Software and applications developers and analysts

How to become a software developer

Official title: Software developers

Also called: Programmer analyst, Software designer, Software developer, Software engineer

Software developers research, analyse and evaluate requirements for existing or new software applications and operating systems, and design, develop, test and maintain software solutions to meet these requirements.

Main tasks

Researching, analysing and evaluating requirements for software applications and operating systems
Researching, designing and developing computer software systems
Consulting with engineering staff to evaluate interfaces between hardware and software
Developing and directing software testing and validation procedures
Modifying existing software to correct errors, to adapt it to new hardware or to upgrade interfaces and improve performance
Directing software programming and development of documentation
Assessing, developing, upgrading and documenting maintenance procedures for operating systems, communications environments and applications software
Consulting with customers concerning maintenance of software systems

Ways in

University: Computing & IT degrees, Offered by 24 universities in Hong Kong
Qualifications Framework: Vocational Qualifications Pathway: Information & Communications Technology. The Qualifications Framework publishes a Vocational Qualifications Pathway for the Information & Communications Technology industry (資訊及通訊科技業), showing QF-recognised qualifications by level: https://www.hkqf.gov.hk/ict/en/vqp. Link between the industry and this job by Peernovo.

Pay · Outlook · AI and this job

Median pay: HK$48,000 a month
About 1,542,900 people in 2025, and about 1,639,100 projected by 2028. (+6.2%)
Generative AI could change many tasks in this job, which usually reshapes the work more than it replaces it, by the ILO's global estimate.

Questions people ask

How do I become a software developer?

Ways in include: Computing & IT degrees; Vocational Qualifications Pathway: Information & Communications Technology.

Do you need a degree to become a software developer?

Usually. 91% of people in this job hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

Will AI change the work of a software developer?

Generative AI could change many tasks in this job, which usually reshapes the work more than it replaces it, by the ILO's global estimate.

Sources

Census and Statistics Department (2021 Population Census): 2021 Population Census, Interactive Data Dissemination Service: working population by occupation (38 groups) and sex, age, education, income; median income and field of education (9 groups) (2021 Population Census), retrieved 4 October 2026
Census and Statistics Department (General Household Survey): Median monthly employment earnings by occupation (9 groups), excluding foreign domestic helpers (Table 210-06317A); employed persons by occupation, age and sex (210-06307A) and by industry (210-06308A) (2025 annual (series to 2026-07)), retrieved 4 October 2026
Labour and Welfare Bureau; tables published by C&SD: Mid-term Update of Manpower Projection to 2028: supplementary statistical tables (5 occupation groups, 17 selected industries) (2025 to 2028 (published 2026-09)), retrieved 4 October 2026
International Labour Organization, Generative AI and Jobs: A Refined Global Index of Occupational Exposure (ILO Working Paper 140, Gmyrek et al.) (ILO Working Paper 140, May 2025, Annex Table A1), CC BY 4.0, retrieved 4 October 2026

Updated 4 October 2026