Computer Programmers

High Risk
67%
Where Would You Like to Go Next?
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Vote Comments (212)
Or, Explore This Profession in Greater Detail...
AUTOMATION RISK
CALCULATED
70%
(High Risk)
POLLING
63%
(High Risk)
Average: 67%
LABOR DEMAND
GROWTH
-10.2 %
by year 2032
WAGES
$99,700
or $47.93 per hour
Volume
120,370
as of 2023
SUMMARY
JOB SCORE
3.8/10

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Calculated automation risk

70% (High Risk)

High Risk (61-80%): Jobs in this category face a significant threat from automation, as many of their tasks can be easily automated using current or near-future technologies.

More information on what this score is, and how it is calculated is available here.

Some quite important qualities of the job are difficult to automate:

  • Social Perceptiveness

  • Originality

User poll

63% chance of full automation within the next two decades

Our visitors have voted that it's probable this occupation will be automated. This assessment is further supported by the calculated automation risk level, which estimates 70% chance of automation.

What do you think the risk of automation is?

What is the likelihood that Computer Programmers will be replaced by robots or artificial intelligence within the next 20 years?






Sentiment

The following graph is included wherever there is a substantial amount of votes to render meaningful data. These visual representations display user poll results over time, providing a significant indication of sentiment trends.

Sentiment over time (quarterly)

Sentiment over time (yearly)

Growth

Very slow growth relative to other professions.

The number of 'Computer Programmers' job openings is expected to decline 10.2% by 2032

Total employment, and estimated job openings

* Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics for the period between 2021 and 2031
Updated projections are due 09-2024.

Wages

Very high paid relative to other professions

In 2023, the median annual wage for 'Computer Programmers' was $99,700, or $47 per hour

'Computer Programmers' were paid 107.4% higher than the national median wage, which stood at $48,060

Wages over time

* Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics

Volume

Greater range of job opportunities compared to other professions

As of 2023 there were 120,370 people employed as 'Computer Programmers' within the United States.

This represents around 0.08% of the employed workforce across the country

Put another way, around 1 in 1 thousand people are employed as 'Computer Programmers'.

Job description

Create, modify, and test the code and scripts that allow computer applications to run. Work from specifications drawn up by software and web developers or other individuals. May develop and write computer programs to store, locate, and retrieve specific documents, data, and information.

SOC Code: 15-1251.00

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Comments

Leave a comment

Caro (Low) 7 days ago
There will probably be many bugs (Like how Ai has trouble with fingers), so no matter what, the job will be necessary.
1 1 Reply
Aiden (Moderate) 16 days ago
bc like it might but prob not and like it will always be important to have human programmers because if ai ever become sentient and gain their own objectives, they will have all the power in the world if they're the only ones that know how to run our code and stuff like that so yea it would be dangerous to give that much power away to them
0 4 Reply
Mistral Claude 3 months ago
Here is the thing my dudes. As professional programer (30 years on the job, so of that thing even replaces out job, I will surely be retired already anyway) I tried chatgpt, copilot, Claude and even Mistral for coding. They are all pretty darn helpful to code on nephew level...you know, that terrible code we got from a 3rd party to maintain? Yeah. It goes great on that level. It's also great to do start level stuff that has been done 1000s of times. Try doing something new though, or some actual logic, and they fail, always. And never even realize they are failing. The reason is pretty simple. what we have (the llms) are not real AIs. When (if) we have a real AI, then, the moment a computer can replicate human level programming, is also the moment the computer can code another AI doesn't it? What would happen if it can code a AI better than itself?
11 2 Reply
Jose 23 days ago
Some of the best programmers in the world are working daily to help improve ChatGTP and other models. The capabilities are quickly increasing and given some time they will be better than most programmers. So yes some very good programmers will have a job, but most will not be needed. You wrote the comment 2 months ago, there is now a new model which you thought was not possible 2 months ago. What will happen in another 2 months, or 2 years?
4 2 Reply
Ritchie Duncan (Highly likely) 3 months ago
AI suites such as ChatGPT etc have the ability to code functions in a variety of languages and for various platforms. A simple description of the function to be created, along with the system, such as Visual Studio, Unity etc allows the code to be copied and pasted into the code base.
Arguably within the next 10 years, programmers, in the form we know them now, will be obsolete.
2 3 Reply
Socks 3 months ago
Until AI programs can always fix everything in e.g. app that is being made as well as in themselves they will be just a tool for already competent programmer that has to understand most details anyway.
4 1 Reply
s (Low) 3 months ago
it wouldn't be completely automated, but a lot of lower level - intermediate programming will probably be automated.
1 0 Reply
I know jobs (Moderate) 3 months ago
It is pretty easy to program but a computer can´t code a computer
2 1 Reply
Anonymous (Low) 3 months ago
Their code is efficient but they can’t replicate originality
0 2 Reply
John (Highly likely) 3 months ago
I've never programmed a day in my life but not only was I able to program a working game but also a point of sales program for a business by telling AI exactly what I needed and it made changes to each program...
0 2 Reply
skibidi (Highly likely) 3 months ago
AI can already write code pretty well, so in 20 years it's highly likely it will be automated
2 2 Reply
Anon (Moderate) 3 months ago
There's a lot of coding done by AI already. Eventually, there will be a job that just runs these AIs who write code.
2 1 Reply
ooga 3 months ago
Small chance that they'll take over our jobs, computers can't really figure out basic principles of codes, let alone thousands of lines of code (I tried this, didn't work)
6 1 Reply
mgyt (Uncertain) 3 months ago
Because AI's are being overtrained. If you try to make an entire program only using AI, you just can't. And they will have a lot of vulnerabilities
1 0 Reply
Osman (Moderate) 3 months ago
Programming will always require human intervention, it can not be all controlled by AI
4 1 Reply
idk (Moderate) 3 months ago
while automation basically runs on programming, and it would be logical to think programming would be automated easily with ai, programming takes creativity, and out of the box thinking, which automation cant replicate. i think it would still be possible to be automated, but there will always be a place for programmers. no matter what.
2 1 Reply
Nipple (Uncertain) 3 months ago
Even though AI is already capable at making basic code/scripts (After a few tries to tweak flaws), it probably won't be able to automate advance aspects of computer programming unless the necessary improvements are made regarding accurate generation as well as more source code to gather information from. In short, it can make games like Snake, Minesweeper and Tetris, but it won't be able to make games like Minecraft, Call of Duty, Fortnite and others that require very complex scripts/code and the human brain to be able to have the creativity AND the power to use it when making those games. Computer Programmers aren't exactly 'save' but it is hard to completely automate...


At least not in 20 years.
2 0 Reply
Hamood (No chance) 3 months ago
Because we are the ones who will create ai if ai is able to create programs it can create multiple versions of itself thus breaking the ai rule that it must obey and follow all humans
0 0 Reply
Le Jacob (Moderate) 3 months ago
computer code could be automated, hovewer, its possible that europe could regulate AI for jobs about programming
0 0 Reply
mugumnr (Highly likely) 3 months ago
ai is already able to do simple ones give 20 more years its over
3 0 Reply
Harry (Moderate) 4 months ago
AI will replace the simple part of work, but human capabilities are still needed.
0 0 Reply
Ričards Šēns (No chance) 4 months ago
Nobody will trust code not written by humans(AI hostile take-over risk), and currently, AI produces barely functional code for very simple tasks.
2 0 Reply
John 3 months ago
No one hardly cares even now, people will download anything and use it.. Functionality over everything..
0 1 Reply

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