Software Developer Hiring Trends in Lisbon, Portugal

This report was last updated on Aug 17, 2025

Bence Gedai

Founder

I analyze live hiring data and tech job trends across Europe to give CTOs and Product Leaders a strategic edge. By tracking tens of thousands of open roles each week, I uncover which skills, roles, and locations are in highest demand — potential competitors, typical time to hire, talent pool sizes, and more to help you prioritize hiring, benchmark and stay competitive in a fast-moving market.

Key learnings from this report

The software engineers job market trends in Portugal, particularly in Lisbon, indicate a fluctuating environment with 540 new software developer positions reported over the past 12 weeks, though recently there has been a decrease to 149 jobs, highlighting a competitive landscape.
Lisbon accounts for 64% of all software developer job openings in Portugal, making it the primary hub for hiring, followed by Porto with 18% and Braga at 2%. This concentration of opportunities underscores the importance of marketing job openings effectively in Lisbon.
Currently, there is a noted challenge in the hiring landscape due to a relatively high number of job openings compared to the available talent pool, prompting the need for innovative recruitment strategies by CTOs and engineering managers.
The majority of hiring for software engineers in Portugal is concentrated in mid-senior level roles, which constitute 63% of available jobs, emphasizing the demand for experienced professionals in the market.
With a median time to hire of 33 days, hiring managers must adopt efficient recruitment strategies to ensure they attract and secure top talent in Lisbon's competitive software engineer job market.

Number of roles opened and closed for Software Engineers in Lisbon in the last 3 months

In recent weeks, the software engineering job market in Portugal Lisbon has exhibited notable fluctuations. Over the past 12 weeks, a peak of 540 new software developer positions was reported in week 21, followed by a decrease to 149 by week 23. In terms of recruitment dynamics, a significant 210 jobs were closed during week 22, highlighting the competitive landscape. Comparatively, the stability of job openings in Lisbon contrasts with other European countries where software developer roles show a more consistent hiring trend, signaling unique recruitment challenges and opportunities for businesses navigating Portugal's tech sector.

Who else is hiring for software Engineers in Portugal:

Company name	Country	Industry	Founded	# Job openings
KCS iT	Portugal	Information Technology & Services	2008	137
Canonical	United Kingdom	Information Technology & Services	2004	100
Indie Campers	Portugal	Leisure, Travel & Tourism	2013	70
Decskill	Portugal	Information Technology & Services	2014	68
Adentis Portugal	Portugal	Information Technology & Services	2016	53
Irium Portugal	Portugal	Information Technology & Services	2019	48
Inetum	France	Information Technology & Services	1970	43
PrimeIT	Portugal	Information Technology & Services	2006	42
Mindera	United Kingdom	Information Technology & Services	2014	32
Cloudflare	United States	Computer & Network Security	2009	31

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Talent pool vs job openings for Software Engineers in Portugal

How competitive it is to hire Software Engineers in Portugal

The software engineer job market trends in Portugal, particularly in Lisbon, reveal a competitive landscape. With a relatively high number of job openings compared to the available talent pool, currently exhibiting a jobs-to-talent ratio that suggests hiring could be challenging. For instance, countries like Germany and France show a more favorable balance with a larger talent pool relative to their job openings, while Poland also offers a significant number of candidates. This indicates that hiring managers in Lisbon may need to innovate their recruitment strategies to attract skilled software developers. Additionally, considering the future demand for software engineers in Portugal, it is crucial for CTOs and engineering managers to stay abreast of these trends to remain competitive in the tech sector.

Seniority distribution of Software Engineer job openings in Lisbon

Seniority Distribution of Software Engineering Jobs in Lisbon

In the vibrant software job market in Portugal, particularly in Lisbon, the seniority distribution reveals intriguing trends. The Mid-Senior level positions dominate the landscape, accounting for 63% of available roles. Entry level positions make up 22% of the market, while Associate roles represent 8%. This distribution emphasizes the strong demand for experienced professionals, which is critical for hiring managers looking to attract top talent in Portugal's competitive tech sector.

Preferred employment type for Engineering roles in Portugal

The employment type distribution for engineering roles in Portugal reveals a significant preference for full-time positions, accounting for 94% of opportunities, with contract roles representing 6%, and part-time positions comprising just 2%. This concentration highlights the strong demand for permanent employment in the software job market in Portugal, particularly in Lisbon, where hiring managers should strategize to attract skilled candidates.

Time to Hire Distribution for Software in Portugal

How long does it take to hire Software Engineers

In the competitive software engineers job market in Portugal, specifically in Lisbon, the time to hire distribution reveals significant insights for hiring managers. The data indicates that a majority of positions (approximately 48.4%) are filled within 30 to 40 days, while 25% of roles take between 25 to 30 days to fill. Furthermore, hiring times exceeding 40 days show a noticeable decrease in frequency, with only 16% of positions taking 40 days or more. This highlights the importance of efficient recruitment strategies for CTOs and engineering leaders aiming to attract top software developer talent in Lisbon's thriving tech sector.

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Most popular cities in Portugal to hire Software Engineers

Top 5 cities in Portugal to hire Software Engineers

The software engineers job market in Portugal shows a significant concentration in Lisbon, which accounts for 64% of all relevant job openings in the country. Porto follows with 18% of the total opportunities, while Braga represents a smaller share at 2%. This data, illustrated in the accompanying chart, emphasizes Lisbon as the main hub for software developer opportunities in Portugal.

Most sought after technologies in Lisbon for Software

Key technologies for Software Engineers

The software job market in Portugal, particularly in Lisbon, is significantly shaped by the widespread use of certain programming languages and frameworks. Notably, JavaScript leads the pack with a frequency of 8,026, followed closely by Java at 10,261 and Python, which also stands at 10,261. Other notable technologies include PHP with 5,625, React at 6,433, and TypeScript with 5,079. For hiring managers, understanding these prevalent technologies can inform recruitment strategies and help align job openings with current market demands, as illustrated in the accompanying chart.

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