Software Developer Hiring Trends in Portugal

This report was last updated on Aug 31, 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 job market in Portugal is currently characterized by a high level of competition, with 476 new job openings observed in week 29, alongside substantial closures totaling 709 in week 26, highlighting the dynamic nature of Software Engineer hiring trends across Portugal's technology landscape.
The talent pool for Software Engineers in Portugal faces a challenging environment, as the competition for talent intensifies amid a robust demand for skilled professionals, necessitating refined recruitment strategies for CTOs and hiring managers in the tech sector.
Lisbon remains the dominant city for Software Engineer job opportunities, accounting for 62% of available roles, followed by Porto with 17% and Braga 2%, underscoring the area-specific trends in software developer recruitment strategies across Portugal.
The seniority distribution reveals a significant demand for Mid-Senior level Software Engineers, making up 50% of job roles, emphasizing the need for organizations to tailor their hiring approaches to attract experienced talent in this competitive landscape.
With a median time to hire of 33 days, hiring managers should anticipate extended recruitment timelines for Software Engineers, calling for efficient strategy implementations to meet the evolving demands of the software job market in Portugal.

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

Over the past 12 weeks, the software engineering job market in Portugal has shown significant fluctuations, with a notable peak of 476 new job openings recorded in week 29. However, job closures have also been considerable, peaking at 709 in week 26. The difference between opened and closed positions suggests a competitive hiring landscape, underscoring the recruitment challenges faced by hiring managers in the tech sector. Compared to other roles in Portugal, software developer positions exhibit dynamic activity, potentially indicating an emergent trend in demand for skilled Software Engineers as organizations adapt to evolving market needs.

Who else is hiring for software Engineers in Portugal:

Company name	Country	Industry	Founded	# Job openings
KCS iT	Portugal	Information Technology & Services	2008	152
Canonical	United Kingdom	Information Technology & Services	2004	119
Decskill	Portugal	Information Technology & Services	2014	81
Indie Campers	Portugal	Leisure, Travel & Tourism	2013	76
Match Profiler	Portugal	Information Technology & Services	1999	67
Inetum	France	Information Technology & Services	1970	54
Adentis Portugal	Portugal	Information Technology & Services	2016	49
Ankix	Portugal	Information Technology & Services	1999	48
PrimeIT	Portugal	Information Technology & Services	2006	43
Irium Portugal	Portugal	Information Technology & Services	2019	43

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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 job market in Portugal presents a notable landscape for hiring managers, with a current count of job openings being substantially high relative to the available talent pool. Specifically, Portugal's ratio of talent pool to job openings suggests that competition for skilled software engineers is intensifying in comparison to other European countries such as Germany, where the job openings significantly surpass the talent pool, and France, which mirrors a similar tight market. Additionally, countries like Poland show a more favorable ratio, indicating a somewhat easier recruitment scenario. As a result, hiring in Portugal may be challenging, necessitating more strategic recruitment approaches for CTOs and tech leads to attract top talent. Understanding these software engineer hiring trends across Europe's technology landscape can better equip organizations to position themselves competitively in this rapidly evolving market.

Seniority distribution of Software Engineer job openings in Portugal

Seniority Distribution of Software Engineering Jobs in Portugal

In Portugal's software engineering job market, the distribution of positions reveals that 50% of roles are classified as Mid-Senior level, while 21% are Entry level and 5% are Associate positions. This data highlights a strong demand for skilled developers, suggesting that hiring strategies should prioritize attracting Mid-Senior level talent to meet market needs.

Preferred employment type for Engineering roles in Portugal

The employment type distribution for software engineering roles in Portugal reveals a predominance of full-time positions, accounting for 94% of the total number of jobs. Contract roles represent a smaller segment of the market, comprising 5%, while part-time opportunities are minimal, making up just 2% of the available positions. Understanding these distribution trends is essential for hiring managers aiming to attract the right talent within the competitive software job market in Portugal.

Time to Hire Distribution for Software in Portugal

How long does it take to hire Software Engineers

In Portugal's software job market, a significant number of positions display a time to hire distribution that is crucial for hiring managers to understand. Notably, 1,547 positions require a waiting period of 30 days, indicating that most recruitment efforts fall within this timeframe. Additionally, 647 openings take about 15 days to fill, while 1,192 roles demand around 25 days. This data suggests that employers in the Portuguese tech sector can expect that filling software engineer positions can often take over a month, reflecting on the future demand for software engineers in Portugal. For CTOs and engineering managers, implementing effective recruitment strategies tailored to these timelines could greatly enhance the efficiency of their hiring processes.

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Most popular cities in Portugal to hire Software Engineers

Top 5 cities in Portugal to hire Software Engineers

In the current Software Engineers job market in Portugal, Lisbon stands out as a pivotal hub, representing 62% of job openings. Porto follows as the second major city with 17% of opportunities, while Braga accounts for 2% of the total listings. The distribution underscores the significant concentration of Software Developer opportunities in Lisbon, reflecting its status as the capital and a key player in the tech sector.

Most sought after technologies in Portugal for Software

Key technologies for Software Engineers

The software job market in Portugal is characterized by a diverse range of technologies that are highly sought after by employers. According to recent data, Java emerges as the most frequently used language with a notable frequency of 10,493. Following closely is Python, which demonstrates a significant presence at 10,601. JavaScript and React also play critical roles, with frequencies of 8,023 and 6,591, respectively. Moreover, PHP and TypeScript are important technologies for software roles, with frequencies of 6,098 and 5,239. Hiring managers should consider these trends to refine their recruitment strategies for Software Engineers in Portugal, as illustrated in the accompanying chart.

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