In Depth: Coding Jobs No Longer Sure Thing for U.S.-Educated Chinese

Once considered a highly secure career path, computer science graduates and professionals in the United States—especially those from China—are encountering the most challenging job market in years. Competition has significantly increased due to mass layoffs at major tech companies and a surge of applicants, including both experienced professionals and new graduates, as well as the entry of artificial intelligence (AI) into the job market[para. 1][para. 3].

As of February 2024, the unemployment rate for computer engineering and computer science graduates reached 7.5% and 6.1%, respectively—among the highest of all college majors. Employment in computer-related roles, which had risen nearly 82% from 2000 to 2023, declined in 2024 with 20,000 coding jobs lost. The overall jobless rate for computer and mathematics roles increased to 2.8%, the second-highest in almost a decade, amidst multi-year mass layoffs at tech giants such as Meta, Amazon, Microsoft, and Alphabet[para. 2][para. 3][para. 4].

For new graduates, the job search has become exceedingly difficult. More than half of the class of 2025 expressed pessimism about job prospects, and among computer science majors, 28% felt “very pessimistic.” Students are applying to hundreds of positions with little success and are even turning to outsourcing agencies or returning to China if unable to secure U.S. jobs[para. 5][para. 6][para. 7][para. 8][para. 9].

2024 saw continued workforce reductions: Meta cut 3,600 jobs after a warning of a challenging year; Microsoft laid off about 15,000 employees across two major rounds. By mid-year, Alphabet offered severance for voluntary exits, signaling further layoffs. In total, roughly 57,000 tech workers were laid off in the U.S. by May 2024[para. 10][para. 11][para. 12]. Even with robust academic and internship credentials, students like Tang An reported applying to 500 positions before securing a modest number of interviews or offers. Some Ivy League computer science programs saw 90% of their graduates still jobless four months before graduation[para. 13][para. 14][para. 15].

Industry insiders attribute this downturn to overexpansion after 2015, which accelerated post-pandemic due to remote work, surging internet demand, and low interest rates. As demand eased and financial conditions tightened, tech companies were forced into significant layoffs[para. 25][para. 26][para. 27].

Despite a weak job market, salaries remain high: the 2024 median for computer occupations was $106,000—with software developers averaging nearly $129,000, more than twice the national median[para. 29]. Meanwhile, the number of computer science graduates nearly doubled over two decades, and foreign-born workers now account for 26.8% of tech jobs, compared to 10.6% in the early 2000s. Chinese students, who once flocked to business degrees, have increasingly chosen math and computer science since 2018, though they now face significant visa uncertainties[para. 30][para. 31][para. 32][para. 33][para. 34][para. 35].

Outsourcing agencies known as Indian consulting companies (ICCs) have served as a fallback for graduates needing H-1B visas, but these are also struggling due to fewer hiring opportunities and increased costs[para. 36][para. 37][para. 38][para. 39].

Returning to China is not always easier: Chinese tech hiring is also down, with campus recruitment increasing but the total number of available positions shrinking. The number of tech-related job openings dropped by over 20% in early 2024, and graduate-level roles were nearly 30% lower than before[para. 41][para. 42][para. 43][para. 44].

AI is an emerging force, but most engineers agree that recent layoffs are primarily economic and not due to AI automation. Still, AI’s capabilities have advanced quickly, creating pressure on programmers to develop skills beyond coding, such as innovation and strategic thinking[para. 45][para. 46][para. 47][para. 48][para. 49][para. 50][para. 51]. Experts argue that a broader humanities education is increasingly valuable in this shifting landscape[para. 52].