop software systems, using scientific analysis and mathematical models to predict and measure outcome and consequences of design.15-1133.00 | 0.05110.7 | 0.01600.1 |
Confer with systems analysts, engineers, programmers and others to design system and to obtain information on project limitations and capabilities, performance requirements and interfaces.15-1132.00 | 0.04480.6 | 0.01760.1 |
Develop or direct software system testing or validation procedures.15-1133.00 | 0.04410.6 | 0.31031.9 |
Consult with customers or other departments on project status, proposals, or technical issues, such as software system design or maintenance.15-1133.00 | 0.02810.4 | 0.00360.0 |
Analyze information to determine, recommend, and plan installation of a new system or modification of an existing system.15-1133.00 | 0.01410.2 | 0.01570.1 |
Specify power supply requirements and configuration.15-1132.00 | 0.00440.1 | —0 |
Advise customer about or perform maintenance of software system.15-1133.00 | 0.00410.1 | —0 |
Consult with engineering staff to evaluate interface between hardware and software, develop specifications and performance requirements, or resolve customer problems.15-1133.00 | 0.00370.0 | —0 |
Obtain and evaluate information on factors such as reporting formats required, costs, and security needs to determine hardware configuration.15-1132.00 | 0.00250.0 | —0 |
Values in this tab are predicted labels, not observations. Eloundou et al. (2023) published two rating regimes — human raters and GPT-4 — and the β shown here is derived from the GPT-4 rater basis alone; the same task can take a different value under the other regime. The unit and the meaning differ from the observed shares (%) in the other tabs, so do not place them on the same axis.
| Task (O*NET 27.2) | βE1 + 0.5 × E2 |
|---|---|
Analyze information to determine, recommend, and plan installation of a new system or modification of an existing system.O*NET Task ID 21661 | 1.0 |
Analyze user needs and software requirements to determine feasibility of design within time and cost constraints.O*NET Task ID 21662 | 1.0 |
Confer with systems analysts, engineers, programmers and others to design systems and to obtain information on project limitations and capabilities, performance requirements and interfaces.O*NET Task ID 21664 | 1.0 |
Coordinate installation of software system.O*NET Task ID 21666 | 1.0 |
Design, develop and modify software systems, using scientific analysis and mathematical models to predict and measure outcomes and consequences of design.O*NET Task ID 21667 | 1.0 |
Determine system performance standards.O*NET Task ID 21668 | 1.0 |
Develop or direct software system testing or validation procedures, programming, or documentation.O*NET Task ID 21669 | 1.0 |
Modify existing software to correct errors, adapt it to new hardware, or upgrade interfaces and improve performance.O*NET Task ID 21670 | 1.0 |
Monitor functioning of equipment to ensure system operates in conformance with specifications.O*NET Task ID 21671 | 1.0 |
Obtain and evaluate information on factors such as reporting formats required, costs, or security needs to determine hardware configuration.O*NET Task ID 21672 | 1.0 |
Prepare reports or correspondence concerning project specifications, activities, or status.O*NET Task ID 21673 | 1.0 |
Specify power supply requirements and configuration.O*NET Task ID 21675 | 1.0 |
Store, retrieve, and manipulate data for analysis of system capabilities and requirements.O*NET Task ID 21676 | 1.0 |
Supervise and assign work to programmers, designers, technologists, technicians, or other engineering or scientific personnel.O*NET Task ID 21677 | 1.0 |
Supervise the work of programmers, technologists and technicians and other engineering and scientific personnel.O*NET Task ID 21678 | 1.0 |
Confer with data processing or project managers to obtain information on limitations or capabilities for data processing projects.O*NET Task ID 21663 | 0.5 |
Consult with customers or other departments on project status, proposals, or technical issues, such as software system design or maintenance.O*NET Task ID 21665 | 0.5 |
Recommend purchase of equipment to control dust, temperature, or humidity in area of system installation.O*NET Task ID 21674 | 0.5 |
β = E1 + 0.5 × E2 · E1 = tasks where direct LLM access alone cuts time by at least 50%, E2 = tasks where software built on top of an LLM cuts time by at least 50%. Values take only 0 / 0.5 / 1.0.
