2023 Software Quality Assurance Industry Survey Report: Findings, Trends, and Future Outlook

The 2023 Software Quality Assurance (SQA) industry survey, conducted by the TesterHome community, collected close to 1,000 valid questionnaires covering testers from first‑tier, second‑tier, and third‑tier cities, as well as various company sizes and sectors.

Employment status and satisfaction : 93.7% of respondents are currently employed, with 14.5% considering a job change and 4.6% actively job‑searching. Overall satisfaction averaged 6.4/10, indicating a generally positive but cautious outlook.

Company dynamics : 44.9% work in companies with fewer than 500 employees; the proportion of testers in first‑tier cities dropped from 53.7% to 47.9% while second‑tier city representation rose to 41.5%, and third‑tier cities grew to 9.7%.

Career aspirations : 30.2% of testers plan to transition to other fields, with interests in project management (31.5%), product management (25.7%), technical management (21.8%), business leadership (20.7%), operations (8.4%), and sales (4.1%).

Technical ability analysis : Test automation adoption increased, with QA roles decreasing by ~10% and automation/performance testing roles rising 3‑4% year‑over‑year. Over 40% of testers have begun applying AI/LLM tools, and 60% trust AI’s value in testing.

Personal growth and learning : Community resources remain the primary learning channel; corporate training dropped 25% in 2023. Testers prioritize communication, coding/automation, and AI/ML skills for 2024.

Team analysis : Most test teams consist of 6‑15 members; teams larger than 50 have shrunk to pre‑2020 levels. Test‑to‑development ratios remain largely between 1:3 and 1:10.

Process and efficiency : Core testing activities (requirement review, test planning, test review) stay central. Only 30% of teams achieve >50% automation coverage, and 5% lack any formal testing process.

Future trends : Over 60% of testers view AI as the most promising technology for 2024, alongside interest in new energy, chips, big data, and digital hardware. Many anticipate increased AI‑driven automation and a shift toward higher technical competence.