IBM scrambles to find or train more COBOL programmers to help states

Enlarge / Stock photo shows computing systems from the COBOL era. (credit: Lambert/Archive Photos)

The COBOL programming language was created in 1959 and has been widely seen as obsolete for decades. Yet there are still a fair number of software systems based on the language. The economic stresses of the coronavirus pandemic have created a surge in demand for COBOL programmers. Last week, for example, the governor of New Jersey put out a call for COBOL programmers to help fix problems with the software that runs the state's unemployment insurance system.

A new initiative from IBM seeks to connect states with experienced COBOL programmers-and to train a new generation of them.

"In the midst of the COVID-19 global pandemic, our clients are facing unprecedented circumstances," an IBM press release says. Some states "are in need of additional programming skills to make changes to COBOL-a language that has been widely reported to have an estimated 220 billion lines of code being actively used today."

Read 4 remaining paragraphs | Comments