Professionals · code 2512
Software developers
Software developers research, analyse and evaluate requirements for existing or new software applications and operating systems, and design, develop, test and maintain software solutions to meet these requirements. Tasks include - (a) researching, analysing and evaluating requirements for software applications and operating systems; (b) researching, designing and developing computer software systems; (c) consulting with engineering staff to evaluate interfaces between hardware and software; (d) developing and directing software testing and validation procedures; (e) modifying existing software to correct errors, to adapt it to new hardware or to upgrade interfaces and improve performance; (f) directing software programming and development of documentation; (g) assessing, developing, upgrading and documenting maintenance procedures for operating systems, communications environments and applications software; (h) consulting with customers concerning maintenance of software systems. Examples of the occupations classified here: - Programmer analyst - Software designer - Software developer - Software engineer Some related occupations classified elsewhere: - Applications programmers - 2514
Most of the tasks are affected. It ranks 385 of 427 for holding up against AI.
Also known as
- software developer
- software architect
- user interface developer
- software analyst
Job titles from the EU's ESCO list. Search for any of them on the jobs page and you'll end up here.
against AI Exposed: Gradient 3
AI could take on 52.7 of 100, on average
so it holds up at 100 − 52.7 = 47.3
That's the whole sum, and you can check it against the ILO's study.
out of 100
From O*NET, averaged across 2 US jobs
and cramped
finger skill 22.3 · hand skill 19.8 · cramped spaces 7.3 · averaged
Kind of hands-on work · hands-on under 50 Less than half hands-on
Less than half of this job is hands-on. Robots still matter, but for a smaller part of the work, so we don't sort it any further.
estimated O*NET 31.0 BLS occupational crosswalk chain ISCO-08 to 2010 SOC (Aug 2012, rev. Jun 2015); 2010 to 2018 SOC (Nov 2017); O*NET-SOC 2019 taxonomy data 0.7-work-setting measures chosen by Frey & Osborne (2017) · the grouping is a sorting, not a measurement
What this number leaves out This job rates 11.6 out of 100 for how hands-on it is. The score above only looks at AI tools, not robots, but for work this far from the physical that matters less.
The tasks behind the score
The score is the average of these. A job is really a bundle of tasks, and an average can hide how uneven that bundle is.
The task AI could do most of scores 65.5, while the average is 52.7. A big gap means some of this job is wide open to AI and some of it barely at all. That's quite different from a job where everything sits somewhere in the middle, even when the averages match.
- 65.5
Developing and directing software testing and validation procedures
Medium - 60.5
Researching, analysing and evaluating requirements for software applications and operating systems
Medium - 53
Assessing, developing, upgrading and documenting maintenance procedures for operating systems, communications environments and applications software
Medium - 52
Directing software programming and development of documentation
Medium - 50
Researching, designing, and developing computer software systems
Medium - 50
Modifying existing software to correct errors, to adapt it to new hardware or to upgrade interfaces and improve performance
Medium - 45.3
Consulting with engineering staff to evaluate interfaces between hardware and software
Low - 45
Consulting with customers concerning maintenance of software system.
Low
8 tasks · the High to Very Low labels are the ILO's
from the source Working Paper 140, Generative AI and Jobs 2025 index data 0.7-work-setting
Helped, or replaced?
The score above can't tell a tool that makes you faster from one that does the task instead of you. Jobs and Skills Australia looked at those two things separately, and this is their result, matched to this job.
One Australian job matches, but only partly: not everyone in it does this job. Treat the numbers as a rough guide.
- AI helps you
- 77
- AI does it for you
- 63
Helping wins by 14 points.
estimated Our Gen AI Transition (Gen AI Capacity Study) September 2025 detailed data release data 0.7-work-setting matched to Australian jobs 2613
Compared with similar jobs
There are 92 jobs in the “Professionals” group, averaging 61.5. This one is below that.
- Creative and performing artists not e… 87.1
- Veterinarians 85.8
- Dentists 85.1
- Religious professionals 83.4
- Dancers and choreographers 80.6
- Health professionals not elsewhere cl… 80.5
- Early childhood educators 79.2
- Visual artists 79
- Paramedical practitioners 76.7
- Optometrists and ophthalmic opticians 76.3
- Audiologists and speech therapists 76.2
- Nursing professionals 74.8
- Primary school teachers 73.9
- Specialist medical practitioners 72.9
- Environmental and occupational health… 72
- Musicians, singers and composers 72
- Social work and counselling professio… 71.7
- Physiotherapists 71.6
- Special needs teachers 71.6
- Farming, forestry and fisheries advis… 71.5
- Generalist medical practitioners 71.3
- Mining engineers, metallurgists and r… 70.7
- Secondary education teachers 70.2
- Midwifery professionals 70.1
- Civil engineers 69.8
- Engineering professionals not elsewhe… 69.5
- Judges 68.7
- Electrical engineers 68.6
A closer look
There's a written profile for this job, with notes on what changes and what stays human.