Information Technology Project Managers vs Software Developers

A factual, source-backed comparison of Information Technology Project Managers and Software Developers on the dimensions both occupations carry. Every figure is a position within an independent published dataset — not a verdict on which job is better, safer, or more “future-proof.”

At a glance

Pay and employment are BLS OEWS estimates; outlook and openings are BLS 2024–2034 projections; AI exposure and observed-use figures come from separate research and reflect exposure and usage, not predictions that either job will disappear. Compare like with like.

Skills

Shared: English Language, Customer and Personal Service, Computers and Electronics, Critical Thinking, Reading Comprehension, Active Listening, Writing, Coordination, Time Management, Written Comprehension, Oral Expression, Written Expression, Speaking, Oral Comprehension, Problem Sensitivity, Deductive Reasoning, Inductive Reasoning, Information Ordering, Systems Analysis, Monitoring, Judgment and Decision Making, Fluency of Ideas, Near Vision, Speech Recognition, Speech Clarity, Systems Evaluation, Active Learning, Social Perceptiveness, Complex Problem Solving, Service Orientation, Originality, Category Flexibility.

Knowledge, skills & abilities O*NET rates as important for each occupation. “Shared” are common to both; the columns list what is distinctive to each (top by the order O*NET surfaces).

Tools & technology

Shared: Data base user interface and query software , Development environment software , Document management software , Graphics or photo imaging software , Desktop publishing software , Web platform development software , Data base management system software , Business intelligence and data analysis software , File versioning software , Operating system software , Object or component oriented development software , Configuration management software , Application server software .

Full profiles

This page is a summary. See the complete source-backed profile for Information Technology Project Managers or Software Developers — tasks, the full skill graph, tools, work context, preparation, wages by percentile, industries, AI exposure and the AI work map.

More comparisons

Related occupations you can place side by side on the same sourced scale.

• Information Technology Project Managers vs Project Management Specialists
• Information Technology Project Managers vs Management Analysts
• Information Technology Project Managers vs Computer and Information Systems Managers
• Information Technology Project Managers vs Computer Systems Analysts
• Information Technology Project Managers vs Computer Systems Engineers/Architects
• Information Technology Project Managers vs General and Operations Managers
• Information Technology Project Managers vs Database Administrators
• Information Technology Project Managers vs Network and Computer Systems Administrators

@misc{singulariki-information-technology-project-managers-vs-software-developers,
  title  = {Information Technology Project Managers vs Software Developers},
  author = {{Singulariki}},
  year   = {2026},
  note   = {O*NET 30.3; BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024; BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034; Anthropic Economic Index v4 (2026-01-15) + v2 (2025-03-27); Microsoft “Working with AI” working-with-ai; “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130. Accessed June 7, 2026},
  url    = {https://singulariki.com/compare/information-technology-project-managers-vs-software-developers}
}