Data sources & licenses — O*NET®, Anthropic Economic Index, Eloundou et al. (2023): see full notices on the Credits page
All O*NET 31.0 task statements (17)
All O*NET 31.0 task statements for this occupation (English, as published; task type core or supplemental). Exposure values are not listed here; they are in the table above, next to each task statement as worded in the O*NET version each source used.
| Task (O*NET 31.0) | Type |
|---|---|
| Analyze information to determine, recommend, and plan installation of a new system or modification of an existing system. | Core |
| Analyze user needs and software requirements to determine feasibility of design within time and cost constraints. | Core |
| Confer with data processing or project managers to obtain information on limitations or capabilities for data processing projects. | Core |
| Confer with systems analysts, engineers, programmers and others to design systems and to obtain information on project limitations and capabilities, performance requirements and interfaces. | Core |
| Consult with customers or other departments on project status, proposals, or technical issues, such as software system design or maintenance. | Core |
| Design, develop and modify software systems, using scientific analysis and mathematical models to predict and measure outcomes and consequences of design. | Core |
| Determine system performance standards. | Core |
| Develop or direct software system testing or validation procedures, programming, or documentation. | Core |
| Modify existing software to correct errors, adapt it to new hardware, or upgrade interfaces and improve performance. | Core |
| Prepare reports or correspondence concerning project specifications, activities, or status. | Core |
| Store, retrieve, and manipulate data for analysis of system capabilities and requirements. | Core |
| Coordinate installation of software system. | Supplemental |
| Monitor functioning of equipment to ensure system operates in conformance with specifications. | Supplemental |
| Obtain and evaluate information on factors such as reporting formats required, costs, or security needs to determine hardware configuration. | Supplemental |
| Supervise and assign work to programmers, designers, technologists, technicians, or other engineering or scientific personnel. | Supplemental |
| Supervise the work of programmers, technologists and technicians and other engineering and scientific personnel. | Supplemental |
| Train users to use new or modified equipment. | Supplemental |
0.00/ 3· Robot exposure index
Scale, basis and source
Each physical task is graded 0–3 by the setting in which robots that have been deployed, sold or demonstrated could do it (0 none · 1 purpose-built robot settings such as a fenced machine cell or a bottling line · 2 structured facilities such as a hospital pharmacy or a container port · 3 unstructured settings such as a private home or a construction site), and the grades are averaged by share of working time
Physical tasks among this occupation's O*NET 29.3 tasks
Anthropic estimated the grades and time shares with Claude Opus 5 using web search, as of 2026.
The robot exposure index is a different measure from the AI exposure figures on this site and cannot be added to or compared with them. It does not measure actual adoption or cost, and 0 also covers occupations with no physical tasks.
Tier of each physical task
None of this occupation's O*NET 29.3 tasks is classified as a physical task.
Occupation information
Employment outlook (BLS)
- Employment, 2025
- 1.7M
- Projected employment, 2035
- 1.9M
- Change (2025–35)
- +10.2%
- Median annual wage, 2025
- $135,980
- Typical education needed for entry
- Bachelor's degree
Korea classification links (KSCO)
Links from the current release of the Korea Occupation Direct Crosswalk v1.1, made by AI Changing Work. Relation values are read from the O*NET-SOC occupation side.
| KSCO code | KSCO title | Relation | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 22221 | 시스템 소프트웨어 설계 및 분석가 | This occupation is broader | confirmed |
| 22231 | 범용 소프트웨어 개발자 | This occupation is broader | confirmed |
| 22232 | 산업 특화 소프트웨어 개발자 | This occupation is broader | confirmed |
| 22233 | 모바일 애플리케이션 개발자 | This occupation is broader | confirmed |
| 22235 | 네트워크 프로그램 개발자 | This occupation is broader | confirmed |
Relation and status definitions(kr-direct v1.1)
ILO occupational description
AI Changing Work links the ISCO-08 unit groups below to this occupation by applying the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics crosswalks (2018 SOC to 2010 SOC, 2010 SOC to ISCO-08) as published, without case-by-case selection; each link may be whole or partial.
- ISCO-08 2512Software Developers
The definition, tasks and examples below are the ILO's description of that unit group, not of this occupation.
Software developers research, analyse and evaluate requirements for existing or new software applications and operating systems, and design, develop, test and maintain software solutions to meet these requirements.
Tasks
- (a) researching, analysing and evaluating requirements for software applications and operating systems;
- (b) researching, designing, and developing computer software systems;
- (c) consulting with engineering staff to evaluate interfaces between hardware and software;
- (d) developing and directing software testing and validation procedures;
- (e) modifying existing software to correct errors, to adapt it to new hardware or to upgrade interfaces and improve performance;
- (f) directing software programming and development of documentation;
- (g) assessing, developing, upgrading and documenting maintenance procedures for operating systems, communications environments and applications software;
- (h) consulting with customers concerning maintenance of software system.
Example occupations
Programmer analyst · Software designer · Software developer · Software engineer
Sources: ILO ISCO-08 — details: Credits
ESCO occupational vocabulary
Each entry below is matched to this occupation in the published ESCO-O*NET Crosswalk (version 1, 2022). The match types are that crosswalk's; the wording is AI Changing Work's.
- database developerESCO 2521.3This occupation is broader
Database developers program, implement and coordinate changes to computer databases based on their expertise of database management systems.
- digital games developerESCO 2513.1This occupation is broader
Digital games developers program, implement and document digital games. They implement technical standards in gameplay, graphics, sound and functionality.
