Software Developer Hiring Trends in Remote, United Kingdom

This report was last updated on Jul 13, 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 trends in the United Kingdom are indicative of a highly dynamic landscape, with a total talent pool for remote positions that faces challenges in matching job openings, making recruitment strategies essential for success.
In the past 12 weeks, the UK has seen fluctuations in software engineering positions, with 28 new job openings peaking in week 20, alongside a notable closure of 26 positions in week 23, pointing to a high vacancy rate and urgent need for effective recruitment tactics among hiring managers.
London stands out as the predominant hub for software engineering roles, accounting for 91% of job listings, with a total of 5,989 positions available, followed by Manchester and Leeds, emphasizing the capital's critical role in the software developer job market.
Full-time employment dominates the UK software engineering landscape, comprising 91% of opportunities, reflecting a strong preference for stable engagements among employers, which should influence the recruitment strategies for CTOs and engineering managers.
The median time to hire for software engineers in the UK is currently 29 days, with a significant proportion of candidates secured within 30 days, underscoring the competitive nature of this job market and the need for streamlined hiring processes.

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

In the past 12 weeks, the software engineering job market in the United Kingdom remote sector has shown significant fluctuations. The highest spike in new job postings was noted in week 20, with 28 new openings, indicating a robust demand for software developers. However, this surge contrasts sharply with closures, where over the same period, the number of closed positions peaked at 26 in week 23. Compared to other roles in the UK remote market, software engineering positions exhibit a higher rate of vacancy, focusing attention on the urgent need for effective recruitment strategies among CTOs and hiring managers. Furthermore, trends suggest that the demand for software developers may be more dynamic than in other European countries, underlining a unique opportunity for growth and recruitment in the UK's tech 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	74
TieTalent	Switzerland	Information Technology & Services	2017	56
Bending Spoons	Italy	Information Technology & Services	2013	40
targetjobs UK	null	null	null	29
Mindrift	United States	Information Technology & Services	null	27
Arm	United Kingdom	Semiconductors	1990	26
JPMorganChase	United States	Financial Services	null	23
Oliver Bernard	United Kingdom	Staffing & Recruiting	2010	22
GRAYCE	United Kingdom	Management Consulting	2012	21
Amazon	United States	Information Technology & Services	1994	21

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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 reflect a challenging hiring landscape, particularly when compared to other European countries. With a talent pool significantly smaller relative to the number of job openings, the jobs-to-talent pool ratio indicates a tightening market. For instance, in Germany and the Netherlands, the talent pool remains more robust, providing firms with a greater availability of qualified candidates, while France shows a modest balance in supply and demand. Consequently, hiring managers, including CTOs and Engineering Managers, may find it increasingly difficult to source talent in the UK, necessitating strategic recruitment efforts to attract software engineer candidates, particularly as the future demand for software developers intensifies in this remote job market.

Seniority distribution of Software Engineer job openings in Remote

Seniority Distribution of Software Engineering Jobs in Remote

The seniority distribution of software engineering jobs in the United Kingdom's remote market reveals a significant concentration at the Mid-Senior level, accounting for 66% of available positions. Entry-level roles follow with 13%, while Executive positions make up 2%. This clear prevalence of mid-senior talent highlights the competitive landscape for recruitment strategies aimed at attracting skilled software engineers in the UK.

Preferred employment type for Engineering roles in United Kingdom

In the United Kingdom's software engineering job market, Full-time roles dominate the landscape, comprising 91% of job opportunities. Contract positions represent a significant 8% of the market, while Part-time roles account for 3%. These employment type distributions highlight the preference for stable, long-term engagements among employers, which can inform recruitment strategies 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 positions in the United Kingdom indicates significant insights for hiring managers. A majority of candidates (1960 out of the total) are secured within 30 days, highlighting the competitive nature of the software job market. Notably, the demand for Software Engineers is pronounced, with a considerable number (1399) hired within 25 days, underscoring the urgency to streamline recruitment strategies. Conversely, prolonged hiring durations, such as the 542 candidates hired in 40 days, suggest a bottleneck that may dissuade potential applicants. Understanding these trends is crucial for CTOs and engineering managers aiming to fill Software Developer opportunities efficiently in the UK's remote 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

The distribution of Software Engineer job openings in the United Kingdom prominently features London, which accounts for 91% of the total job listings, with 5,989 available positions. Following London are Manchester and Leeds, representing 8% and 1% of the job market, with 587 and 324 openings respectively. This data underscores the capital's dominance as a hub for Software Engineer job opportunities, as illustrated in the accompanying chart.

Most sought after technologies in Remote for Software

Key technologies for Software Engineers

In the current software job market, particularly within the United Kingdom, several technologies dominate the landscape, influencing hiring trends for software engineers. JavaScript leads with a frequency of 7,682, followed closely by Python, which boasts a significant frequency of 8,771. Java is also prominent, recording 9,703 occurrences, alongside C# with 5,465. React and TypeScript remain essential frameworks, with frequencies of 5,922 and 4,567, respectively. This data, illustrated in the accompanying chart, highlights the technologies that hiring managers should prioritize when considering recruitment strategies for software development roles, especially in remote positions.

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