Hello again,
The Bureau of Labor Statistics (of the US Department of Labor) has a
lot of information squirreled away on its website on the numbers of
people employed in the software field. The trick is uncovering it
all.
Let's start with their overview at:
http://www.bls.gov/news.release/ocwage.t01.htm
where you'll find a very detailed table:
Table 1. National employment and wage data from the Occupational
Employment Statistics survey by occupation, 2001
that lays out the number of people (along with wage data) in each of
several hundred job categories, including three categories that cover
jobs in software:
Computer software engineers,applications.....361,660
Computer software engineers, systems.........261,520
Computer programmers.........................501,580
Add these three up, and we get a total of 1,124,760 software-related
jobs in the U.S. in 2001.
There isn't any direct data on the numbers of people involved in
software sales, but there is a lot more information to be had,
including a bit of perspective on sales-positions.
----------------
At this link:
http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos267.htm
you'll find BLS's detailed write up on the occupational category of
"Computer Software Engineers".
Here are some key excerpts:
--Computer software engineers are projected to be the fastest growing
occupation over the 2000-10 period.
--Computer applications software engineers analyze users' needs and
design, create, and modify general computer applications software or
specialized utility programs. Different programming languages are
used, depending on the purpose of the program. The programming
languages most often used are C, C++, and Java, with Fortran and Cobol
used less commonly. Some software engineers develop both packaged
systems and systems software or create customized applications.
--Computer systems software engineers coordinate the construction and
maintenance of a company's computer systems, and plan their future
growth. Working with a company, they coordinate each department's
computer needs-ordering, inventory, billing, and payroll
recordkeeping, for example-and make suggestions about its technical
direction. They also might set up the company's intranets, networks
that link computers within the organization and ease communication.
-----------------
A similar site discusses "Computer Programmers"
http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos110.htm
Computer programmers write, test, and maintain the detailed
instructions, called programs, that computers must follow to perform
their functions. They also conceive, design, and test logical
structures for solving problems by computer. Many technical
innovations in programming -- advanced computing technologies and
sophisticated new languages and programming tools -- have redefined
the role of a programmer and elevated much of the programming work
done today. Job titles and descriptions may vary, depending on the
organization. In this occupational statement, computer programmer
refers to individuals whose main job function is programming; this
group has a wide range of responsibilities and educational
backgrounds.
----------------
The largest industry sector employing software specialists is the
"Computer and Data Processing Services" sector. The BLS write up on
this sector -- which contains some information on sales positions --
can be found here:
http://www.bls.gov/oco/cg/cgs033.htm
Note that they expect that the "computer and data processing services
is projected to be the fastest growing industry in the economy, with
employment expected to increase 86 percent between 2000 and 2010."
Table 2 in this write up is titled, "Employment of wage and salary
workers in computer and data processing services by occupation, 2000
and projected change, 2000-10" [NOTE: this is now year 2000 data, in
contrast to the 2001 that I presented above].
You can see from the table that about half of all computer programmers
and software engineers work in this sector:
Computer programmers................................231,000
Computer software engineers, applications...........194,000
Computer software engineers, systems software.......124,000
Table 2 also included data on the number of "Sales and related
occupations" in this industry sector. There are 113,000 salespeople
involved in selling not only software, but hardware, and overall
services as well. I know this doesn't get you the number you were
seeking (of those in software sales) but at least it puts you in the
ballpark.
-----------------
If it's more detail you're after, then the page to visit is:
http://www.bls.gov/oes/oes_dl.htm
Download Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
Here you can download either (or both) of two large files that detail
the numbers of all occupations in all industry sectors. The files are
in Excel (.xls) format.
I poured through the database at the 2-digit SIC level (broad industry
classifications -- if you need more detail, you can check out the
3-digit SIC file) and identified the following as the major industry
categories (other than the computer services sector I described above)
employing software personnel:
2001 National 2-digit SIC estimates for SICs 07 to 90
Industrial and Commercial Machinery and Computer Equipment
Computer Programmers...........................13,960
Computer Software Engineers, Applications......16,620
Computer Software Engineers, Systems Software..29,760
Electronic and Other Electrical Equipment and Components, Except
Computer Equipment
Computer Programmers............................6,140
Computer Software Engineers, Applications......16,470
Computer Software Engineers, Systems Software..14,180
Measuring, Analyzing, and Controlling Instruments; Photographic,
Medical and Optical Goods; Watches and Clocks
Computer Programmers .......................3,870
Computer Software Engineers, Applications......11,790
Computer Software Engineers, Systems Software..10,980
Communications
Computer Programmers............................4,720
Computer Software Engineers, Applications......10,840
Computer Software Engineers, Systems Software..20,250
Wholesale Trade--Durable Goods
Computer Programmers...........................35,310
Computer Software Engineers, Applications......10,710
Computer Software Engineers, Systems Software..10,980
Depository Institutions
Computer Programmers...........................12,700
Computer Software Engineers, Applications.......4,750
Computer Software Engineers, Systems Software...7,420
Security and Commodity Brokers, Dealers, Exchanges, and Services
Computer Programmers...........................11,370
Computer Software Engineers, Applications.......5,200
Computer Software Engineers, Systems Software...2,520
Insurance Carriers
Computer Programmers...........................23,190
Computer Software Engineers, Applications.......9,730
Computer Software Engineers, Systems Software...2,350
Educational Services
Computer Programmers...........................18,570
Computer Software Engineers, Applications.......4,690
Computer Software Engineers, Systems Software...1,470
Government
Computer Programmers...........................18,520
Computer Software Engineers, Applications.......7,950
Computer Software Engineers, Systems Software...1,880
-----------------
There’s a lot more detail available for a great many industry sectors,
but I believe I’ve extracted the key information for your review here.
Hopefully this will fully meet your needs. But if anything is not
clear -- or if you need additional information -- just let me know by
posting a Request for Clarification, and I’ll be glad to assist you
further.
pafalafa-ga
search strategy: Visited the bookmarked BLS site, and searched for
“software”. |
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