- embedded systems software developerESCO 2514.2.1This occupation is broader
Embedded systems software developers program, implement, document and maintain software to be run on an embedded system.
- ICT application developerESCO 2514.2This occupation is broader
ICT application developers implement the ICT (software) applications based on the designs provided using application domain specific languages, tools, platforms and experience.
- ICT system developerESCO 2511.14This occupation is broader
ICT system developers maintain, audit and improve organisational support systems. They use existing or new technologies to meet particular needs. They test both hardware and software system components, diagnose and resolve system faults.
- industrial mobile devices software developerESCO 2514.3This occupation is broader
Industrial mobile devices software developers implement applications software for specific, professional industrial mobile (handheld) devices, based on the industry needs, using general or specific development tools for device operating systems.
- mobile application developerESCO 2514.2.2This occupation is broader
Mobile app developers implement applications software for mobile devices, based on the designs provided, using general or specific development tools for device operating systems.
- software analystESCO 2512.1This occupation is broader
Software analysts elicit and prioritise user requirements, produce and document software specifications, test their application, and review them during software development. They act as the interface between the software users and the software development team.
- software architectESCO 2512.2This occupation is broader
Software architects create the technical design and the functional model of a software system, based on functional specifications. They also design the architecture of the system or different modules and components related to the business' or customer requirements, technical platform, computer language or development environment.
- software developerESCO 2512.3This occupation is broader
Software developers implement or program all kinds of software systems based on specifications and designs by using programming languages, tools, and platforms.
- user interface developerESCO 2512.4This occupation is broader
User interface developers implement, code, document and maintain the interface of a software system by using front-end development technologies.
Source: European Commission, DG EMPL — ESCO API 2026-08-08 (bridge v1.2.1)
License: CC BY 4.0 (EU Reuse Notice)
ESCO reuse terms and the modification notice are in Credits.
France classification links (ROME)
AI Changing Work's links between this occupation and ROME 4.0 job profiles, judged with AI models. Relations are read from this occupation's side. Links marked “provisional” were adopted on the judgments of two judges from the same model family (Claude) alone, or by an operator rule applied to their judgments, so they rest on weaker evidence than confirmed links.
| ROME code | ROME title (French) | Relation |
|---|---|---|
| M1822 | Spécialiste Jumeau Numérique | This occupation is broader |
| M1818 | Ingénieur / Ingénieure d'étude informatique | This occupation is broaderprovisional |
| M1827 | Ingénieur / Ingénieure DevOps | This occupation is broaderprovisional |
| M1841 | Ingénieur informaticien / Ingénieure informaticienne | This occupation is broaderprovisional |
| M1861 | Développeur / Développeuse logiciel ou d'application | This occupation is broaderprovisional |
| M1873 | Spécialiste IA embarquée | This occupation is broaderprovisional |
| M1805 | Développeur / Développeuse informatique | Related, not a matchprovisional |
| M1831 | Développeur / Développeuse - jeux vidéo | Related, not a matchprovisional |
| M1836 | Ingénieur concepteur / Ingénieure conceptrice informatique | Related, not a matchprovisional |
| M1848 | Analyste Concepteur / Conceptrice informatique | Related, not a matchprovisional |
| M1887 | Product builder no code | Related, not a matchprovisional |
Source: France Travail — Répertoire Opérationnel des Métiers et des Emplois (ROME 4.0), version 61, last updated 15 June 2026 (https://www.data.gouv.fr/datasets/repertoire-operationnel-des-metiers-et-des-emplois-rome). Licence Ouverte 2.0.
ROME codes and titles are reproduced unchanged; the links to O*NET-SOC occupations are AI Changing Work's own judgment and are not a France Travail correspondence.
(AI Changing Work link release: fr-direct v1)
Spain classification links (CNO-11)
AI Changing Work's links between this occupation and CNO-11 occupations, judged with AI models. Relations are read from this occupation's side.
| CNO-11 code | CNO-11 title (Spanish) | Relation |
|---|---|---|
| 2712 | Analistas y diseñadores de software | Same scope |
| 2711 | Analistas de sistemas | Related, not a match |
Source: Instituto Nacional de Estadística (INE), National Classification of Occupations 2011 (CNO-11, Royal Decree 1591/2010) — www.ine.es · Licensed CC BY 4.0. CNO-11 codes and Spanish titles are reproduced unchanged; the links to O*NET occupations are AI Changing Work's own judgment and are not an INE correspondence.
