Software Engineer Job Trends in the South East

Software Engineer
England > South East

The median Software Engineer salary in the South East is £65,000 per year, according to job vacancies posted during the 6 months leading to 31 August 2026.

The table below compares current salary benchmarking and summary statistics with the previous two years.

6 months to
31 Aug 2026
Same period 2025 Same period 2024
Rank 21 102 24
Rank change year-on-year +81 -78 +48
Permanent jobs requiring a Software Engineer 1,012 243 949
As % of all permanent jobs in the South East 5.73% 2.68% 7.00%
As % of the Job Titles category 6.02% 3.00% 7.33%
Number of salaries quoted 719 154 683
10th Percentile £45,000 £42,875 £40,000
25th Percentile £52,500 £55,000 £45,000
Median annual salary (50th Percentile) £65,000 £67,750 £54,500
Median % change year-on-year -4.06% +24.31% -9.17%
75th Percentile £83,750 £80,000 £65,000
90th Percentile £90,000 £95,000 £77,500
England median annual salary £70,000 £80,000 £62,500
% change year-on-year -12.50% +28.00% -10.71%

All Permanent IT Job Roles
South East

For comparison with the information above, the following table provides summary statistics for all permanent IT job vacancies in the South East. Most job vacancies include a discernible job title that can be normalized. As such, the figures in the second row provide an indication of the number of permanent jobs in our overall sample.

Permanent vacancies in the South East with a recognized job title 16,799 8,107 12,945
% of permanent jobs with a recognized job title 95.12% 89.38% 95.55%
Number of salaries quoted 11,974 4,537 8,177
10th Percentile £30,000 £27,500 £30,000
25th Percentile £40,000 £35,000 £40,000
Median annual salary (50th Percentile) £55,000 £50,000 £50,000
Median % change year-on-year +10.00% - -9.09%
75th Percentile £70,000 £66,250 £65,000
90th Percentile £90,000 £80,500 £80,000
England median annual salary £57,500 £55,000 £55,000
% change year-on-year +4.55% - -8.33%

Software Engineer
Job Vacancy Trend in the South East

Historical trend showing the proportion of permanent IT job postings featuring 'Software Engineer' in the job title relative to all permanent IT jobs advertised in the South East.

Software Engineer job vacancy trend in the South East

Software Engineer
Salary Trend in the South East

Salary distribution trend for Software Engineer job vacancies in the South East.

Salary distribution trend for Software Engineer job vacancies in the South East

Software Engineer
Salary Histogram in the South East

Salary distribution for jobs citing Software Engineer in the South East over the 6 months to 31 August 2026.

Salary histogram for Software Engineer in the South East

Software Engineer
Job Locations in the South East

The table below looks at the demand and provides a guide to the median salaries quoted in IT jobs citing Software Engineer within the South East region over the 6 months to 31 August 2026. The 'Rank Change' column provides an indication of the change in demand within each location based on the same 6 month period last year.

Location Rank Change
on Same Period
Last Year
Matching
Permanent
IT Job Ads
Median Salary
Past 6 Months
Median Salary
% Change
on Same Period
Last Year
Live
Jobs
Hampshire +37 443 £65,000 - 31
Thames Valley +129 372 £67,500 +3.85% 69
Oxfordshire +25 172 £65,000 - 29
Berkshire +103 122 £70,000 +16.67% 29
Surrey +5 106 £80,000 -3.03% 9
Buckinghamshire +55 78 £82,500 +57.14% 11
Kent -3 34 £35,000 -44.00% 5
East Sussex +10 26 £60,000 -33.33% 6
West Sussex +6 26 £75,000 +9.09% 6
Sussex - 5 £85,000 -
Software Engineer
England

Software Engineer Skill Set
Top 30 Co-Occurring Skills & Capabilities in the South East

For the 6 months to 31 August 2026, Software Engineer job roles required the following skills and capabilities in order of popularity. The figures indicate the absolute number of co-occurrences and as a proportion of all permanent job ads across the South East region featuring Software Engineer in the job title.

