Why COBOL Programmers Are Still Demand in 2025?

Searching for professional COBOL developers, in the 21st century, might give off this feeling that you’re chasing for something less mainstream, right?

But here’s an inside story: COBOL programming language, despite being a 90’s brainchild, is very much alive and running – because of its support for business-critical applications.

Given the abundance of modern programming languages you may wonder, do I stick to COBOL or replace it with a new-age programming language such as Python or Java?

Your decision rests on your specific business needs.

Robert Glass, an American software engineer, and writer, identified 3 ways COBOL is excellently suited for business programming rather than general purposes –

• COBOL AS400 programming stands out in handling diverse data sets, mixing strings, floating-point, integer, and decimal types, required for intricate business programs and databases.
• COBOL’s true decimal data types guarantee precise financial calculations, prominent for accounting systems
• IBM COBOL programming efficiently manages extensive external record-structured data, promising flawless business-oriented data management.

Thus, COBOL is a purpose-built language that excels at transaction processing with a remarkable amount of resiliency.

The matter of fact is, that as long as there are companies and leaders who believe in the legacy system and choose to rely on the robustness these systems bring to business, COBOL programming language and COBOL programmers will stay in demand.

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Next, let’s explore what makes this language special even in the modern business landscape.

COBOL & COBOL Developers are Relevant Today

To define, COBOL an acronym for Common Business-Oriented Language is an object-oriented, imperative, and procedural computer programming language designed by IBM specifically for business purposes.

COBOL programming language is mainly used in private and government institutions for administrative functions.

Also, the language is used in legacy applications like IBM iSeries, for large-scale batch and transaction processing.

Let Us Take You to the History of COBOL Programming

CODASYL introduced COBOL to the world in 1959 and it was primarily developed for the US Department of Defence (DoD) to develop a portable programming language solely for data processing.

There was a rampant adoption of this language which was further standardized in the year 1968.

The makers of COBOL didn’t stop there.

Till today, the COBOL programming language has been adjusted 4 times with the latest version named ISO/IEC 1989:2014.

Interesting, right?

Even with the introduction of various programming languages, the unique capabilities of this fifty-sixty-year-old language remain unparalleled.

That’s the beauty of this g(old) programming language – AS400 COBOL has endured and continues to thrive because of its remarkable security, reliability, and transactional performance.

But with time, the popularity of COBOL has decreased, and experienced COBOL developers, who were once in high demand, have also retired.

Despite Rich History, Why COBOL Is Not Very Popular Today?

Does this mean that the COBOL programming language for AS400 systems have come to an end?

Absolutely, not!

The above-stated facts signify the new-found emergence of COBOL AS400 for the niche domain of business programming.

However, most of the COBOL programmers are still there to maintain existing applications.

This supports the fact that – although COBOL programing and COBOL developers may not be popular today, it doesn’t mean that they are not available.

So, if you are looking for COBOL programmers to maintain, upgrade, or enhance your IBM systems, there are new-age AS400 COBOL developers who bring a blend of both traditional expertise and modern perspective to efficiently meet your business programming requirements.

Looking for skilled COBOL developers?

You find them at the same places you find other software developers.

However, for a more reliable approach to finding COBOL AS400 developers, consider partnering with the IT agencies that specifically deal with AS400 IBM technologies.

They bring you a ready-to-deploy team of talented COBOL programing professionals who possess all the skills you need in a reliable team and resolve IBM-related issues in your business.

Now as you are aware of the answer – is there a demand for COBAL programmers, let’s look at the key roles of the AS400 application developer.

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What COBOL Programmers Do?

In many use cases, COBOL programmers take input from XML, JSON, and CSV, compute the data, and store it in a database like DB2.

They would also do computing for reporting purposes using data from DB2 and send the output in the form of a document file.

The COBOL inputs stay as an application in databases, just like JAVA applications on its server.

Like any other developer, the COBOL developers sit happily in front of their Visual Studio and deploy codes on the IBM iSeries AS400 mainframes.

As a COBOL programmer, if their codebase contains ten, a hundred, or a thousand codes, they will think of re-writing the whole code.

But not to forget that digging documentation from a couple of decades is not an easy task.

Are you still thinking about COBOL’s relevance in this advanced technological landscape? Dive into why COBOL continues to lead in this dynamic world of programming.

Why is iSeries COBOL Relevant Despite Technological Advancements?

COBOL has been a foundation for business and transaction applications for over a decade now.

To unwind this, we need to understand how COBOL was brought into operations and how it paddled the era of computing for various industries.

Created in 1959, COBOL was born in the era of custom-tailored programming languages; the computing era where programming languages were written for a specific purpose.

For banks, insurance companies, and government institutions it was a deal of high-cost consumption to join the computing age.