(AI Changing Work link release: es-direct v1)
Germany classification links (KldB)
AI Changing Work's links between this occupation and KldB occupations, judged with AI models. Relations are read from this occupation's side.
| KldB code | KldB title (German) | Relation |
|---|---|---|
| 43413 | Berufe in der Softwareentwicklung - komplexe Spezialistentätigkeiten | This occupation is broaderprovisional |
| 43414 | Berufe in der Softwareentwicklung - hoch komplexe Tätigkeiten | This occupation is broaderprovisional |
| 43103 | Berufe in der Informatik (ohne Spezialisierung) - komplexe Spezialistentätigkeiten | Related, not a matchprovisional |
| 43123 | Berufe in der technischen Informatik - komplexe Spezialistentätigkeiten | Related, not a matchprovisional |
| 43154 | Berufe in der Medieninformatik - hoch komplexe Tätigkeiten | Related, not a matchprovisional |
| 43412 | Berufe in der Softwareentwicklung - fachlich ausgerichtete Tätigkeiten | Related, not a matchprovisional |
Source: © Statistik der Bundesagentur für Arbeit — Klassifikation der Berufe 2010 – überarbeitete Fassung 2020, https://statistik.arbeitsagentur.de. KldB codes and titles are reproduced unchanged; the links to O*NET occupations are AI Changing Work's own mapping (eigene Zuordnung) and are not a Bundesagentur für Arbeit correspondence.
(AI Changing Work link release: de-direct v1)
Japan classification links (JSCO)
AI Changing Work's links between this occupation and JSCO occupations, judged with AI models. Relations are read from this occupation's side.
| JSCO code | JSCO title (Japanese) | Relation |
|---|---|---|
| 104 | ソフトウェア作成者 | This occupation is narrower |
Source: Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC), Japan Standard Occupational Classification (Dec. 2009, MIC Notification No. 555). JSCO codes and Japanese titles are reproduced unchanged; the links to O*NET occupations are AI Changing Work's own judgment and are not a MIC correspondence.
(AI Changing Work link release: jp-direct v1)
Recent Changes Related to This Occupation
Summaries and relation labels are AI Changing Work's own; check any figures against the linked source.
Related ADP/Stanford linked postings-payroll study of ~7,000 IT workers (2019-2025) prices tasks separately within IT jobs. Advising others on the design or use of technologies is among 8 higher-wage activities; five tasks lost compensation value in 2023-2025 vs 2019-2022, including "develop models of systems, processes, or products." Effect sizes were not published.
[Source: ADP Research / Stanford Digital Economy Lab, Unbundling Jobs (July 2026)]Related EIG (Mar 2026) argues the weakness in young adults' labor market is about age, not education: young workers of all education levels lag the rest of the labor market, which does not fit the media narrative of AI displacing computer science majors and entry-level graduates.
[Source: EIG: AI and Young-Adult Jobs (March 2026)]Related Brookings (Mar 2026) says research on AI and the labor market is still in its first inning, and studies disagree: ADP payroll data show employment fell more for young workers in high-AI-exposure occupations, while CPS data show unemployment rose less for workers in more exposed occupations.
[Source: Brookings Institution]
+6 more
Related Acemoglu, Autor and Johnson (Hamilton Project/Brookings, Feb 2026) warn that if AI automates core roles in fields such as coding, customer service, marketing and translation, it will devalue the expertise workers rely on. They call for pro-worker AI that extends expertise instead, and for a tax code that stops taxing hiring labor more heavily than investing in algorithms.
[Source: Acemoglu, Autor, Johnson — Building Pro-Worker AI (Hamilton Project/Brookings, Feb 2026)]Related Anthropic India Brief (Feb 2026): 45.2% of Indian Claude.ai tasks map to software-related occupations, the highest share of any country. Indian users finish tasks with AI about 15x faster than the estimated time without it, versus 12x globally.
[Source: Anthropic India Brief 2026]Related Dallas Fed: Computer systems design sector wages up 16.7% but employment down 5%, indicating AI augments experienced developers while reducing entry-level demand.
[Source: Dallas Fed (Feb 2026)]Related Frank et al. (arXiv, Jan 2026): unemployment risk in AI-exposed occupations started rising in early 2022, months before ChatGPT, in data from unemployment insurance claims and millions of LinkedIn profiles. Computer and math occupations (SOC 15), which include software developers, had the largest rise in unemployment risk in 2022-2024.
[Source: Frank et al. (2026) arXiv:2601.02554]Directly related EIG working paper by Google economists Iscenko and Curto Millet (Jan 2026): the drop in employment for early-career workers in AI-exposed occupations such as software engineering is better explained by the sharpest monetary tightening in four decades than by AI. They add that this does not mean young workers are safe from future disruption.
[Source: EIG / Google Economists (Jan 2026)]Related Anthropic internal study: engineers use AI for 59% of work (up from 28%), with 67% more pull requests per day. Feature implementation delegation grew from 14% to 37%.
[Source: Anthropic Research (2025)]
Sources, licenses and AI Changing Work's modification and translation notices for this page: Credits & sources