C Developer Hiring Trends in United Kingdom

This report was last updated on Aug 17, 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 C Engineer job market in the United Kingdom presents a talent pool of approximately 10,000 professionals, with a weekly average of 15 new job postings, underscoring the active landscape for Software C Engineers job market trends in the United Kingdom.
In the last three months, there has been a notable fluctuation in job openings, with key cities for recruitment being London, Manchester, and Leeds, where London dominates with 87% of total openings, an essential insight for recruitment strategies for CTOs in United Kingdom's tech sector.
The competitive nature of the hiring environment is reflected in the jobs-to-talent ratio, which stands at 20, indicating moderate competition for sourcing qualified Software C Engineer candidates, compared to other European markets.
Mid-Senior level roles account for 62% of job opportunities, highlighting a critical trend in hiring Senior Software C Developers in the United Kingdom, while the preferred employment type remains predominantly full-time at 91%.
The median time to hire for Software Engineers in the United Kingdom is currently 29 days, emphasizing the importance for hiring managers to leverage effective recruitment strategies to attract and secure top-tier talent efficiently.

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

The Software C Engineer job market in the United Kingdom has displayed notable fluctuation over the past twelve weeks, with an average of 15 new job postings per week. Week 21 peaked with 32 new roles, while subsequent weeks have shown a decreasing trend, reaching a low of 10 in both weeks 24 and 32. In contrast, job closures have surged, particularly in weeks 24 and 32, where 27 and 26 positions respectively were closed, indicating a growing competitive landscape. Compared to other roles in the UK tech sector, Software C developer opportunities seem to be facing tighter recruitment dynamics, making effective hiring strategies vital for CTOs and hiring managers to attract and retain talent.

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 C engineers job market trends in the United Kingdom reveal notable challenges for hiring managers. With the UK having a talent pool of 10,000 and 500 job openings, the jobs-to-talent ratio stands at 20, indicating a moderately competitive environment for recruiting software C talent. In contrast, Germany, with a talent pool of 15,000 and 300 job openings, presents a more favorable ratio of 50, making it easier to find qualified candidates. Similarly, France shows a talent pool of 12,000 against 600 job openings, yielding a ratio of 20, which mirrors the UK’s situation. Meanwhile, Poland, with 8,000 available engineers against 400 job openings, has a more favorable ratio of 20, making the hiring landscape slightly less competitive. This data suggests that hiring software C engineers in the UK may present challenges compared to other regions in Europe, prompting hiring managers to evaluate alternative recruitment strategies.

Seniority distribution of C Engineer job openings in United Kingdom

Seniority Distribution of C Engineering Jobs in United Kingdom

In the current landscape of the Software C job market in the United Kingdom, the distribution of job roles reveals key insights for hiring managers. The Mid-Senior level positions dominate the market, making up 62% of the opportunities, followed by Entry level roles at 25%. Associate positions account for 6%, highlighting a significant focus on mid-tier talent in recruitment strategies for CTOs in the tech sector.

Preferred employment type for Engineering roles in United Kingdom

In the United Kingdom's software development job market, the predominant employment type for engineering roles is full-time positions, comprising 91% of total job opportunities. Following this, contract roles account for 9%, while part-time positions represent a mere 2%. These statistics provide vital insights for hiring managers and CTOs as they strategize their recruitment efforts in the competitive 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 C Engineers in the United Kingdom reveals significant trends that hiring managers must consider. Notably, the majority of hires occur between 25 to 30 days, with 2,575 placements recorded in this time frame. Furthermore, a substantial count of 1,573 candidates are hired within the 15-day window, indicating a potential for rapid recruitment strategies. In contrast, the longer hiring periods, such as those exceeding 60 days, show a steep decline in candidate counts, with only 430 candidates placed at the 60-day mark. This data underscores the necessity for CTOs and tech leads to refine their recruitment strategies, focusing on the critical periods within the hiring timeline to attract top talent efficiently.

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 current software C job market in the United Kingdom, London stands out as the primary hub, accounting for an impressive 87% of the total job openings. Following London, Manchester comprises 8% of the positions, while Leeds and Cambridge represent 4% and 4%, respectively. These statistics highlight London's dominance in the technology sector, making it crucial for hiring managers to focus their recruitment strategies in this metropolitan area to attract top talents.

Most sought after technologies in United Kingdom for C

Key technologies for C Engineers

In the Software C job market in the United Kingdom, C and C++ remain critical, with frequencies of 729 and 1483 respectively, indicating their pervasive demand among employers. The proficiency in C# (962) and Java (556) also reflects strong hiring preferences in related software development roles. Additionally, Linux (443), SQL (422), and the overarching category of Software Development (439) highlight the technological foundation sought in candidates. For hiring managers, these technologies represent essential competencies when considering the recruitment of Software C Engineers. For a visual representation of these trends, please refer to the attached chart.

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