Some states have called on programmers who know the programming language COBOL to help their computers process unemployment claims in the wake of COVID-19.

Specifically, New Jersey was seeking programmers who knew how to code COBOL, a programming language that is widely used on mainframe computers like the systems that process the state’s unemployment ...

Despite the month it took to accomplish those programming changes, Iowa's reliance on COBOL hasn't been an issue during the pandemic, said Workforce Development spokeswoman Molly Elder.

Specifically, a half-century old programming language, COBOL (which stands for Common Business-Oriented Language), can’t handle the demand.

College graduates with Cobol training are in short supply. In Michigan, for example, state schools that offer Cobol programming education have cancelled classes because of a lack of interest.

The share of searches per million for the programming language COBOL on the job site Indeed grew 707% during the coronavirus crisis. While job seekers are interested in the language — largely ...

Despite the rise of AI, COBOL dominates US job listings. A review shows high demand for this old language in sectors like ...

COBOL is a much older programming language than what most people are familiar with today. The coding language was developed in the 1950s alongside efforts with the Department of Defense, according ...

At universities today, Cobol is mostly taught as an elective, and even then it's likely offered at less than one in four schools. There are strong opinions about whether that is the right direction.

A more traditional programming path, in which the employee maintains and fixes old Cobol code in addition to writing new code, also still in Cobol. The Cobol liaison role can be an interesting ...