Older Statistics
These are previous years' statistics. See this page for more current information.
Employment
A report on Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) from the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce forecasts 51 percent of STEM occupations will be computer occupations by 2018. (See also the root page of this report.)
Within the state of Illinois the importance of Computer Occupations is even more pronounced, with 57% of all STEM jobs by 2018 being Computer Occupations, according to the Georgetown University Center on education and the Workforce breakdown by state for Illinois. (Alternatively see local cached copy)
In a June 2011 ComputerWorld article Obama states that "we don't have enough engineers" as he calls for 10,000 more engineers per year.The US Department of Commerce has a forecast of the 30 fastest-growing professional occupations between 2008 and 20018 at http://www.bls.gov/emp/ep_table_103.htm. The second-fastest growing jobs are Network Systems and Data Communications Analysts, projected to grow 53.4%. Also included in the top 25 fastest-growing jobs are Computer Software Engineers for Applications (#15 with 34% growth) and Systems Software (#24 with 30.4% growth).
[Table above taken from http://www.bls.gov/emp/ep_table_103.htm]
Within Computer Science, this can be further broken down as follows (from http://www.bls.gov/emp/ep_table_102.htm):
The above Bureau of Labor Statistics 2008-2018 Employment Projections for Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) have been made into a nice graphic by Calvin College:
The Calvin site goes on to state that:
For the foreseeable future, nearly 3 out of 4 new science or engineering jobs in the U.S. are going to be in computing! By contrast, just 16% will be traditional engineering jobs, and even fewer will be in the sciences or mathematics.
What kind of “computing” jobs are these? The pie-chart on the right breaks the “computing” jobs down in the different career categories, and shows that the US-BLS is predicting:
27% (295,200 jobs) of the new STEM jobs will be in software engineering alone as compared to 16% (178,400 jobs) in the rest of engineering combined!
There will be far more new jobs in network analysis and administration (235,700) than in traditional engineering.
Note that basic computer literacy (i.e., knowing Microsoft Word, Excel, or Powerpoint) or CAD-design will not qualify you for one of these jobs. These jobs require skills that you will only gain by studying computer science, information systems, and/or software engineering.
According to the US Department of Commerce forecasts of all professional occupations between 2006 and 20016 http://www.bls.gov/opub/mlr/2007/11/art5full.pdf, “computer and mathematical occupations are expected to grow the most quickly (with a 24.8-percent growth rate).” Two of the four fastest growing jobs are CS jobs, with Network Systems and Data Communications Analyst jobs projected to grow 53.4%, and Computer Software Engineers 44.6%. Also included in the top 25 fastest-growing jobs are Computer Systems Analysts (29%), Database Administrators (28.6%), And Computer Systems Software Engineers (28.2%)
In the spirit of full disclosure, also see the New York Times article on 9/6/2010 describing how in this period of 9.6% unemployment, even Computer Science has had 6% unemployment.
The Computer Research Association (CRA) reported on 3/16/09 that "according to the United States Department of Labor, computer science graduates on average earn 13 percent more than the average college graduate. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, future job prospects for computer science graduates are higher than for any other science or engineering field." It also states that CS enrollment is up for the first time in 6 years.
Hybrid Careers:
The New York Times (12/21, B1, Lohr) reports on the front page of its Business Day section that "hybrid careers" combining "computing with other fields will increasingly be the new American jobs of the future, labor experts say." At the same time, however, fewer students are becoming involved in the field of computing. (asee.custombriefings.com, 12/21/2009)
Fewer Students Taking High School Computer Science Classes:
The Washington Post (12/21, Chandler) reports on the decline in "the portion of schools that offer an introductory computer science course," a figure that "has dropped from 78 percent in 2005 to 65 percent this year, and the corresponding decline in AP courses went from 40 to 27 percent," survey results show. The College Board even "canceled its AP computer science AB class" because of "declining enrollment." Some see the decline in computer science as "surprising," particularly given the political initiatives centered around "fueling innovation by sharpening the math, science and technology skills of the future workforce." Chris Stephenson, executive director of the Computer Science Teachers Association, "said computer science classes might be an unintentional casualty in the push to increase academic standards," as it "is not considered a core subject by the No Child Left Behind law."(asee.custombriefings.com, 12/21/2009)
Network World (3/30/09) reports that "Amid the worst job market in 25 years, IT is holding steady. Most CIOs are maintaining their current staffing levels; while a few are hiring specialists who have in-demand IT skills."