1 1,005 (99.31%) Software Engineering
2 251 (24.80%) C++
3 208 (20.55%) C#
4 203 (20.06%) Python
5 161 (15.91%) Degree
6 122 (12.06%) Security Cleared
7 121 (11.96%) Agile
8 119 (11.76%) .NET
9 116 (11.46%) AWS
10 101 (9.98%) Linux
11 100 (9.88%) AI
12 92 (9.09%) CI/CD
13 89 (8.79%) Azure
14 87 (8.60%) SC Cleared
15 85 (8.40%) C
16 79 (7.81%) Computer Science Degree
17 77 (7.61%) Full-Stack Development
18 75 (7.41%) Computer Science
18 75 (7.41%) Docker
19 71 (7.02%) DevOps
20 70 (6.92%) Problem-Solving
21 69 (6.82%) JavaScript
21 69 (6.82%) TypeScript
22 63 (6.23%) Mentoring
23 61 (6.03%) Git
24 57 (5.63%) SDLC
25 56 (5.53%) Containerisation
26 55 (5.43%) SaaS
26 55 (5.43%) Test Automation
27 54 (5.34%) Software Architecture

Software Engineer Skill Set
Co-Occurring Skills & Capabilities in the South East by Category

The following tables expand on the one above by listing co-occurrences grouped by category. They cover the same employment type, locality and period, with up to 20 co-occurrences shown in each category:

