Beyond Point and Click: The Expanding Demand for Coding Skills

We live in a digital world. Our phones, our cars, our banks, and our hospitals – nearly every aspect of our lives – depend on computer code. As a result, coding, or computer programming, is becoming a core skill requirement for many well-paying jobs. Coding skills are in demand across a broad range of careers, not just for programmers. The ability not only to use but also to program software is often required of business people who work with data, of designers and marketers who create websites, of engineers who build products and technologies, and of scientists who conduct research.

This report analyzes the job market demand for coding skills in order to highlight the breadth and magnitude of employer demand for these skills and the range of opportunities that learning to code can open for students. The intent of this research is to showcase for school counselors and K-12 students alike the importance of learning to code and the value these skills will have in the job market.

The data contained in this report are drawn from 26 million U.S. online job postings collected and have been analyzed to determine the specific jobs and skills that employers are seeking.

Key findings of the report include:

Coding skills are in high demand

Seven million job openings in 2015 were in occupations which value coding skills. This corresponds to 20% of “career track” jobs, defined as those which pay a national living wage of at least $15 per hour.

Coding skills are not just for programmers

Coding skills are of value to candidates across five major job categories:

  • Information Technology (IT) worker
  • Data Analysts
  • Artists and Designers
  • Engineers
  • Scientists

Coding jobs pay more

Jobs requiring coding skills pay $22,000 per year more than jobs that don’t: $84,000 vs $62,000 per year. (This analysis includes only “career track” jobs.)

Coding skills provide an avenue to high-income jobs

Half of jobs in the top income quartile (>$57,000 per year) are in occupations which commonly require coding skills from job applicants.

Coding jobs are growing faster than the job market

Programming jobs are growing fastest, 50% faster than the market overall. In general, programming jobs are growing 12% faster than the market average.