Top 10 jobs in America today (2010), according to CareerCast.com:
Actuary
Software Engineer (up from #4 in 2009)
Computer Systems Analyst (up from #5 in 2009)
Biologist
Historian
Mathematician
Paralegal Assistant
Statistician
Accountant
Dental Hygienist
You may also be interested in seeing the 2010 10 worst jobs.
Top 10 Recession-proof Jobs: The Chicago Sun Times reported 11/4/08 on the top 10 recession-proof jobs, taken from "150 Best Recession-Proof Jobs," a book by Laurence Shatkin, a career information consultant who crunched government data to come up with the list.
1. Computer systems analyst.
2. Network systems and data communications analyst.
3. Network and computer systems administrator.
4. Registered nurse.
5. Teacher, postsecondary.
6. Physical therapist.
7. Physician and surgeon.
8. Dental hygienist.
9. Pharmacist.
10. Medical and health services manager.
ZDNet (Nov 17, 2008) reports that "IT offshoring is exaggerated and the IT labor shortage is real." Only about 5% of IT jobs are outsourced, and that there is a shortage of trained people to fill the needs in IT.
Information Week (April 8, 2008) reports that US IT jobs are up 12% from a year ago. IT unemployment is up slightly, hitting 2.6%, up from 2.1% a year ago. The article describes where US IT job growth is coming from:
"By far the largest growth category has been computer support specialists, which leaped 41% the past year, adding 127,000 jobs. Next is network and data communication analysts (68,000 new jobs, 19% growth), computer scientists and system analysts (65,000 new jobs, 8% growth), and network/system administrators (51,000 new jobs, 31% growth). The economy also added 51,000 IT management jobs, growing 11%"
See ACM's Career News for recent articles describing employment opportunities and trends.
See a study (March 2008) that finds H-1B visas do not inhibit domestic hiring.
See the November 16, 2008 NY Times article about fewer women entering CS.
[Table above taken from http://www.bls.gov/emp/emptab21.htm]
At http://www.cra.org/CRN/articles/may07/tables9to16.html we can see the distribution for CS Bachelor's Degree recipients by gender and ethnicity:
Gender in CS
Male
85.8%
Female
14.2%
The 2007 Money Magazine report shows CS (computer programmers, software engineers, and network administrators) as the hottest jobs.
Money magazine and Salary.comranked Software Engineer as the best job in America, in an April 2006 study showing an of average salary of $80,500 and a 10-year job growth forecast of 46%. The study took into account stress levels, flexibility in hours and working environment, creativity, and how easy it is to enter and advance in the field.
Computer IT analyst was #7, with an average salary of $83,500 and a 10-year growth forecast of 36%.
InformationWeek Magazine (Apr 18, 2006) reports that "more Americans are employed in IT than at any time in the nation's history. ... IT employment in the United States reached a record high of 3.472 million workers in the 12 months ended March 31, surpassing the 3.455 million IT workers employed the previous quarter and at the end of third quarter 2001, the zenith of the dot-com boom, according to an InformationWeek analysis of Bureau of Labor Statistics data.
David Patterson, president of the ACM (and founding researcher behind the SUN SPARC processor) describes increasing popularity of Computer Science, recounted in a Sept. 2005ZDnet blog.
Maria Klawe, the Dean of Engineering at Princeton gave a keynote address in the December 2005 CIO magazine, mentioning that IT employment is at historical highs, and we must address educational shortcomings to attract more women and minority students.
Salaries
The January 12 2012 issue of CNN Money shows the average starting salary at $60,594 for a bachelor's degree in Computer Science, compared to the average across all fields of $47,701 and an average of $35,503 in the Humanities and Social Sciences.
The spring 2010 issue of the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) Salary Survey shows that the average salary offer to a 2010 bachelor's degree candidate is $47,673, which is 1.7 percent lower than the average offer of $48,515 made to 2009 bachelor's degree candidates.
...As a group, graduates earning computer-related degrees saw their average salary offers soar in comparison with the other disciplines: Their average offer rose 5.8 percent, to $58,746. And the average offer to computer-science majors increased by 4.7 percent, to $60,426.
...Graduates earning degrees in liberal arts may be the hardest hit by the effects of the recession: Currently, their average salary offers remain well below last year's levels: 8.9 percent lower, at $33,540
April, 2010: http://hotjobs.yahoo.com/career-articles-how_much_will_the_class_of_2010_earn-1220
"Here's a tip for incoming and current college students: If you want to have a high-paying job on graduation day, study computer science." The article goes on to describe enrollments are rising with the job market fueling the growth.
