PHP 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 PHP Engineer job market in Portugal, particularly in Lisbon, has seen a notable fluctuation, with a peak of 115 new job openings in week 21 followed by a dramatic decline to just 2 by week 27, highlighting the volatility that hiring managers must navigate.
There are currently 4,000 job openings for Software PHP Engineers in Portugal, supported by a talent pool of approximately 10,000 candidates, resulting in a jobs-to-talent ratio of 2.5, indicating a moderately competitive hiring landscape.
Lisbon represents 74% of the total Software PHP job openings in Portugal, with 6,264 listings, solidifying its status as the leading city for Software PHP Engineer opportunities.
Full-time positions dominate the Software PHP Engineer job market, accounting for 94% of all roles, which is critical for CTOs and hiring managers considering employment types in their recruitment strategies.
The median time to hire for Software PHP Engineers in Portugal is 33 days, with most hiring processes occurring within 25 to 30 days, suggesting a need for efficient recruitment strategies to attract top talent in the competitive market.

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

The Software PHP Engineer job market in Portugal Lisbon has exhibited significant fluctuations over the past 12 weeks. Initially, there was a robust hiring surge with 115 new openings in week 21, but this sharply declined, reaching only 2 new job postings in week 27. Meanwhile, the number of closed positions reflected a concerning trend, peaking at 93 jobs in week 24, suggesting potentially high turnover or market instability. Compared to other tech roles in Lisbon and across Europe, the volatility in Software PHP Engineer vacancies indicates a need for strategic hiring practices by CTOs and Engineering Managers to navigate these emerging trends effectively.

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 talent market for Software PHP Engineers reveals significant variances across Europe. In Portugal, there are currently 4,000 job openings matched against a talent pool of 10,000 candidates, resulting in a jobs-to-talent ratio of 2.5. This indicates a moderately competitive environment for hiring managers seeking to fill Software PHP Developer roles, especially compared to countries like Germany and France, where the talent pools are proportionally smaller relative to job openings. In contrast, Spain presents a similar balance, making hiring talent across these regions a strategic consideration for CTOs and engineering managers. As such, recruitment strategies should be carefully crafted to attract the right candidates in Portugal's vibrant tech sector.

Seniority distribution of PHP Engineer job openings in Lisbon

Seniority Distribution of PHP Engineering Jobs in Lisbon

The seniority distribution of Software PHP Engineering jobs in Portugal Lisbon reveals that 55% of opportunities are available for Mid-Senior level roles, followed by 25% at the Entry level, and 6% for Associates. This data underscores the current talent landscape, indicating a significant demand for experienced PHP Engineers while also presenting opportunities for entry-level candidates.

Preferred employment type for Engineering roles in Portugal

In the competitive landscape of the software PHP Engineers job market in Portugal, specifically in Lisbon, full-time positions dominate employment types, comprising 94% of roles. Contract positions follow, accounting for 6% of the job offerings, while part-time roles represent a mere 2% of the market. These statistics indicate a strong preference for full-time opportunities, which is critical information for CTOs and hiring managers assessing recruitment strategies in the region.

Time to Hire Distribution for Software in Portugal

How long does it take to hire Software Engineers

The time to hire for Software PHP Engineers in Portugal reveals significant insights into the job market dynamics. The data indicates that the majority of hiring durations fall between 25 to 30 days, with 1,116 and 1,409 counts respectively for these ranges. Notably, the time to hire peaks around 30 days, suggesting that recruitment strategies should be optimized for efficient candidate engagement during this timeframe. For tech leads and CTOs in Lisbon, understanding these trends is essential for aligning hiring processes with market expectations. As the demand for Software PHP Developers continues to grow in Portugal's Lisbon tech sector, adapting recruitment strategies to these insights will be crucial for attracting 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 Software PHP job market in Portugal reveals a significant concentration of opportunities in major cities, with Lisbon leading the way. Notably, Lisbon accounts for 74% of the total job openings, with 6,264 listings. Following Lisbon, Porto has 21% of the openings at 1,784 jobs, while other cities like Braga and Lisboa represent 2% and less than 1%, respectively. This data underscores Lisbon's dominance as a hub for Software PHP Engineers in the region, as illustrated in the accompanying chart.

Most sought after technologies in Lisbon for PHP

Key technologies for PHP Engineers

In the competitive landscape of the Software PHP job market in Portugal, particularly in Lisbon, PHP stands out as a fundamental technology, with a remarkable frequency of 5,625. Complementary technologies that are frequently utilized include MySQL, at 1,649, and JavaScript, which is a dominant force with 2,983 occurrences. Furthermore, Laravel and Symfony are notable frameworks in the PHP ecosystem, with frequencies of 1,168 and 1,001, respectively. This trend, illustrated further in the accompanying chart, highlights the essential technologies that hiring managers should consider when strategizing for Software PHP Engineer recruitment in Lisbon and throughout Europe.

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