Lowest Number Of Software Engineers In 25 Years? Here's What An X SWE Community Leader And Industry Expert Had To Say

In the age of rapid technological evolution, especially in the age of artificial intelligence, the surge in the requirement of professionals in the field of STEM, particularly engineering, is only natural. But, as new tech, and AI in particular, drives a change like no other, there might be a paradigm shift in the store for the world of engineering.

Drop In Software Engineers

In a post on X, the Software Engineering Community leader took to the platform to share some interesting news.

Here, a 'Community' on X is a feature that allows niche conversations to transpire. This feature, according to many, is equivalent to sub-reddits on Reddit.

In his post, the community head said, "For the first time in 25 years, the number of software engineers dropped in 2023. It makes it a rare moment after decades of steady growth."

On one of the communities designed for Software Engineering or SWE, Marcus Cvjeticanin, a Norwegian Software engineer who heads an SWE community, took to X and claimed in a post that for the first time in 25 years there is a dip in Software Engineers.

Recovery In 2024

In his post, the community head said, "For the first time in 25 years, the number of software engineers dropped in 2023. It makes it a rare moment after decades of steady growth."

In the post, he further added, "@GotLiveData tracked 2.9M individuals over 25 years, showing a 140 per cent increase in software engineering roles since 1998. While 2024 saw a recovery, growth has slowed compared to the rapid rise from 2011-2021.

In the by another professional software engineer, Gergely Orosz, the dip is further explained. Oroz claimed, "It feels that 2023 was a bad year for software engineering due to unprecedented large layoffs."

For the first time in 25 years, the number of software engineers dropped in 2023. It makes it a rare moment after decades of steady growth.@GotLiveData tracked 2.9M individuals over 25 years, showing a 140% increase in software engineering roles since 1998. While 2024 saw a… pic.twitter.com/J7TlTLAaVe

— Marcus Cvjeticanin (@mjovanc) November 16, 2024

In the newsletter, he further claimed, "2023 was, indeed, historic as the first year since Y2K when the number of software engineering jobs shrunk. Growth has resumed this year, but it’s at least possible that a long-term flattening of the growth curve is emerging."

Netizens React

Reacting to the original post, one of the X users said, "You’re missing the big picture. People are finally starting to retire from the industry in significant numbers. It’s happening at the same time as a weak economy and a productivity booster (LLMs). I think it will still grow but at a much slower rate."

Another X user added, "Ten years in, I can’t wait to leave the software. I love the craft but I don’t love the implementation all the time."

Despite the drop in 2023, it needs to be noted that there was a slight uptick in numbers in the following year, 2024.