Software engineering demographics
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There are many software engineer
s. Canada, the European Union, Japan, and Australia will probably find corresponding numbers of SE practitioners.
There are another 1,500,000 people in system analysis, system administration, and computer support, many of whom might be called software engineers. Many systems analysts manage software development teams and analysis is an important software engineering role, so many of them might be considered software engineers in the near future. This means that the number of software engineers may actually be much higher.
Note also that the number of software engineers declined by 5% to 10% from 2000 to 2002.
15-1031 Computer Software Engineers, Applications 356,760 $34.09 $35.48 $73,800 0.7 %
15-1032 Computer Software Engineers, Systems Software 255,040 $35.60 $36.46 $75,840 0.6 %
17-2011 Aerospace Engineers 74,210 $34.97 $35.63 $74,110 1.1 %
17-2021 Agricultural Engineers 2,500 $24.38 $26.79 $55,730 2.9 %
17-2031 Biomedical Engineers 7,130 $29.04 $30.97 $64,420 1.7 %
17-2041 Chemical Engineers 32,110 $34.85 $36.06 $75,010 1.0 %
17-2051 Civil Engineers 207,480 $28.88 $30.29 $63,010 0.4 %
17-2061 Computer Hardware Engineers 67,180 $34.69 $36.61 $76,150 1.1 %
17-2071 Electrical Engineers 146,180 $32.78 $33.88 $70,480 0.4 %
17-2072 Electronics Engineers, Except Computer 126,020 $33.62 $34.43 $71,600 0.6 %
17-2081 Environmental Engineers 45,720 $29.52 $30.50 $63,440 0.7 %
17-2111 Health and Safety Engineers, Except Mining Safety Engineers and Inspectors 34,160 $27.89 $28.77 $59,830 0.7 %
17-2112 Industrial Engineers 151,760 $29.88 $30.57 $63,590 0.3 %
17-2121 Marine Engineers and Naval Architects 4,810 $32.04 $32.83 $68,280 2.2 %
17-2131 Materials Engineers 22,780 $30.09 $30.92 $64,310 1.0 %
17-2141 Mechanical Engineers 203,620 $30.23 $31.33 $65,170 0.4 %
17-2151 Mining and Geological Engineers, Including Mining Safety Engineers 5,050 $29.70 $31.14 $64,770 2.4 %
17-2161 Nuclear Engineers 15,180 $39.11 $39.57 $82,300 1.3 %
17-2171 Petroleum Engineers 11,130 $40.08 $41.13 $85,540 1.4 %
15-1021 Computer Programmers 457,320 $28.98 $30.62 $63,690 0.6 %
17-3021 Aerospace Engineering and Operations Technicians 14,700 $24.83 $25.48 $52,990 1.1 %
17-3022 Civil Engineering Technicians 88,380 $18.13 $18.71 $38,910 0.6 %
17-3023 Electrical and Electronic Engineering Technicians 194,960 $20.65 $21.26 $44,210 0.4 %
17-3024 Electro-Mechanical Technicians 30,360 $18.33 $19.20 $39,930 0.7 %
17-3025 Environmental Engineering Technicians 18,770 $17.72 $18.93 $39,380 1.0 %
17-3026 Industrial Engineering Technicians 59,700 $20.15 $21.79 $45,310 0.9 %
17-3027 Mechanical Engineering Technicians 53,630 $19.85 $20.60 $42,850 0.5 %
17-3031 Surveying and Mapping Technicians 55,670 $14.05 $15.27 $31,760 0.7
11-3021 Computer and Information Systems Managers 264,790 $40.98 $43.48 $90,440 0.3 %
11-9021 Construction Managers 208,360 $30.53 $34.24 $71,210 0.7 %
11-9041 Engineering Managers 205,390 $43.71 $46.03 $95,750 0.3 %
25-1021 Computer Science Teachers, Postsecondary 32,990 (4) (4) $55,330 1.1 %
25-1032 Engineering Teachers, Postsecondary 29,310 (4) (4) $73,100 1.3 %
25-1052 Chemistry Teachers, Postsecondary 17,670 (4) (4) $60,800 1.3 %
25-1054 Physics Teachers, Postsecondary 11,940 (4) (4) $66,960 1.0
15-1041 Computer Support Specialists 478,560 $18.80 $20.35 $42,320 0.5 %
15-1061 Database Administrators 102,090 $26.68 $28.41 $59,080 0.5 %
15-1071 Network and Computer Systems Administrators 232,560 $26.35 $27.70 $57,620 0.4 %
15-1081 Network Systems and Data Communications Analysts 133,460 $28.09 $29.51 $61,390 0.6 %
17-3011 Architectural and Civil Drafters 101,190 $17.95 $18.78 $39,060 0.6 %
17-3012 Electrical and Electronics Drafters 35,470 $19.76 $21.16 $44,020 0.8 %
17-3013 Mechanical Drafters 68,280 $19.58 $20.71 $43,080 0.9 %
There are no numbers on testers in the BLS data.
