Technology
Will AI replace mobile app developers?
BLS places software developers in its “Very high” AI-exposure category (of four, relative to other occupations). BLS projects employment to grow 10.2% from 2025 to 2035, with about 95,300 openings a year. OEWS May 2025 median pay is $135,980 (10th–90th percentile $82,460–$214,670). Typical entry education: bachelor's degree.
Sources: BLS AI exposure categories and Employment Projections 2025–35 (released 27 August 2026); BLS OEWS May 2025; tasks from O*NET 31.0 (CC BY 4.0).
Figures are for the BLS occupation Software developers (SOC 15-1252), the closest occupation BLS tracks. BLS has no mobile-developer occupation; app development is Software Developers.
Mobile app developers build, test and ship apps for phones and tablets.
The figures, with their sources
| AI-exposure category | Very high (of Low, Moderate, High, Very high)BLS AI exposure categories, 2025–35 |
|---|---|
| Employment, 2025 → 2035 | 1,717,800 → 1,892,600BLS Employment Projections 2025–35 |
| Projected change, 2025–35 | +10.2%BLS Employment Projections 2025–35 |
| Openings per year (2025–35 average) | 95,300BLS Employment Projections 2025–35 |
| Median annual pay | $135,980BLS OEWS, May 2025 |
| 10th–90th percentile pay | $82,460 – $214,670BLS OEWS, May 2025 |
| Typical entry education | Bachelor's degreeBLS Employment Projections 2025–35 |
National figures, all industries and all experience levels. Employment and openings are published by BLS in thousands; pay is annual, in US dollars.
What BLS says, in its own words
“Very high” relative AI exposure generally indicates that, compared to other occupations, a larger fraction of an occupation’s tasks can be completed or assisted by AI technology, and that LLMs have been observed performing some of the occupation’s tasks.
“An exposure category is not a forecast of employment growth or decline.” “Exposure does not imply job loss, productivity gains, automation probability, or wage effects.”
Our count from the BLS table: 141 of the 206 occupations in the “Very high” category are projected to grow from 2025 to 2035. That is our arithmetic on BLS data, not a BLS statement.
What the work is: O*NET® tasks
The occupation’s core tasks, most important first, as O*NET 31.0 words them.
- 1.Analyze user needs and software requirements to determine feasibility of design within time and cost constraints.Judgment
- 2.Develop or direct software system testing or validation procedures, programming, or documentation.Accountability
- 3.Confer with systems analysts, engineers, programmers and others to design systems and to obtain information on project limitations and capabilities, performance requirements and interfaces.Relationships
- 4.Modify existing software to correct errors, adapt it to new hardware, or upgrade interfaces and improve performance.
- 5.Prepare reports or correspondence concerning project specifications, activities, or status.
- 6.Analyze information to determine, recommend, and plan installation of a new system or modification of an existing system.Judgment · Accountability
- 7.Store, retrieve, and manipulate data for analysis of system capabilities and requirements.
- 8.Design, develop and modify software systems, using scientific analysis and mathematical models to predict and measure outcomes and consequences of design.
How we tag: a task is tagged Judgment, Accountability or Relationships when O*NET’s wording uses one of these verbs. Judgment: evaluate, assess, determine, decide, interpret, diagnose, recommend, investigate, approve, prioritize, resolve. Accountability: direct, supervise, manage, oversee, ensure, plan, establish, authorize, comply. Relationships: confer, consult, negotiate, advise, collaborate, liaise, mentor, train, counsel, persuade, interview, present, meet with. This is our reading of the task text, not an O*NET or BLS classification, and it is not a measure of AI exposure.
For new graduates
- Typical entry education
- Bachelor's degree
- BLS Employment Projections 2025–35
- Openings per year
- 95,300
- All levels, not entry-level only
The tasks to show proof for: 4 of 8 are about judgment, accountability or relationships
We point you at these because our method treats them as the work that is hardest to hand to AI. That is our judgment, not a BLS or O*NET finding. A capstone, an internship or a part-time job where you made the call, owned the outcome or worked with the people involved is proof. Write what you did, not what you were assigned.
Show the 4 tasks
- Analyze user needs and software requirements to determine feasibility of design within time and cost constraints.
