Edward Conard

Top Ten New York Times Bestselling Author

  • “Unintended Consequences is full of substance, it is one of the must-read books of the year, and once I finish it I will be giving it a second read through right away.” - Tyler Cowen, Professor, George Mason University
  • “Unintended Consequences represents the most cogent and persuasive analysis of the Financial Crisis to date.” - Andrei Shleifer, 1999 John Bates Clark Medal Winner
  • “…a very valuable contribution.” - Larry Summers, former Secretary of the Treasury and director of the National Economic Council, president emeritus, Harvard University
  • “…serious thinking for serious thinkers. …a thought-provoking blueprint for growing middle- and working-class incomes.” - Mitt Romney, former Governor of Massachusetts
  • “Unintended Consequences offers deep and well-argued analyses on almost every issue.” - The New York Times
  • “…a fresh argument for the productive value of inequality.” - David Autor, Professor of Economics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
  • “…a very valuable contribution.” - Larry Summers, former Secretary of the Treasury and director of the National Economic Council, president emeritus, Harvard University
  • “…reminds us that inequality sends a signal of what society lacks most, in America’s case, entrepreneurship and risk taking.” - Lawrence Lindsey, CEO, The Lindsey Group, former Director of the National Economic Council
  • “…a comprehensive explanation of the modern economy.” - Julian Robertson, Founder, Tiger Management
  • “…reminds us that inequality sends a signal of what society lacks most, in America’s case, entrepreneurship and risk taking.” - Lawrence Lindsey, CEO, The Lindsey Group, former Director of the National Economic Council
  • “…challenges misconceptions that distort our economic debates.” - Arthur Brooks, President of the American Enterprise Institute
  • “There are an amazing number of good ideas and interesting points made in Unintended Consequences. The thinking underlying it, and the obvious depth of understanding of the author, are very impressive.” - Steven Levitt, coauthor of Freakonomics; 2004 John Bates Clark Medal
Upside of Inequality Oxford Unintended Consequences

AI Summary. The number of computer programmers in the United States is at its lowest level since 1980, a period in which the total U.S. workforce grew about 75%. Programming jobs, which the government classifies as more routine than software development work, fell 27.5%, while software developer jobs fell 0.3%.

Andrew Van Dam Washington Post
Date Posted:
Is Database:
Database

In 2003, the BLS added a new category of “software developer” with responsibilities for design, planning, and requirements gathering. While computer programmer employment is at its lowest since 1980, software developer jobs are down 0.3% from 2019.

Are routine programming jobs disappearing faster than software development jobs?

Core argument: Computer-programming jobs in the United States have fallen 27.5%, leaving fewer programmers than at any point since 1980, a 45-year span in which the total U.S. workforce grew about 75%.

Today there are fewer programmers in the United States than at any point since 1980. That’s a 45-year period in which America’s total workforce has grown by about 75%! Nationwide, software developers haven’t struggled nearly as much as their programming brethren. In the government’s schema, programmers do the grunt work while the much more numerous — and much faster-growing — software developers enjoy a broader remit. They figure out what clients need, design solutions and work with folks such as programmers and hardware engineers to implement them. Their pay reflects this gap in responsibilities. The median programmer earned $99,700 in 2023, compared with $132,270 for the median developer. And while 27.5% of programming jobs vanished, jobs for developers have only fallen 0.3%, similar to the broader industry.

Takeaways by Macro Roundup® AI

  1. Computer-programming jobs in the United States have fallen 27.5%, leaving fewer programmers than at any point since 1980, a 45-year span in which the total U.S. workforce grew about 75%.
  2. Software developer jobs have declined only 0.3%, in line with the broader industry, while programming jobs fell 27.5%.
  3. The median programmer earned $99,700 in 2023, compared with $132,270 for the median software developer, who identifies client needs, designs solutions and works with programmers and hardware engineers to implement them.

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