Software engineer
A software engineer is an engineer who applies the principles of software engineering to the design, development, testing, and evaluation of the software and systems that make computers or anything containing software, such as computer chips, work.- Overview :...
s. Canada, the European Union, Japan, and Australia will probably find corresponding numbers of SE practitioners.
India
There has been a healthy growth in the number of India's IT professionals over the past few years. From a base of 6,800 knowledge workers in 1985-86, the number increased to 522,000 software and services professionals by the end of 2001-02. It is estimated that out of these 522,000 knowledge workers, almost 170,000 are working in the IT software and services export industry; nearly 106,000 are working in the IT enabled services and over 220,000 in user organizations.United States
About 1 out of every 200 workers is a software engineer. There are 55% to 60% as many software engineers as all traditional engineers. In 2002, software engineering had 612,000 practitioners; 264,790 managers, 16,495 educators, and 457,320 programmers.Summary
Based on data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics from 2002, about 612,000 software engineers work in the U.S. The size of all software engineering is about 60% the size of all traditional engineering. This comparison holds whether one compares the number of practitioners, managers, educators, or technicians/programmers.| Role | # | SE Title | # | TE Title | Ratio of SE to TE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Practitioners | 611,900 | Software Engineers | 1,157,020 | Traditional Engineers | 53% |
| Managers | 264,790 | Computer and Information Systems Managers | 413,750 | Engineering Managers + Construction Managers | 64% |
| Educators | 16,495 | Computer Science (practical) | 29,310 | Engineering Teachers | 56% |
| Technicians | 457,320 | Computer Programmers | 516,170 | Engineering Technicians | 88% |
Software Engineers Versus Traditional Engineers
The following two tables compare the number of software engineers (611,900), versus the number of traditional engineers (1,157,020). The ratio is 53%.There are another 1,500,000 people in system analysis, system administration, and computer support, many of whom might be called software engineers. Many systems analysts manage software development teams and analysis is an important software engineering role, so many of them might be considered software engineers in the near future. This means that the number of software engineers may actually be much higher.
Note also that the number of software engineers declined by 5% to 10% from 2000 to 2002.
15-1031 Computer Software Engineers, Applications 356,760 $34.09 $35.48 $73,800 0.7 %
15-1032 Computer Software Engineers, Systems Software 255,040 $35.60 $36.46 $75,840 0.6 %
17-2011 Aerospace Engineers 74,210 $34.97 $35.63 $74,110 1.1 %
17-2021 Agricultural Engineers 2,500 $24.38 $26.79 $55,730 2.9 %
17-2031 Biomedical Engineers 7,130 $29.04 $30.97 $64,420 1.7 %
17-2041 Chemical Engineers 32,110 $34.85 $36.06 $75,010 1.0 %
17-2051 Civil Engineers 207,480 $28.88 $30.29 $63,010 0.4 %
17-2061 Computer Hardware Engineers 67,180 $34.69 $36.61 $76,150 1.1 %
17-2071 Electrical Engineers 146,180 $32.78 $33.88 $70,480 0.4 %
17-2072 Electronics Engineers, Except Computer 126,020 $33.62 $34.43 $71,600 0.6 %
17-2081 Environmental Engineers 45,720 $29.52 $30.50 $63,440 0.7 %
17-2111 Health and Safety Engineers, Except Mining Safety Engineers and Inspectors 34,160 $27.89 $28.77 $59,830 0.7 %
17-2112 Industrial Engineers 151,760 $29.88 $30.57 $63,590 0.3 %
17-2121 Marine Engineers and Naval Architects 4,810 $32.04 $32.83 $68,280 2.2 %
17-2131 Materials Engineers 22,780 $30.09 $30.92 $64,310 1.0 %
17-2141 Mechanical Engineers 203,620 $30.23 $31.33 $65,170 0.4 %
17-2151 Mining and Geological Engineers, Including Mining Safety Engineers 5,050 $29.70 $31.14 $64,770 2.4 %
17-2161 Nuclear Engineers 15,180 $39.11 $39.57 $82,300 1.3 %
17-2171 Petroleum Engineers 11,130 $40.08 $41.13 $85,540 1.4 %
Programmers versus Technicians
