Software Developer Hiring Trends in London, United Kingdom

This report was last updated on Aug 16, 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 United Kingdom London presents a significant talent pool, with 8,425 job openings currently available, primarily concentrated in London, which accounts for 90% of the market.
Major companies leading the hiring landscape include TieTalent, Bending Spoons, and the Environment Agency, reflecting diverse opportunities across the technology sector.
The recruitment atmosphere is competitive, with a notable jobs to talent pool ratio indicating challenges for CTOs and hiring managers in securing qualified candidates amidst high demand.
Job openings have shown volatility, with a peak of 1,028 positions in week 21, followed by an average of 340 openings per week, underscoring the urgent need for strategic recruitment approaches.
The median time to hire for software engineers in the United Kingdom is currently 31 days, emphasizing the urgency required in recruitment strategies to attract and secure top talent in a rapidly evolving tech landscape.

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

In recent weeks, the software engineer job market in United Kingdom London has seen significant fluctuations, with job openings peaking at 1,028 in week 21. However, this surge was followed by a notable decline, with openings averaging around 340 per week thereafter. The closure of positions has also been considerable, with up to 559 jobs closed in week 23, suggesting a competitive landscape for software developer opportunities. When compared to other roles in the tech sector, the volatility in software roles signifies both an urgent demand for talent and the need for strategic recruitment practices from CTOs in the United Kingdom London's tech sector.

Who else is hiring for software Engineers in United Kingdom:

Company name	Country	Industry	Founded	# Job openings
TieTalent	Switzerland	Information Technology & Services	2017	140
Bending Spoons	Italy	Information Technology & Services	2013	107
Environment Agency	null	null	null	83
Canonical	United Kingdom	Information Technology & Services	2004	67
GRAYCE	United Kingdom	Management Consulting	2012	45
Arm	United Kingdom	Semiconductors	1990	41
Oliver Bernard	United Kingdom	Staffing & Recruiting	2010	35
e-Careers	null	null	null	31
targetjobs UK	null	null	null	31
Hunter Bond	United Kingdom	Staffing & Recruiting	2014	30

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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 in the United Kingdom reveal a competitive landscape. With a significant number of job openings compared to its talent pool, the jobs to talent pool ratio indicates a challenging hiring environment. For instance, while the UK has numerous openings, countries like Germany and France demonstrate higher talent availability relative to their number of job vacancies. In contrast, Eastern European countries like Poland exhibit an even more favorable ratio, suggesting that recruitment strategies for CTOs in the UK’s tech sector must adapt to these dynamics. Thus, hiring managers in the United Kingdom London would find it increasingly difficult to secure top software developer opportunities amidst growing demand.

Seniority distribution of Software Engineer job openings in London

Seniority Distribution of Software Engineering Jobs in London

The seniority distribution of Software Engineering jobs in United Kingdom London reveals a notable trend. Currently, 60% of positions are at the Mid-Senior level, followed by 19% Entry level roles, and 7% Associate positions. This indicates a robust demand for experienced Software Engineers in the London tech market, highlighting the importance for hiring managers to focus their recruitment strategies on attracting mid-level professionals.

Preferred employment type for Engineering roles in United Kingdom

In the competitive landscape of the Software Engineers job market in the United Kingdom, particularly in London, the distribution of employment types reveals key trends that hiring managers should consider. Full-time positions dominate the market, comprising 91% of available roles, followed by contract opportunities at 9%, while part-time roles account for just 2%. This information is crucial for CTOs and recruitment strategists looking to align their hiring practices with the prevailing trends in Software Developer opportunities in United Kingdom London.

Time to Hire Distribution for Software in United Kingdom

How long does it take to hire Software Engineers

The distribution of time to hire for software jobs in the United Kingdom reveals significant trends beneficial for hiring managers. With 2,575 positions filled within 30 days, it indicates a competitive software job market, particularly in London. The 1,714 roles requiring 10 days to hire further emphasize the urgency in the recruitment process. Notably, as the duration extends beyond 30 days, the count of hires decreases, reflecting potential challenges in attracting candidates beyond this timeframe. This data underlines the necessity for recruitment strategies focused on reducing time to hire, especially for software engineer roles, to stay competitive in the thriving tech sector.

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.

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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.

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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.

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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 competitive Software Engineers job market trends in the United Kingdom, London stands out as the leading hub, accounting for 90% of job openings with a total of 8,425 positions. Following London, Manchester represents a significantly smaller share at 9%, with 831 available software engineering roles. Other notable cities include Leeds and Cambridge, contributing 5% and 5% respectively to the overall job distribution. The accompanying chart illustrates these location dynamics, highlighting London’s dominance in the software job market.

Most sought after technologies in London for Software

Key technologies for Software Engineers

In examining the software job market trends in the United Kingdom, particularly in London, we observe significant usage of several key technologies among software engineers. JavaScript leads the pack with a frequency of 8,026, followed closely by Java at 10,261, and Python also showing strong demand at the same frequency of 10,261. Other notable technologies include PHP, with a frequency of 5,625, and React at 6,433. Each of these technologies plays a critical role in shaping the hiring landscape for software developers, as illustrated in the accompanying chart.

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