Software Developer Hiring Trends in Cardiff, United Kingdom

This report was last updated on Jul 20, 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 in United Kingdom Cardiff is currently characterized by a competitive landscape, with a significant fluctuation in job postings reflecting the active nature of recruitment efforts. In the recent 12 weeks, Cardiff witnessed a notable peak of 11 new job postings in week 21, contrasted by a peak of 9 closed positions in weeks 19 and 28.
A total of 1,323 Software Engineer job openings have been identified in the United Kingdom, emphasizing a substantial demand for Software Developer opportunities, especially in top tech cities like London and Manchester, which account for a majority of the positions available.
The seniority distribution of Software Engineering jobs in Cardiff reveals a pronounced demand for Mid-Senior level Engineers, making up 54% of available roles, with a crucial focus on recruitment strategies that address the talent challenges in Cardiff's tech sector.
Top hiring companies in the region include Canonical with 77 open positions, followed by TieTalent and Bending Spoons, each contributing significantly to the competitive hiring market.
Hiring managers are faced with a challenging recruitment environment, where the median time to hire Software Engineers is approximately 30 days, underscoring the necessity for effective recruitment strategies to attract and secure talent in a rapidly evolving tech landscape.

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

In the recent 12 weeks, the Software Engineers job market in United Kingdom Cardiff has shown fluctuating activity, with a notable peak of 11 new job postings in week 21. However, this growth contrasts sharply with job closures, peaking at 9 closed positions in weeks 19 and 28. Despite the ups and downs, Cardiff's market reflects a significant demand for Software Developer opportunities, particularly when compared to other regions in Europe, indicating a competitive landscape for hiring managers. Consequently, recruitment strategies for CTOs in Cardiff's tech sector will need to focus on swift and effective hiring to capitalize on the current demand, particularly as trends suggest an increasingly complex hiring environment for Software Engineers across European markets.

Who else is hiring for software Engineers in United Kingdom:

Company name	Country	Industry	Founded	# Job openings
TieTalent	Switzerland	Information Technology & Services	2017	79
Canonical	United Kingdom	Information Technology & Services	2004	77
Bending Spoons	Italy	Information Technology & Services	2013	77
targetjobs UK	null	null	null	36
Oliver Bernard	United Kingdom	Staffing & Recruiting	2010	35
e-Careers	null	null	null	31
GRAYCE	United Kingdom	Management Consulting	2012	30
JPMorganChase	United States	Financial Services	null	27
Arm	United Kingdom	Semiconductors	1990	26
Mindrift	United States	Information Technology & Services	null	25

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Talent pool vs job openings for Software Engineers in United Kingdom

How competitive it is to hire Software Engineers in United Kingdom

The software engineers' job market trends reveal a competitive landscape across Europe, with a significant disparity between job openings and the available talent pool. For instance, the United Kingdom, particularly Cardiff, faces a challenging hiring climate, as indicated by a higher ratio of talent pool to job openings compared to countries like Germany and France, where the talent supply appears more balanced. This suggests that recruiting software engineers in the United Kingdom, especially in Cardiff, may prove difficult, with hiring managers facing an uphill battle compared to other European nations, where the talent supply more closely matches demand.

Seniority distribution of Software Engineer job openings in Cardiff

Seniority Distribution of Software Engineering Jobs in Cardiff

In the current software job market in United Kingdom Cardiff, the distribution of seniority levels reveals a strong demand for Mid-Senior level Engineers, representing 54% of positions. Entry level roles account for 22%, while Associate positions make up 10%. This distribution underscores the recruitment challenges and opportunities faced by hiring managers in Cardiff's tech sector.

Preferred employment type for Engineering roles in United Kingdom

In the United Kingdom's software engineering job market, the distribution of employment types reveals a clear preference for full-time positions, comprising 91% of available roles. Contract roles follow, making up 9% of the total, while part-time positions account for approximately 1% of the market. This data highlights the dominance of full-time employment in the United Kingdom's Cardiff tech sector, underscoring the recruitment strategies for CTOs and hiring managers seeking to attract talent in this competitive landscape.

Time to Hire Distribution for Software in United Kingdom

How long does it take to hire Software Engineers

The time to hire distribution for software engineering roles in the United Kingdom reveals significant insights for hiring managers. Notably, the majority of candidates are hired within a 30 to 35-day window, where 2,085 candidates were hired at the 30-day mark, and 1,016 candidates within 35 days. As a hiring manager, understanding these metrics can help refine recruitment strategies targeting specific timeframes, particularly in cities like Cardiff, where the software job market is competitive. The data indicates a gradual decline in hiring beyond the 35-day threshold, emphasizing the importance of prompt recruitment to secure top talent in the evolving tech landscape.

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Most popular cities in United Kingdom to hire Software Engineers

Top 5 cities in United Kingdom to hire Software Engineers

In the United Kingdom, the distribution of Software Engineer job openings reveals that London dominates the market with 6764 positions, accounting for 89% of the total data set. Following London, Manchester presents a substantial opportunity with 657 job openings, representing 9%. Meanwhile, the United Kingdom category aggregates another 544 positions, illustrating the significance of capital cities in the software job market. For further insights, please refer to the accompanying chart.

Most sought after technologies in Cardiff for Software

Key technologies for Software Engineers

The software job market in the United Kingdom, particularly in Cardiff, is characterized by a diverse set of in-demand technologies. Notably, Java remains a leading programming language, with a usage frequency of 9,722, followed closely by Python at 9,067. JavaScript continues to be a significant player, with 7,732 occurrences. Emerging trends indicate that TypeScript and SQL are also gaining traction, with frequencies of 4,586 and 4,712, respectively. For further insights, please refer to the accompanying chart which visualizes these data points.

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