Java Developer Hiring Trends in Lisbon, Portugal

This report was last updated on Aug 24, 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 Java Engineer job market in Portugal, particularly in Lisbon, has experienced significant fluctuations, with a drastic decline in job openings from a peak of 75 to just 5 over the past 12 weeks.
Approximately 6,631 Software Engineer positions are currently available in Lisbon, accounting for 63% of the total market in Portugal, highlighting the city as the primary hub for Software Java job opportunities.
The job market is highly competitive with a jobs-to-talent ratio of 1:3, meaning that for every job opening, there are three candidates available, indicating a challenging recruitment landscape for hiring managers.
Mid-Senior level professionals dominate the market, making up 83% of positions, suggesting that recruitment strategies for CTOs should prioritize attracting experienced talent.
The median time to hire for Software Java Engineer roles in Portugal is 33 days, emphasizing the need for efficient hiring processes to secure top candidates in a rapidly evolving market.

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

Over the past 12 weeks, the Software Java Engineer job market in Portugal Lisbon shows a notable decline, with job openings dropping significantly from a peak of 75 positions in week 22 to just 5 in week 33. In contrast, the closure of job postings has remained relatively high, particularly peaking at 48 closures in week 26. This trend indicates a widening gap between openings and closures, suggesting potential challenges for hiring managers seeking to fill Software Java Developer roles. Compared to other roles in Lisbon, the Software Java job market appears to be more volatile, reflecting broader trends in Europe where demand for specialized programming skills remains high but is often outpaced by job closures.

Who else is hiring for software Engineers in Portugal:

Company name	Country	Industry	Founded	# Job openings
KCS iT	Portugal	Information Technology & Services	2008	146
Canonical	United Kingdom	Information Technology & Services	2004	116
Indie Campers	Portugal	Leisure, Travel & Tourism	2013	82
Decskill	Portugal	Information Technology & Services	2014	61
Adentis Portugal	Portugal	Information Technology & Services	2016	52
PrimeIT	Portugal	Information Technology & Services	2006	49
Inetum	France	Information Technology & Services	1970	46
Irium Portugal	Portugal	Information Technology & Services	2019	45
Ankix	Portugal	Information Technology & Services	1999	40
Match Profiler	Portugal	Information Technology & Services	1999	38

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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 development job market for Java Engineers in Portugal reveals a challenging landscape for recruitment, with a jobs-to-talent ratio of 1:3, indicating a growing demand. In comparison, countries like Germany, with a ratio of 1:1, and the Netherlands, at 1:2, have more balanced environments for hiring. Meanwhile, Poland's favorable ratio of 1:4 suggests an easier talent acquisition process. This data underscores the competitive nature of the Software Java job market in Portugal, particularly in Lisbon, where recruitment strategies must be agile and innovative to attract skilled Software Java Developers.

Seniority distribution of Java Engineer job openings in Lisbon

Seniority Distribution of Java Engineering Jobs in Lisbon

In the Software Java Engineer job market in Portugal, particularly in Lisbon, a substantial portion of positions are held by Mid-Senior level professionals, accounting for 83% of the total opportunities. Entry level roles comprise 10% of the market, while Associate positions represent 8%. This distribution highlights a strong demand for experienced candidates, suggesting that recruitment strategies for CTOs should focus on attracting seasoned talent in Lisbon's tech sector.

Preferred employment type for Engineering roles in Portugal

In the Portuguese software development landscape, the employment type distribution reveals a strong preference for full-time roles, accounting for 94% of engineering positions. Contract roles make up 5% of the market, while part-time opportunities represent a modest 1%. This data highlights the dominance of full-time employment in the Software Java job market in Portugal, particularly in Lisbon.

Time to Hire Distribution for Software in Portugal

How long does it take to hire Software Engineers

The time to hire for Software Java Engineer positions in Portugal reveals significant trends that hiring managers should consider. Notably, the majority of candidates are hired within the 25 to 35-day range, with a peak of 1,443 roles filled in 30 days. As the demand for Software Java Developer opportunities in Portugal, particularly in Lisbon, continues to grow, understanding these timelines is essential for effective recruitment strategies. A total of 618 positions take about 15 days to fill, indicating that prompt hiring processes can yield a competitive edge. Conversely, roles extending beyond 50 days see a marked decrease in counts, emphasizing the importance of swift hiring decisions to attract top talent.

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Most popular cities in Portugal to hire Software Engineers

Top 5 cities in Portugal to hire Software Engineers

The distribution of Software Engineer job openings in Portugal is notably concentrated in the capital, Lisbon, which accounts for 63% of the total market with 6,631 positions available. Following Lisbon, Porto represents 17% of the job market with 1,884 openings, while the rest of the country, including areas like Braga and Lisboa, contributes a smaller share with 3% and 4% of the total job postings, respectively. This data underscores the significance of Lisbon as a central hub for Software Java Engineer opportunities, as illustrated in the accompanying chart.

Most sought after technologies in Lisbon for Java

Key technologies for Java Engineers

The Software Java job market in Portugal, particularly in Lisbon, is currently influenced by a range of pivotal technologies that inform recruitment strategies for CTOs and hiring managers. Dominating the landscape is Java, with a remarkable frequency of 8,097 occurrences, underscoring its central role in software development projects. Complementing this are Spring (1,823) and Spring Boot (2,011), both of which are integral to modern Java applications. Other technologies that have significant presence include SQL (1,661), Python (2,155), and microservices (2,100), reflecting the increasingly complex architectural needs of businesses. For a comprehensive overview, please refer to the accompanying chart that illustrates the frequency of these technologies in the Software Java Engineer hiring trends across Lisbon's tech sector.

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