- Develop or direct software system testing or validation procedures, programming, or documentation.
- Confer with systems analysts, engineers, programmers and others to design systems and to obtain information on project limitations and capabilities, performance requirements and interfaces.
- Analyze information to determine, recommend, and plan installation of a new system or modification of an existing system.
What this data does not tell you
- How many openings are entry-level, or how many go to new graduates. BLS counts openings at every level.
- How AI will change hiring for junior roles in this occupation. The exposure category is about the occupation’s tasks, and BLS says it is not a forecast.
- Pay or openings in your city or industry. These are national figures.
- Whether your own tasks match these. O*NET describes the occupation, not your job.
BLS also publishes the work experience and on-the-job training usually needed; see the BLS projections table.
Proof worth finding for a Mobile App Developer application
Our editorial starting list, not a survey of postings. The posting you apply to decides what counts.
- Published app on the App Store or Google Play (or significant internal app experience)
- Proficiency in Swift/Kotlin for native, or React Native/Flutter for cross-platform
- Experience with REST APIs, push notifications, and offline data sync
- Understanding of app performance optimization and crash analytics tools
- Familiarity with AI-powered mobile features and on-device processing
Show your proof for one real posting
- Step 1Job Match · 5 tokensPaste a real posting. For each requirement, we quote the line in your resume that proves it, or say nothing was found.
- Step 2Resume · 15 tokensRewrite toward that posting from your own words. Any number we could not find in them is listed for you to check.
- Step 3Know your tasks · FreeYour own tasks against the software developers data above, labeled task by task.
Related role guides
Technology guideSame BLS occupation: Software Engineer, DevOps Engineer, Backend Developer.
- Product Marketing ManagerProduct marketing managers position a product for its market: launches, competitive analysis, messaging and the material sales teams use.
- Software EngineerSoftware engineers design, build, test and maintain software, from a single feature to the systems many teams depend on.
- Data AnalystData analysts turn business questions into queries, charts and recommendations that someone can act on.
Questions people ask
Will AI replace mobile app developers?
The data does not say so. BLS places software developers in its “Very high” relative AI-exposure category and states that “An exposure category is not a forecast of employment growth or decline.” In BLS’s words: “Very high” relative AI exposure generally indicates that, compared to other occupations, a larger fraction of an occupation’s tasks can be completed or assisted by AI technology, and that LLMs have been observed performing some of the occupation’s tasks. BLS projects employment to grow 10.2% from 2025 to 2035 (BLS Employment Projections 2025–35). By our count from the BLS table, 141 of the 206 occupations in the “Very high” category are projected to grow.
How many mobile app developers jobs open each year?
BLS projects about 95,300 openings a year for software developers, averaged over 2025–35. BLS defines openings as net employment change plus workers permanently leaving the occupation, so a declining occupation can still have openings. Employment was 1,717,800 in 2025.
How much do mobile app developers earn?
BLS OEWS (May 2025) puts the national median annual wage for software developers at $135,980. The 10th percentile is $82,460, the 25th $105,210, the 75th $171,980 and the 90th $214,670. These are all industries and all experience levels in the United States; pay in your city and at your level will differ.
What education do mobile app developers need?
BLS lists “Bachelor's degree” as the typical education needed to enter software developers. It is the typical path, not a rule: postings set their own requirements.
How does AISkillScore check a Mobile App Developer application?
We count, we do not guess. Job Match reads the posting’s requirements and, for each one, quotes the line in your resume that proves it, or says nothing was found. The resume rewrite keeps your claims and lists any number it could not find in your own words so you can check it before you send.
Sources
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Artificial Intelligence (AI) exposure categories; Occupational projections, 2025–35, and worker characteristics; Employment Projections definitions; Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025: Software developers. BLS data is in the public domain.
This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. O*NET 31.0 Database · CC BY 4.0 · Software developers on O*NET OnLine. Changes: we show up to eight of the occupation’s core tasks, most important first, merged across the O*NET codes BLS groups into one occupation, and we add our own task tags.
Check your proof against a real Mobile App Developer posting
Job Match shows which of the posting’s requirements your resume proves, quote by quote. 30 free tokens when you sign up.
Run Job MatchOr, free and without an account: check which Mobile App Developer tasks still need you.