IDC study says the global workforce engaged in software design is expanding

To better understand the opportunity surrounding software design and development, International Data Corporation (IDC) analysts looked into the number of people working in this field and how this population may change in the years ahead.

Through their research, they found that the number of people involved in software design and development will grow by more than 30% through 2029.

The takeaway? Design is becoming increasingly important. Demand for talent working on these problems will grow. And generative AI will continue to accelerate the pace and volume of software development.

Read the full study for more on IDC's findings.

The quick highlights:

• The number of people involved in design and product development continues to grow. IDC expects the worldwide population of knowledge workers and developers engaged in the design of digital products and interfaces to grow, from 107 million workers in 2025 to 144 million workers in 2029.
• UX design is expected to grow faster than other roles. At a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 7.6% from 2025 to 2029, the growth of the population of UX design professionals is expected to outpace other knowledge worker subcategories-tied to the expectation that demands for design-intensive solutions will increase.
• GenAI will accelerate product development. IDC expects that generative AI will accelerate the development of well-designed digital products that give users more choices. In parallel, the integration of AI features into these products will increase pressure on designers and developers to deliver highly usable and visually appealing AI features.

IDC also conducted in-depth qualitative research about the importance of design, which you can check out here.