4/28/2010 Network World
http://www.networkworld.com/news/2010/042810-high-tech-employment-grows.html
The average salary increase to computer and information science graduates was 13 percent, indicating that these technical majors are in high demand. Computer science graduates saw their average salary offer increase by 14.7 percent to $59,873. The average salary offer for these graduates who were offered software design and development positions was even higher, topping out at $65,379.
4/16/2008, National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) http://www.naceweb.org/press/display.asp?year=&prid=281
General Technical degrees (including Computer Science) majors saw their average starting salary offers rise 7.9 percent to $56,921. (CNN.com) This can be compared to the average starting salary of $33,258 for those with liberal arts degrees.
4/28/08 http://www.cnn.com/2008/LIVING/worklife/04/28/cb.salaries.grads/index.html
Average starting salary in CS in 2006: $53K
See historical CS salaries, as well as a comparison to other fields (see below, taken from http://www.cra.org/wp/index.php?p=127)
Salaries are high across the different areas of CS, as shown at http://www.cra.org/wp/index.php?p=118
Enrollment
November 2011
Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) education can be difficult and is not always taught in a compelling manner, resulting in many interested students dropping out in spite of high demand in those fields, according to a New York Times article.
June 2011
After a decade of decline, the number of students pursuing the degree increased by 50% last year, according to a New York Times article.
March 2009
The drop in CS enrollment seems to be turning around. According to Network World, "computer science majors rose 8.1% in 2008."http://www.networkworld.com/news/2009/031409-computer-science-majors.html
The Computing Research Association (CRA) site has many articles on this topic. In particular see the Taulbee Report, which gives the most recent enrollment statistics for CS/CE majors.
The CRA site shows a graph (see below) of peak CS enrollments in 1986 and 2003, with a downward forecast. (Note that this spells opportunity when combined with the job growth forecasts for CS and IT, as described above). The peaks correspond to the advent of the PC (1981) and the growth of the Internet (2000 onward)
From http://www.cra.org/wp/index.php?p=126
An article from Redmond Developer describes the shortage of students majoring in CS, stating the following:
"Only 1.1 percent of new students planned to major in CS, according to a survey of incoming college freshman conducted in 2005 by the Higher Education Research Institute (HERI). Those results underscored a disturbing trend: HERI/UCLA survey data showed that since 2000, interest in CS as a potential major had dropped almost 70 percent."
See the 3/12/2008 NPR article
All Things Considered, March 12, 2008 · The number of students enrolled in computer science programs is at its lowest in at least a decade.
"Comp Sci" was one of the hottest majors during the dot-com boom of the late '90s, but the numbers dropped after the bust of 2001. Now, despite a strong market for IT professionals and a resurgence in Web millionaires, college students just aren't interested in studying computing. Larry Abramson talks to some students and professors to find out why.
Compared to other disciplines in the sciences, CS has many more job openings.
For more details on the Taulbee Study, see http://www.cra.org/taulbee/CRATaulbeeReport-StudentEnrollment-07-08.pdf
CS undegrraduate enrollments may be poised to turn the corner, as shown at http://www.cra.org/CRN/articles/may07/taulbee.html
While the yellow line in the graph above is a forecast of CS graduates, the graph below shows number of actual majors as freshman rising in 2006. If this continues this would lead to a rise in the number of CS graduates starting around 2010.
An article from Redmond Developer describes the shortage of students majoring in CS, stating the following:
"Only 1.1 percent of new students planned to major in CS, according to a survey of incoming college freshman conducted in 2005 by the Higher Education Research Institute (HERI). Those results underscored a disturbing trend: HERI/UCLA survey data showed that since 2000, interest in CS as a potential major had dropped almost 70 percent."
ComputerWorld May 1, 2006 has an interview of CS field leaders on how CS needs to change.
Rankings
The Times Higher Education has ranked the top universitites in world. UIC made the list at number 80 in the US, number 197 in the world. The list is at http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/world-university-rankings/
Ranked in top three Engineering Colleges in IL (US News, Nov. 2008)
8 NSF CAREER recipients, higher than most area schools
US News and World Report ranked graduate CS programs in 2008. Rankings of area schools are:
Not in top 71: IIT, DePaul, Loyola
UIC's program included in the Princeton Review's Top 50 (out of 700) undergrad video game design programs.
UIC Ranked 34 out of top 50 CS grad programs based on publications (June 2006 CACM)
Ranked in top three Engineering Colleges in IL (US News 2005)
Trends
New York Times described the Future of Computing, December 6, 2011, including articles on demographic shifts and changes in education.
Chicago
Chicago, voted best city in the world in which to live 2009 by askmen.com