2021‑2022 Software Testing Industry Survey Report: Salary, Demographics, Trends and Future Outlook

In 2021, the second year of the COVID‑19 pandemic, the testing community observed a sharp increase in industry pressure and a trend toward "de‑testing"; many companies relied on developers for self‑guarantee, prompting testers to anticipate market shifts.

By early 2022, the community collected 1,859 questionnaire responses from across China and overseas, covering all provinces, Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, and participants from North America and Europe.

Salary Overview : Over 70% of testers earn more than ¥10,000 per month, ~25% exceed ¥20,000, and nearly 10% surpass ¥30,000. However, about 30% still earn below ¥10,000, and 60% earn under ¥15,000, highlighting a wide income gap.

Geographic & Experience Factors : Testers in first‑tier cities dominate the high‑salary brackets (¥15K+), while second‑ and third‑tier cities show lower ceilings. Salary growth correlates with years of experience, with many 22‑25‑year‑old testers already earning ¥26‑30K, often due to aggressive hiring of fresh graduates.

Team Size & Industry Background : Teams larger than 15 members account for >42% of respondents, indicating a shift toward larger, more structured testing groups, primarily within internet companies (≈40%) and related tech sectors.

Entry Paths : Nearly half of testers transitioned from other roles or training programs; formal testing education remains the primary background, while training institutions are increasingly popular.

Role Distribution : Over 66% are test or test‑development engineers, ~20% hold test‑management positions, and 12% identify as test developers, showing growing interest in test‑development skills.

Test Development Ratio : The test‑to‑development ratio has remained stable, but the proportion of teams with a ratio below 1:11 is rising, suggesting a gradual reduction in dedicated test roles.

Left‑Shift / Right‑Shift : Adoption of left‑shift (early‑stage testing) and right‑shift (production monitoring) remains modest, with most teams still operating at 2018‑level practices.

Automation Benefits : Only ~17% perceive strong ROI from automation; >60% see average benefits, indicating ongoing debate about automation investment.

Efficiency Improvement Areas : Functional/regression testing, test data construction, environment provisioning, and CI/CD pipelines are identified as key targets for productivity gains.

Obstacles : Environmental setup, data availability, and meeting overhead are the top factors slowing testing progress.

Future Outlook : While AI and big data hype cools, emerging technologies such as AR/VR, metaverse concepts, and autonomous driving tied to new energy vehicles are expected to shape testing demands.

The report concludes with acknowledgments to participating communities, a list of quality‑related organizations, and a recruitment notice from Baidu MEG seeking test developers, Java, C++, mobile, and AI/ML engineers.