Computer programmers (457,320) are considered to have less education, skill, or experience than software engineers. Engineering technicians (526,170) are considered to have less education, skill, or experience than engineers. There are 88% as many programmers as technicians.15-1021 Computer Programmers 457,320 $28.98 $30.62 $63,690 0.6 %
17-3021 Aerospace Engineering and Operations Technicians 14,700 $24.83 $25.48 $52,990 1.1 %
17-3022 Civil Engineering Technicians 88,380 $18.13 $18.71 $38,910 0.6 %
17-3023 Electrical and Electronic Engineering Technicians 194,960 $20.65 $21.26 $44,210 0.4 %
17-3024 Electro-Mechanical Technicians 30,360 $18.33 $19.20 $39,930 0.7 %
17-3025 Environmental Engineering Technicians 18,770 $17.72 $18.93 $39,380 1.0 %
17-3026 Industrial Engineering Technicians 59,700 $20.15 $21.79 $45,310 0.9 %
17-3027 Mechanical Engineering Technicians 53,630 $19.85 $20.60 $42,850 0.5 %
17-3031 Surveying and Mapping Technicians 55,670 $14.05 $15.27 $31,760 0.7
Computer Managers Versus Construction and Engineering Managers
Computer and information system managers (264,790) manage software projects, as well as computer operations. Similarly, Construction and engineering managers (413,750) oversea engineering projects, manufacturing plants, and construction sites. Computer management is 64% the size of construction and engineering management.11-3021 Computer and Information Systems Managers 264,790 $40.98 $43.48 $90,440 0.3 %
11-9021 Construction Managers 208,360 $30.53 $34.24 $71,210 0.7 %
11-9041 Engineering Managers 205,390 $43.71 $46.03 $95,750 0.3 %
Software Engineering Educators Versus Engineering Educators
Until now, computer science has been the main degree to get, whether one wanted to make software systems (software engineering) or study the theoretical and mathematical facets of software systems (computer science). The data shows that the number of chemistry and physics educators (29,610) nearly equals the number of engineering educators (29,310). I estimate that similarly, ½ of computer science educators emphasize the practical (software engineering) (16,495) and ½ of computer science educators emphasize the theoretical (computer science) (16,495). This means that software engineering education is 56% the size of traditional engineering education. Computer science is larger than all engineering, and larger than all physics and chemistry.25-1021 Computer Science Teachers, Postsecondary 32,990 (4) (4) $55,330 1.1 %
25-1032 Engineering Teachers, Postsecondary 29,310 (4) (4) $73,100 1.3 %
25-1052 Chemistry Teachers, Postsecondary 17,670 (4) (4) $60,800 1.3 %
25-1054 Physics Teachers, Postsecondary 11,940 (4) (4) $66,960 1.0
Other Software and Engineering Roles
15-1051 Computer Systems Analysts 467,750 $30.24 $31.20 $64,890 0.5 %15-1041 Computer Support Specialists 478,560 $18.80 $20.35 $42,320 0.5 %
15-1061 Database Administrators 102,090 $26.68 $28.41 $59,080 0.5 %
15-1071 Network and Computer Systems Administrators 232,560 $26.35 $27.70 $57,620 0.4 %
15-1081 Network Systems and Data Communications Analysts 133,460 $28.09 $29.51 $61,390 0.6 %
17-3011 Architectural and Civil Drafters 101,190 $17.95 $18.78 $39,060 0.6 %
17-3012 Electrical and Electronics Drafters 35,470 $19.76 $21.16 $44,020 0.8 %
17-3013 Mechanical Drafters 68,280 $19.58 $20.71 $43,080 0.9 %
Relation to IT demographics
Software engineers are part of the much larger software, hardware, application, and operations community. In 2000 in the U.S., there were about 680,000 software engineers and about 10,000,000 IT workers.There are no numbers on testers in the BLS data.
See also
- Software engineeringSoftware engineeringSoftware Engineering is the application of a systematic, disciplined, quantifiable approach to the development, operation, and maintenance of software, and the study of these approaches; that is, the application of engineering to software...
- List of software engineering topics
- Software engineering economics
- Software engineering professionalismSoftware engineering professionalismSoftware engineering professionalism regards software engineering's struggle to be considered as a profession. It was hampered by the common perception that it's merely the application of computer science...