Software Developer Hiring Trends in Southampton, United Kingdom

This report was last updated on Jun 8, 2025

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 United Kingdom Southampton have experienced notable fluctuations in job postings, with a peak of 17 roles posted in week 21 compared to a low of just 1 in week 12, signifying a competitive atmosphere for software developers.
In terms of hiring dynamics, the talent market presents challenges for recruiters, as the existing talent pool is insufficient to meet the number of job openings, necessitating innovative recruitment strategies for CTOs and Engineering Managers in United Kingdom Southampton.
The Southampton software job market showcases a concentration of roles across various seniority levels, with 53% of available jobs at the Mid-Senior level, thereby illustrating the need for experienced software engineers while still accommodating entry-level candidates.
Top hiring cities in the United Kingdom reveal that London dominates the Software Engineers job market with 90% of opportunities, significantly overshadowing other cities, thereby highlighting the necessity for strategic recruitment efforts tailored to this dynamic landscape.
Current hiring trends indicate a median time to hire of 28 days for software engineer positions, emphasizing the importance of agility in recruitment processes, which can greatly affect the acquisition of top talent in a rapidly evolving market.

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

The Software Engineers job market trends in the United Kingdom Southampton have shown a notable fluctuation in job postings over the past 12 weeks. A peak occurred in week 21 with 17 new roles posted, contrasting sharply with the low of just 1 job in week 12. While recruitment strategies for CTOs in the United Kingdom Southampton's tech sector appear promising, the data indicates that job closures also intensified, peaking at 4 closures in weeks 21, 22, and 23. Compared to other European countries, the trends in hiring Senior Software Developers highlight a volatile but ultimately ascending trajectory in Southampton, providing ample Software Developer opportunities for organizations seeking talent in a competitive market.

Who else is hiring for software Engineers in United Kingdom:

Company name	Country	Industry	Founded	# Job openings
TieTalent	Switzerland	Information Technology & Services	2017	114
Canonical	United Kingdom	Information Technology & Services	2004	113
Bending Spoons	Italy	Information Technology & Services	2013	88
Charity Link	United Kingdom	Fund-raising	1995	70
TipTopJob	United Kingdom	Marketing & Advertising	2000	36
Hunter Bond	United Kingdom	Staffing & Recruiting	2014	34
GRAYCE	United Kingdom	Management Consulting	2012	34
Oliver Bernard	United Kingdom	Staffing & Recruiting	2010	30
JPMorganChase	United States	Financial Services	null	30
targetjobs UK	null	null	null	26

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 across Europe highlights a varied landscape, with the United Kingdom having a notable ratio of job openings to available talent. In the United Kingdom, the number of job openings significantly outweighs the existing talent pool, indicating a challenging hiring environment. Comparatively, countries like Germany present a more balanced ratio, while Poland showcases a favorable talent surplus. In this context, hiring managers in the UK may find it increasingly difficult to secure qualified Software Engineers, necessitating tailored recruitment strategies to attract top talent.

Seniority distribution of Software Engineer job openings in Southampton

Seniority Distribution of Software Engineering Jobs in Southampton

In the Southampton software job market, the distribution of roles reflects a diverse range of seniority levels. The majority of positions, accounting for 53% of available jobs, are at the Mid-Senior level. Entry-level roles make up 29%, while Internship opportunities represent 10%. This distribution highlights the demand for experienced professionals, while still providing pathways for new entrants into the tech sector.

Preferred employment type for Engineering roles in United Kingdom

In the United Kingdom, the software engineering job market is predominantly characterized by full-time positions, which make up 91% of the employment type distribution. Contract roles account for 8% of available positions, while part-time opportunities represent only 3%. This distribution highlights the preference for stable, long-term employment among software engineers in the United Kingdom, particularly in cities like Southampton.

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 jobs in the United Kingdom reveals critical insights for hiring managers in the tech industry. Notably, the majority of recruitment activities occur within the 25 to 35-day range, with 603 and 670 counts respectively. This indicates a significant concentration of candidates being hired within a month to just over a month after job postings. Conversely, longer hiring durations beyond 50 days, while less frequent, suggest opportunities for revisions in recruitment strategies. These trends highlight the importance of agility in hiring, particularly for CTOs and Engineering Managers seeking to attract the right talent swiftly in the fast-evolving software job market in United Kingdom Southampton.

Expolore reports from other European Developer talent pools

Insights for hiring Software Engineers in Solna

The software Engineers job market trends in Sweden Solna have shown a significant increase in job openings, particularly with a peak of 41 new Software Developer positions in week 14, highlighting a competitive landscape for talent acquisition.

View Report

Insights for hiring Python Engineers in Porto

The Software Python Engineers job market in Portugal, specifically in Porto, has experienced significant growth, with job postings rising from 4 to 17 positions over a recent three-week period, affirming strong demand for Software Python professionals.

View Report

Insights for hiring Java Engineers in United Kingdom

In the past 12 weeks, the Software Java Engineer job market in the United Kingdom experienced a substantial demand surge, with a peak of 161 job openings in week 21, indicating a robust software Java job market in United Kingdom.

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 Southampton, the landscape for Software Engineers shows that the majority of job openings are concentrated in major cities. London leads with a significant 90% of the opportunities, followed by Manchester at 9% and a broader category of job openings classified under 'United Kingdom' at 7%. These figures highlight the dominance of London in the Software job market in the region, emphasizing the need for recruitment strategies tailored to the thriving tech sectors in these leading cities.

Most sought after technologies in Southampton for Software

Key technologies for Software Engineers

In analyzing the software job market trends in United Kingdom Southampton and beyond, certain technologies stand out due to their increased frequency among job postings. JavaScript leads the way with a frequency of 7,779, indicating its centrality in modern development practices. Following closely are Java and Python, with frequencies of 9,663 and 7,927 respectively, both reflecting a strong demand for robust backend and data-driven applications. Other significant contenders include C# (6,004), .NET (5,189), and React (5,768), which continue to be essential in building dynamic user interfaces. The accompanying chart illustrates these trends, providing a clearer view of the technologies most sought after in the current software job market.

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.