Machine Learning Developer Hiring Trends in United Kingdom

This report was last updated on Jul 6, 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 Artificial Intelligence Machine Learning Engineer job market in the United Kingdom is currently experiencing heightened demand, characterized by a total of 8,500 job openings, overshadowing a talent pool of only 5,000 professionals, resulting in a challenging jobs-to-talent ratio of 0.59.
Recent trends indicate that the number of closed positions has consistently outstripped openings, emphasizing the urgency for hiring managers to adopt strategic recruitment strategies for Artificial Intelligence Machine Learning Developer roles in the UK.
London remains the epicenter for Artificial Intelligence Machine Learning Engineer opportunities, accounting for 85% of all job postings, followed by Leeds and Cambridge, which represent significantly smaller shares of the market.
The seniority distribution reveals that mid-senior level roles comprise 47% of available positions, highlighting a critical demand for experienced professionals in the United Kingdom's tech landscape.
With a median time to hire of 28 days, it is imperative for CTOs and Engineering Managers to streamline their recruitment processes to secure top Artificial Intelligence Machine Learning talent quickly amid evolving market conditions.

Number of roles opened and closed for Machine Learning Engineers in United Kingdom in the last 3 months

Over the past twelve weeks, the Artificial Intelligence Machine Learning Engineer job market in the United Kingdom has exhibited fluctuating dynamics. Weekly job postings have varied, peaking at 20 new openings in week 22, while experiencing a significant weekly decrease to just 3 new positions in week 17. Notably, the number of closed jobs has consistently outpaced openings, with a peak of 74 jobs closed in week 18. This contrast indicates a tightening labor market for Artificial Intelligence Machine Learning Developers, warranting strategic recruitment approaches for hiring managers and CTOs in the UK tech sector. Compared to other roles within the region or similar positions across Europe, these trends underscore the critical need for robust talent acquisition strategies in the face of increasing demand for AI and Machine Learning expertise.

Who else is hiring for ai Engineers in United Kingdom:

Company name	Country	Industry	Founded	# Job openings
Huawei Technologies Research & Development (UK) Ltd	null	null	null	10
Harnham	United Kingdom	Staffing & Recruiting	2006	9
Meta	United States	Information Technology & Services	2004	9
Mistral AI	France	Information Technology & Services	2023	8
PhysicsX	United Kingdom	Information Technology & Services	2019	7
Canonical	United Kingdom	Information Technology & Services	2004	6
Oliver Bernard	United Kingdom	Staffing & Recruiting	2010	5
Oho Group Ltd	United Kingdom	Staffing & Recruiting	2007	5
SR2 \| Socially Responsible Recruitment \| Certified B Corporation™	United Kingdom	Information Technology & Services	2017	4
Graphcore	United Kingdom	Semiconductors	2016	4

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Talent pool vs job openings for Artificial Intelligence Engineers in United Kingdom

How competitive it is to hire Artificial Intelligence Engineers in United Kingdom

The job market for Artificial Intelligence Machine Learning Engineers in the United Kingdom reflects a challenging landscape for hiring managers, with a high ratio of talent pool to job openings. The UK boasts 8,500 job openings but only 5,000 available professionals, yielding a jobs-to-talent ratio of 0.59. In comparison, Germany presents a more favorable market with approximately 12,000 job openings and a talent pool of 20,000, resulting in a ratio of 1.67. Similarly, France's market shows a keen demand with 9,000 job openings against a talent pool of 15,000, giving a ratio of 1.67. These comparisons indicate that while markets like Germany and France present opportunities for hiring, the UK may require more strategic recruitment efforts to attract top Artificial Intelligence Machine Learning talent.

Seniority distribution of Machine Learning Engineer job openings in United Kingdom

Seniority Distribution of Machine Learning Engineering Jobs in United Kingdom

The seniority distribution of Artificial Intelligence Machine Learning Engineering jobs in the United Kingdom reveals a prominent demand for Mid-Senior level roles, comprising 47% of available positions. Entry level opportunities account for 28%, while Internship roles make up 9%. This distribution underscores the critical need for seasoned professionals in the Artificial Intelligence Machine Learning job market in the United Kingdom.

Preferred employment type for Engineering roles in United Kingdom

In the United Kingdom's software development job market, full-time positions dominate the employment type distribution, comprising 91% of available roles. Contract roles follow, making up 9% of the market, while part-time opportunities account for a mere 4%. This data provides critical insights for hiring managers seeking to align their recruitment strategies with prevailing trends in the demand for Artificial Intelligence Machine Learning Engineers.

Time to Hire Distribution for Artificial Intelligence in United Kingdom

How long does it take to hire Artificial Intelligence Engineers

The time to hire for Artificial Intelligence Machine Learning Engineer positions in the United Kingdom reveals significant insights into the current job market dynamics. Notably, the majority of candidates are hired within a 30 to 40-day window, with 303 positions filled in 30 days and 179 in 35 days. This suggests a high demand for these specialized roles, as the count of hires decreases sharply over longer periods. With 96 hires at the 5-day mark and 247 at 10 days, it's clear that recruitment strategies need to focus on attracting top talent swiftly. For CTOs and hiring managers, understanding these hiring trends is crucial for developing effective recruitment strategies within the competitive landscape of the United Kingdom's tech sector.

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Most popular cities in United Kingdom to hire Artificial Intelligence Engineers

Top 5 cities in United Kingdom to hire Artificial Intelligence Engineers

In the United Kingdom, the job market for Artificial Intelligence Machine Learning Engineers is notably concentrated in London, which accounts for 85% of all relevant job openings. Following London, Leeds and Cambridge represent a much smaller fraction with 12% and 6% respectively. This distribution highlights the capital's dominance in the Artificial Intelligence job market, as evidenced by the accompanying chart.

Most sought after technologies in United Kingdom for Machine Learning

Key technologies for Machine Learning Engineers

In the competitive landscape of the Artificial Intelligence Machine Learning job market in the United Kingdom, certain technologies emerge as pivotal to the recruitment process. Python stands out as the most frequently utilized technology, with a frequency of 10,275, underscoring its essential role in AI and machine learning projects. Following closely, SQL and Machine Learning have high frequencies of 4,181 and 5,750 respectively, indicating their significant demand within hiring trends. Additionally, technologies like Data Science and AWS highlight the evolving requirements for roles in this sector, with frequencies of 2,090 and 1,140 respectively. The accompanying chart illustrates these technology trends for a clearer understanding of their relevance in today’s recruitment strategies.

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