Software Developer Hiring Trends in Greater London, 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 Software Engineer job market in Greater London currently comprises 6,726 job openings, representing approximately 88% of all listings in the United Kingdom, underscoring the region's dominance in software job availability.
Over the past 12 weeks, there has been a fluctuating trend in job postings, with a peak of 12 new jobs in one week, highlighting the volatility and sustainability concerns in the Software job market in United Kingdom Greater London.
The top companies hiring Software Engineers in the United Kingdom include Canonical, Bending Spoons, and TieTalent, indicating a variety of opportunities available at both established firms and emerging tech organizations.
Hiring for Software Engineers is relatively challenging in the United Kingdom, specifically in Greater London, where the time to hire averages around 28 days, necessitating robust recruitment strategies from CTOs in a competitive landscape.
The seniority distribution reflects a strong demand for mid-senior level candidates, as they constitute 50% of job openings, further emphasizing the need for effective recruitment strategies focused on attracting experienced Software Engineers in this region.

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

Over the past 12 weeks, the Software Engineer job market in Greater London has exhibited fluctuating trends. The highest number of new jobs was recorded in week 21 with 12 postings, while the lowest came in week 22 with just 1 job. In contrast, the closed job rate has shown a more consistent pattern, peaking at 9 in week 25. This discrepancy indicates a growing concern for hiring managers regarding the sustainability of positions in the Software job market in United Kingdom Greater London. Compared to other tech roles in the region and across Europe, these trends suggest an ongoing challenge for CTOs and Engineering Managers to attract and retain talent in this competitive sector.

Who else is hiring for software Engineers in United Kingdom:

Company name	Country	Industry	Founded	# Job openings
Canonical	United Kingdom	Information Technology & Services	2004	84
Bending Spoons	Italy	Information Technology & Services	2013	61
TieTalent	Switzerland	Information Technology & Services	2017	35
Mindrift	United States	Information Technology & Services	null	33
targetjobs UK	null	null	null	31
GRAYCE	United Kingdom	Management Consulting	2012	28
JPMorganChase	United States	Financial Services	null	23
Pepper Mill	United States	Mechanical Or Industrial Engineering	null	23
IBM	United States	Information Technology & Services	1911	20
Arm	United Kingdom	Semiconductors	1990	19

Here are a few specialized software agencies you can trust:

Want to get personalized matches? Get started

Talent pool vs job openings for Software Engineers in United Kingdom

How competitive it is to hire Software Engineers in United Kingdom

The talent market for Software Engineers in Europe reveals significant disparities among countries. In the United Kingdom, particularly in Greater London, the ratio of the talent pool to job openings indicates a challenging recruitment landscape, suggesting it is relatively hard to hire skilled Software Engineers. For instance, countries such as Germany and France display a more favorable balance, with a higher talent pool relative to their job openings, which may facilitate recruitment. Conversely, Poland also shows a competitive talent market, albeit with fewer openings, further complicating the hiring efforts for CTOs in this dynamic tech sector. This analysis highlights the critical need for targeted recruitment strategies in the United Kingdom to attract top Software Engineer talent amidst these market trends.

Seniority distribution of Software Engineer job openings in Greater London

Seniority Distribution of Software Engineering Jobs in Greater London

In the dynamic software job market in United Kingdom Greater London, the distribution of job openings by seniority reveals significant trends. Currently, 50% of positions are allocated to Mid-Senior level Software Engineers, while Entry level roles comprise 29% of the market. Additionally, Associate level positions account for 7% of job opportunities. This data underscores the increasing demand for experienced professionals in the tech sector, highlighting a clear recruitment strategy focus for CTOs and hiring managers.

Preferred employment type for Engineering roles in United Kingdom

The software job market in the United Kingdom, particularly in Greater London, reflects a strong preference for full-time employment, which accounts for 91% of engineering roles. Contract positions represent 8% of job opportunities, while part-time roles make up 3%. This distribution highlights the significant demand for Software Engineers in a full-time capacity, indicating strategic considerations for CTOs and hiring managers in the tech sector.

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 Engineers in the United Kingdom reveals significant insights into the job market trends. A notable peak is observed at 30 days, with a count of 1762, indicating a common timeframe for recruiting Software Developers. As hiring managers navigate the tech industry in Greater London, understanding that most positions are filled within the 10 to 35-day range can enhance their recruitment strategies. Notably, the distribution shows that only a small percentage of positions extend beyond 70 days, suggesting a competitive landscape for Software Engineer opportunities. This data underscores the urgency for CTOs and Engineering Managers to streamline their hiring processes to secure top talent in a timely manner.

Expolore reports from other European Developer talent pools

Insights for hiring C++ Engineers in Stockholm

The Software C++ job market in Sweden, particularly in Stockholm, has experienced notable fluctuations in job openings over the last 12 weeks, with a peak of 16 new positions posted during week 23, followed by an average of 3 jobs per week by week 32.

View Report

Insights for hiring PHP Engineers in Poland

The Software PHP Engineer job market in Poland is exhibiting notable fluctuations, with a peak of 188 new positions in week 21, but also a low of just 10 postings in week 25, indicating volatile demand for Software PHP Developers.

View Report

Insights for hiring Rust Engineers in Vilnius

The Software Rust Engineers job market in Lithuania, particularly in Vilnius, is currently experiencing a net decrease in available roles, with 12 new positions opened against 40 closures over the past 12 weeks. This trend underscores the challenges in retaining Software Rust talent and suggests an adjustment in recruitment strategies may be necessary for hiring managers.

View Report

View All Job Reports

Most popular cities in United Kingdom to hire Software Engineers

Top 5 cities in United Kingdom to hire Software Engineers

In the United Kingdom's software engineering job market, Greater London continues to dominate with 5726 openings, constituting 88% of the total job listings. Manchester follows significantly with 572 openings, representing just 8% of the market, while Leeds and Birmingham account for 5% and 4% respectively, with 316 and 294 job listings. This data underscores London's pivotal role as a central hub for software engineer opportunities, as illustrated in the accompanying chart.

Most sought after technologies in Greater London for Software

Key technologies for Software Engineers

In the United Kingdom's Greater London area, the software job market is significantly influenced by a range of key technologies. The most sought-after skill is Java, with a notable frequency of 9,401 mentions, underscoring its dominance in software development roles. Following closely, Python ranks high at 8,291, indicating a strong preference for programming in this versatile language. JavaScript also remains crucial, with 7,418 mentions, reflecting demand for front-end development skills. Other relevant technologies include C# with 5,368 mentions and React at 5,795, which are essential for various enterprise solutions. These statistics illustrate the current landscape of Software Engineer hiring trends across London's technology sector, as depicted in the accompanying chart.

Have a great project in mind?

We've identified 100+ world-class agencies, drop us a line if you'd like to work with them.