Software developer job postings in the United States have climbed nearly 15% since February 2025, even as overall postings fell. The increase has arrived while artificial intelligence tools write more code, challenging predictions that automation would quickly erase demand for developers.

The trend points to a profession changing around AI rather than disappearing. Yet the recovery is uneven: experienced developers account for much of the rise, while young people trying to enter the field face a harder path. The software developer job market is rewarding experience more than entry-level access.

Software Developer Job Demand Is Concentrated in Senior Roles

Indeed Hiring Lab data show software development postings have risen nearly 15% since February 2025, the launch date of Anthropic’s Claude Code. The increase followed a steep fall from a 2022 hiring peak, when technology companies pulled back after pandemic-era hiring growth.

Desks and chairs behind glass office partitions
Desks and chairs behind glass office partitions. Illustrative stock photo via Pexels.

Postings still sit about 27.5% below their pre-pandemic level. The rebound has not restored the earlier baseline. Growth is concentrated in jobs seeking experience and the ability to work with AI.

Senior positions made up 71% of the increase in software development postings between May 2025 and May 2026. Job titles mentioning AI accounted for 37%, Indeed Hiring Lab found.

More Code Brings New Oversight Work

GitHub said in October that one in three pull requests now involve an AI agent, up from fewer than one in 10 a year earlier. Pull requests propose code changes on collaborative projects. Some experts say AI-written code across GitHub may have passed the halfway mark, but GitHub has not confirmed that claim.

GitHub said that if the pace continues, most code pushed to the platform could be written by an agent within the next two years. It warned that much of it may never be fully read by a person. The company said people must identify risks as AI-generated code grows.

That demand for oversight helps explain why software developer postings are rising as coding tools advance. Indeed economist Sneha Puri said companies still need developers to oversee AI work, refine products and help clients integrate technology into daily operations.

Related coverage has examined AI safeguards for coding agents and how industrial software teams adapt as technology changes.

Entry-Level Workers Face a Less Certain Route

The gains may not last in their current form. Anthropic researchers say humans remain necessary to oversee automation and provide input, but cautioned that the pattern is not certain to persist. GitHub warned that the human effort needed to police growing volumes of AI code could become difficult to sustain.

Early-career workers already face signs of strain. Stanford University’s 2026 AI index found employment in AI-exposed fields among people aged 22 to 25 has fallen 16% since generative AI’s rise. The decline was 20% for early-career software developers, even as older developer roles expanded.

Puri advised students to learn AI tools while maintaining communication, interpersonal and leadership skills. She said employers need entry-level pipelines because today’s newcomers become tomorrow’s senior experts. That concern echoes broader questions about business continuity and planning for succession.

The long-term forecast remains positive but does not settle the near-term question. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects software developer employment will grow 10% from 2025 to 2035, reaching about 1.89 million jobs from about 1.72 million and adding roughly 174,700 positions. For now, software developer job postings favor experience, while employers face the task of preserving training routes into the field.