You can imagine the amount required to create a new programming language to suit their personalized systems, huge right?

This created a demand for a Universal Business Language to run business operations smoother and faster.

Grace Hopper, the mother of COBOL programming, pioneered the universal business programming language that could function across business systems.

Since 1997, there hasn’t been a successor that could carry the massive batch processing as sturdily as COBOL.

Despite that, replacing billions of lines of COBOL and the cost involved is unimaginable.

In comparison to today’s modern programming languages – iSeries COBOL programming language is different in various ways and has certain limitations –

• It doesn’t allow vibrant memory allocation.
• No programmer wants to write a compiler code in COBOL.
• It doesn’t allow easy access to low-level features of the OS.
• The most common forms of the AS400 COBOL programming language can’t use recursion.

In modern business terms, COBOL is a domain-specific programming language and is limited to business domains and programming.

Moving on, let’s explore what sets COBOL apart from modern programming languages in the modern business world.

How is COBOL Different than Other Languages?

If you’re looking for rational developers for iSeries and enjoy the perks of common languages such as C, C++, Java, etc., then COBOL is a completely different form of programming language.

It differs from typical general-purpose language and doesn’t perform tasks that are commonly performed in high-level programming languages.

Knowing that COBOL was introduced before UNIX and C saw the light of day, it isn’t surprising that its foundation is laid differently.

As the name describes, COBOL Common Business oriented Language, was invented for business applications.

Stating the uniqueness of the COBOL language from other languages, are you wondering where is AS400 COBOL being used in the 21st century?

Industries Demanding COBOL Developers?

Despite the widespread usage of COBOL, a question persists in the minds of new-age AS400 users and decision-makers, such as yourself – Is it wise to rely on COBOL or move on with trending modern languages?

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Let’s explore.

Should You Hire a COBOL Programmer in 2025?

Even though modern programming languages appear to be young developers’ first choice, the world needs more languages to work on.

Why?

Because different languages are better at handling different tasks.

For example – COBOL is good at processing financial data & number crunching, while Java and C are effective for front-end UX.

The programming languages must fit the purpose, and according to the nature of the problem, there should be a language to use.

So, why are modern business leaders, such as yourself, looking for COBOL programmers instead of writing applications using modern languages?

Well, there is no harm in staying updated with the modern-day business languages but when it comes to the security & robustness of applications, COBOL is the safest bet that business leaders prefer to take, even after 60 years.

Also, giving a thought to replacing COBOL with trending, modern language isn’t harmful but dreadful enough to execute due to certain factors.

These select few factors are enough to lose the replacement appeal for any business leader.

Hiring COBOL programmers in 2025 isn’t going to be a walk in the park. You must first understand the COBOL landscape, and the challenges these technology folks face, firsthand.

Now, let’s understand some primary challenges COBOL programmers face.

Challenges COBOL Programmers Face

One and the most important challenges that COBOL programmers face today is maintaining billions of lines of code.

About 220 billion lines of COBOL are in use, today and you know how voluminous and complex it becomes when it’s about maintaining the code without disturbing the business functions.
The next challenge is from the business perspective.

Wherein it’s a challenge for businesses that are operating on a system built upon COBOL, it’s an added advantage for the limited-edition COBOL programmers of new and old times to increase their worth.

To build a business software upon COBOL or maintain the current one, has become a challenge with the increasing number of retired COBOL developers and the ones who are about to retire.

And let’s accept the fact that the number of new programmers who are willing to learn and adapt COBOL is very negligible.

With more COBOL programmers retiring, by every passing day, finding and retaining top quality COBOL talent is becoming a serious concern for CTOs.

And that’s the reason the demand for COBOL programmers is increasing.

Thinking, “How do I hire COBOL programmers to maintain/upgrade my IBM i applications? How can I keep them for long on my team?”

Next, let’s understand the ins and outs of these two approaches and how you can keep your COBOL applications relevant for the long term.

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COBOL Programmers – Hire In-House or Borrow Expertise?

As we discussed COBOL programmer demand is surging, day-by-day.

Over 43% of enterprises still rely on COBOL-based systems – As per Tech Workforce Survey.

The demand for COBOL programmers surpasses the supply by margins.

The question remains – “Should you hire COBOL programmers in-house or borrow the expertise?”

Let’s decode both the approaches.

Hiring COBOL Programmers In-House

In today’s competitive business landscape where the COBOL programmer demand is high, if you manage to build an in-house team of COBOL developers – there’s nothing like it!

Well, building an in-house team is a great deal, but also involves respective friction.

Let’s understand the odds of it.

Shrinking Talent Pool

Today, 55 is the average age of a COBOL programmer.

The COBOL experts who laid the foundation for COBOL applications have either retired or are standing on the verge of retirement.