Application Platforms
1 7 (0.69%) Apache
2 3 (0.30%) Confluence
3 1 (0.099%) ArchestrA
Applications
1 14 (1.38%) Lightworks
2 5 (0.49%) Simulink
3 4 (0.40%) Microsoft Office
4 3 (0.30%) Microsoft Excel
4 3 (0.30%) Microsoft PowerPoint
5 1 (0.099%) AutoCAD
5 1 (0.099%) EPLAN
5 1 (0.099%) Microsoft Project
Business Applications
1 6 (0.59%) Oracle Applications
Cloud Services
1 116 (11.46%) AWS
2 89 (8.79%) Azure
3 55 (5.43%) SaaS
4 35 (3.46%) GCP
5 16 (1.58%) Azure DevOps
6 14 (1.38%) GitHub
6 14 (1.38%) Serverless
7 12 (1.19%) Firebase
8 7 (0.69%) Anthropic Claude
8 7 (0.69%) Cloud Run
9 6 (0.59%) PaaS
10 5 (0.49%) Azure Functions
10 5 (0.49%) GitHub Actions
11 4 (0.40%) Amazon EKS
11 4 (0.40%) Figma
12 3 (0.30%) AWS Lambda
12 3 (0.30%) Azure Key Vault
12 3 (0.30%) Azure Monitor
13 2 (0.20%) Azure Service Bus
13 2 (0.20%) Entra ID
Communications & Networking
1 21 (2.08%) Wireless
2 12 (1.19%) TCP/IP
3 10 (0.99%) ATM
4 9 (0.89%) MQTT
5 6 (0.59%) Wireshark
6 5 (0.49%) 5G
7 3 (0.30%) Ethernet
8 2 (0.20%) HTTP
8 2 (0.20%) Software-Defined Radio
9 1 (0.099%) Broadband
9 1 (0.099%) Internet
9 1 (0.099%) LAN
9 1 (0.099%) Multicast
9 1 (0.099%) Software-Defined Networking
9 1 (0.099%) VoIP
9 1 (0.099%) WAN
Database & Business Intelligence
1 29 (2.87%) SQL Server
2 27 (2.67%) PostgreSQL
3 12 (1.19%) MySQL
4 11 (1.09%) MongoDB
5 8 (0.79%) Relational Database
6 7 (0.69%) Chroma
6 7 (0.69%) Pinecone
7 6 (0.59%) Elasticsearch
7 6 (0.59%) Redis
8 2 (0.20%) Data Warehouse
8 2 (0.20%) NoSQL
8 2 (0.20%) RDBMS
9 1 (0.099%) Electronic Patient Records
9 1 (0.099%) Oracle Reports
Development Applications
1 61 (6.03%) Git
2 19 (1.88%) GitLab
3 18 (1.78%) Visual Studio Code
4 10 (0.99%) Jenkins
5 7 (0.69%) JIRA
6 6 (0.59%) CMake
6 6 (0.59%) Yeoman
7 4 (0.40%) Rational Rhapsody
8 3 (0.30%) Bitbucket
8 3 (0.30%) Eclipse
8 3 (0.30%) Eclipse RCP
8 3 (0.30%) JUnit
8 3 (0.30%) PetaLinux
8 3 (0.30%) Visual Studio
9 2 (0.20%) NUnit
10 1 (0.099%) Cucumber
10 1 (0.099%) GDB
10 1 (0.099%) Rational DOORS
10 1 (0.099%) SpecFlow
10 1 (0.099%) Toad
General
1 84 (8.30%) Manufacturing
2 76 (7.51%) Electronics
3 67 (6.62%) Social Skills
4 42 (4.15%) Aviation
5 39 (3.85%) Aerospace
6 32 (3.16%) Finance
7 20 (1.98%) Analytical Skills
8 15 (1.48%) Telecoms
9 14 (1.38%) Public Sector
10 12 (1.19%) Automotive
10 12 (1.19%) Games
10 12 (1.19%) Military
10 12 (1.19%) Pharmaceutical
11 6 (0.59%) Law
11 6 (0.59%) Organisational Skills
12 5 (0.49%) Health Technology
13 4 (0.40%) Digital Health
14 3 (0.30%) Banking
15 2 (0.20%) Documentation Skills
15 2 (0.20%) Inclusion and Diversity
Libraries, Frameworks & Software Standards
1 119 (11.76%) .NET
2 52 (5.14%) React
3 32 (3.16%) CSS
4 31 (3.06%) HTML
5 25 (2.47%) Django
5 25 (2.47%) Vue
6 23 (2.27%) WPF
7 21 (2.08%) AngularJS
8 18 (1.78%) Node.js
8 18 (1.78%) Terraform
9 16 (1.58%) REST
10 14 (1.38%) JSON
11 13 (1.28%) ASP.NET
11 13 (1.28%) WebSockets
12 12 (1.19%) XML
13 10 (0.99%) Unreal Engine
14 9 (0.89%) React Native
15 8 (0.79%) Yocto
16 7 (0.69%) .NET Core
16 7 (0.69%) Blazor
Miscellaneous
1 49 (4.84%) Algorithms
2 36 (3.56%) Embedded Systems
