A snapshot of current languages used in industry

Abstract

We provide results from a nationwide survey of advertisements for jobs in the technology sector. This snapshot of 521 job postings provides an interesting glimpse into the state of the computing industry in the U.S., quantifying the programming languages most frequently requested by employers today. This study reveals industry preference for Java and C++ skills. C++ is requested most frequently in the South Atlantic Region and was also favored on the west coast. Additionally, SQL skills were more requested for positions related to testing, JSP skills were more requested in architect positions, and both C and C++ were more requested in analyst positions. While academic practices should not be based solely on industry practice, industry demand for languages serves as one useful data point when institutions make pedagogical choices.