The novice developers who opt for programming aren’t inspired by COBOL dynamics as much. That’s the reason – about 70% of universities do not include COBOL in their curriculum anymore.

Still, if you manage to hire junior COBOL programmers – training them in legacy code and getting them up to speed isn’t as simple as saying it.

Lengthy Hiring Cycles

Finding the right COBOL talent, assessing the fitment for the job, and then getting them up to speed – it’s a tiring cycle.

It takes about 90 to 180 days to find and hire a capable COBOL expert.

In a market like today’s where the demand for COBOL programmers is rising, you have got to be quick and lucky at the same time – to find the right fit.

Rising Compensation Costs

If you want capable COBOL mainframe developers with proven experience and expertise – you must offer them lucrative compensation.

And, that doesn’t end there – lucrative compensation will get them on your team. To keep them with you for a longer time, you must offer them good raises, and retention benefits.

Not to leave aside, training these new hires is another overhead that you must undertake. And there’s no guarantee that they will stay for as long as you want them to.

Risk of Single Points of Failure

The single point of failure is a high-risk spot – and a wise CTO like you would never want to be at that spot.

Suppose you hire just a couple of COBOL programmers on your team – they now know your COBOL applications inside out. Your dependency on them has increased to another level.

With that high dependency you are likely one resignation away from compromising the project progress or a downtime. The risk is higher than you imagine.

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Hiring COBOL Programmers as an Extension

Working with a COBOL developer firm or hiring COBOL programmers as an extended team is a good alternative to skip the hiring bandwagon.

With this route –

• You don’t have to chase COBOL experts.
• You don’t have to vet them for their skill sets.
• You don’t have to train them thoroughly for the project.
• You don’t have to be involved in project management overheads.

All you need to do is – find a reliable COBOL development firm like Integrative Systems and sign them up.

You get to have peace of mind with access to a bench of COBOL programmers who specialize in IBM i, mainframe, and hybrid environments.

Thinking, “Why borrowing expertise works the best?”

Zero Hiring Lag

You don’t have to burn your time & energy in finding the right fit COBOL experts.

The COBOL development firm allows you to handpick COBOL programmers from their ready pool of experts. You can choose and form the best possible team to look after your project.

The best part – they can start in days and not months. Unlike traditional hiring scenarios where you need to train the new hires extensively, these COBOL experts are capable of coping faster with your project needs.

Cost flexibility

You save on costs – considerably.

There are a variety of working models you can choose from.

You can go with project-based model, monthly retainers, or hybrid model – depending on your project requirements.

Unlike the traditional hiring where you must pay monthly wages to your team of COBOL programmers, here you pay only for what you use.

Domain-Aligned Expertise

This one puts you at a greater advantage!

If you get COBOL programmers who aren’t just experts at what they do, but bring in relevant experience in your domain of work – what more could you ask for?

Scalable teams

You don’t need COBOL programmers all year round, right?

There will be times – when a single programmer can do it all.

There will also be times – when you will need additional COBOL experts to meet the project needs.

The scalability leverage works just right in both the scenarios. You can scale your team size up and down as per your changing project requirements.

And, this is something you can’t do with an in-house team.

Thus, working with an extended team of COBOL programmers puts you at a greater advantage.

Next, let’s explore the COBOL AS400 objectives you as the business leader could focus on fulfilling.

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What are the Goals COBOL Users Are Focusing on, and You Should Too?

Sounds overwhelming?

While there may be something comforting about the old COBOL code, a forward-thinking approach is the key to your AS400 system’s future success.

As a solution, either invest in training your existing staff or partner with an external COBOL AS400 partner or service provider to avail yourself of the ready-to-use expertise of a professional COBOL programmer.

They become an extension of your IT team and expedite the process for you,

Don’t forget to ponder upon the cost of delay for not taking a decision sooner.

Final Thoughts about COBOL Programming and COBOL Developer

IBM iSeries is a wonderful machine, and along with a modern programming environment, building applications on COBOL is not a waste of time and resources.

This niche-serving business programming language is not dying and far from dead although the number of its lines of code is reciprocally related to the number of COBOL developers.

In a world where IT continues to power the business environment, the longevity of IBM iSeries services and the need for COBOL programmers in today’s business environment is increasing.

COBOL programmers and IBM iSeries services are here to stay for long.

As demand will grow for non-agile and innovative systems, it will be challenging to bring any other technology onboard that can merge with the existing setup.

That’s why COBOL is the best choice even for the new-age business leaders. And when dissenters continue to challenge the existence of IBM iSeries services, the COBOL programmers will keep proving their worth.

If you have any queries regarding the iSeries services or need COBOL programmers for your project, feel free to connect with Integrative Systems at [email protected].

Integrative Systems is an US-based IBM iSeries consulting services provider and an IBM Silver Business Partner having served for more than twenty years in this field.