2 36 (3.56%) Robotics
3 25 (2.47%) Product Ownership
4 24 (2.37%) Cloud Native
5 21 (2.08%) Distributed Computing
6 14 (1.38%) Data Structures
7 13 (1.28%) AI Agents
7 13 (1.28%) Distributed Systems
7 13 (1.28%) IoT
8 12 (1.19%) Self-Motivation
9 10 (0.99%) Client/Server
10 8 (0.79%) Enterprise Software
11 7 (0.69%) Life Science
12 6 (0.59%) Legacy Systems
13 5 (0.49%) Management Information System
14 4 (0.40%) FPGA
14 4 (0.40%) Video Conferencing
15 3 (0.30%) Clustering
15 3 (0.30%) SCADA
Operating Systems
1 101 (9.98%) Linux
2 24 (2.37%) Windows
3 10 (0.99%) Embedded Linux
4 5 (0.49%) Debian
5 3 (0.30%) FreeRTOS
5 3 (0.30%) Gentoo
6 2 (0.20%) Android
6 2 (0.20%) Robot Operating System
7 1 (0.099%) Apple iOS
7 1 (0.099%) Ubuntu
Processes & Methodologies
1 1,005 (99.31%) Software Engineering
2 121 (11.96%) Agile
3 100 (9.88%) AI
4 92 (9.09%) CI/CD
5 77 (7.61%) Full-Stack Development
6 75 (7.41%) Computer Science
7 71 (7.02%) DevOps
8 70 (6.92%) Problem-Solving
9 63 (6.23%) Mentoring
10 57 (5.63%) SDLC
11 56 (5.53%) Containerisation
12 55 (5.43%) Test Automation
13 54 (5.34%) Software Architecture
14 48 (4.74%) Machine Learning
15 44 (4.35%) Microservices
16 42 (4.15%) Continuous Improvement
17 39 (3.85%) Code Quality
18 33 (3.26%) Data Science
19 32 (3.16%) Embedded Software Development
20 31 (3.06%) Software Testing
Programming Languages
1 251 (24.80%) C++
2 208 (20.55%) C#
3 203 (20.06%) Python
4 85 (8.40%) C
5 69 (6.82%) JavaScript
5 69 (6.82%) TypeScript
6 50 (4.94%) Java
7 42 (4.15%) SQL
8 29 (2.87%) Rust
9 20 (1.98%) Go
10 11 (1.09%) Ada
11 8 (0.79%) PHP
12 6 (0.59%) MATLAB
12 6 (0.59%) Ruby
12 6 (0.59%) T-SQL
13 5 (0.49%) Embedded C++
14 4 (0.40%) Bash
14 4 (0.40%) PL/SQL
14 4 (0.40%) VB.NET
15 3 (0.30%) PowerShell
Qualifications
1 161 (15.91%) Degree
2 122 (12.06%) Security Cleared
3 87 (8.60%) SC Cleared
4 79 (7.81%) Computer Science Degree
5 41 (4.05%) Master's Degree
6 32 (3.16%) DV Cleared
7 24 (2.37%) PhD
8 8 (0.79%) Azure Certification
8 8 (0.79%) BPSS Clearance
9 2 (0.20%) AWS Certification
9 2 (0.20%) HNC
9 2 (0.20%) HND
9 2 (0.20%) Microsoft Certification
9 2 (0.20%) Numerate Degree
10 1 (0.099%) NVQ Level 3
Quality Assurance & Compliance
1 18 (1.78%) QA
2 4 (0.40%) DO-178B
3 3 (0.30%) ECSS
3 3 (0.30%) GAMP
4 2 (0.20%) AUTOSAR
4 2 (0.20%) ISO/IEC 27001
4 2 (0.20%) MISRA
4 2 (0.20%) MISRA C
5 1 (0.099%) Accessibility
5 1 (0.099%) GDPR
System Software
1 75 (7.41%) Docker
2 28 (2.77%) Firmware
3 11 (1.09%) Embedded Firmware
4 8 (0.79%) Virtual Machines
5 6 (0.59%) KVM
5 6 (0.59%) VMware Infrastructure
6 5 (0.49%) Hyper-V
7 2 (0.20%) Active Directory
Systems Management
1 45 (4.45%) Kubernetes
2 15 (1.48%) Ansible
3 6 (0.59%) Podman
4 2 (0.20%) Puppet
Vendors
1 14 (1.38%) Oracle
2 13 (1.28%) Salesforce
3 10 (0.99%) Microsoft
4 6 (0.59%) Sage
4 6 (0.59%) VMware
5 4 (0.40%) Google
6 3 (0.30%) Xilinx
7 2 (0.20%) Allen-Bradley
7 2 (0.20%) Atlassian
7 2 (0.20%) ServiceNow
7 2 (0.20%) Siemens
7 2 (0.20%) Wonderware
7 2 (0.20%) Yahoo!
8 1 (0.099%) Adobe
8 1 (0.099%) IBM
8 1 (0.099%) NVIDIA
8 1 (0.099%) Typelevel
8 1 (0.099%) Xamarin