Mainframe Talent Gap Tracker
Real data on the growing COBOL and mainframe skills shortage — the workforce crisis accelerating modernization urgency.
55+
Average age of COBOL developers
800B+
Lines of COBOL still in production
92%
Of world's credit card transactions touch COBOL
10K
COBOL developers retiring annually in the US
Industries at Highest Talent Risk
Financial Services95% risk
Government / Federal88% risk
Insurance82% risk
Healthcare74% risk
Retail61% risk
Why This Drives Modernization Urgency
- →When the last COBOL developer retires, systems become unmaintainable
- →Contractor rates for COBOL expertise now exceed $300/hour
- →University programs no longer teach COBOL or JCL
- →New regulations require faster change cycles than aging teams can support
- →Cloud-native talent is 10× more available than mainframe talent
Explore the Full Talent Gap Dashboard
Interactive charts, demographic breakdown by region, and sector-by-sector risk analysis.
View Talent Gap Tracker →