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 23 September 2026.

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

6 months to
23 Sep 2026
Same period 2025 Same period 2024
Rank 21 116 23
Rank change year-on-year +95 -93 +40
Permanent jobs requiring a Software Engineer 1,030 222 891
As % of all permanent jobs in the South East 5.48% 2.49% 7.08%
As % of the Job Titles category 5.82% 2.79% 7.37%
Number of salaries quoted 737 132 598
10th Percentile £45,000 £45,000 £40,000
25th Percentile £52,500 £60,000 £45,000
Median annual salary (50th Percentile) £65,000 £70,000 £55,000
Median % change year-on-year -7.14% +27.27% -8.33%
75th Percentile £85,000 £80,000 £65,000
90th Percentile £90,000 £95,000 £80,000
England median annual salary £70,000 £82,500 £65,000
% change year-on-year -15.15% +26.92% -7.14%

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 17,692 7,963 12,084
% of permanent jobs with a recognized job title 94.15% 89.47% 96.05%
Number of salaries quoted 12,539 4,392 7,039
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 £52,500
Median % change year-on-year +10.00% -4.76% -4.55%
75th Percentile £70,000 £66,813 £67,500
90th Percentile £90,000 £82,500 £82,500
England median annual salary £60,000 £55,000 £55,000
% change year-on-year +9.09% - -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 23 September 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 23 September 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 +39 438 £65,000 - 105
Thames Valley +131 396 £70,000 +7.69% 161
Oxfordshire +30 194 £65,000 -7.14% 93
Berkshire +97 128 £75,000 +20.00% 48
Surrey -3 103 £80,000 -5.88% 25
Buckinghamshire +53 74 £80,000 +128.57% 20
Kent +3 34 £35,000 -44.00% 4
West Sussex +3 28 £75,000 +7.14% 22
East Sussex +16 26 £65,000 -27.78% 12
Sussex - 5 £85,000 - 1
Software Engineer
England

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

For the 6 months to 23 September 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 1,024 (99.42%) Software Engineering
2 264 (25.63%) C++
3 220 (21.36%) C#
4 204 (19.81%) Python
5 155 (15.05%) Degree
6 121 (11.75%) Security Cleared
7 117 (11.36%) .NET
8 112 (10.87%) AI
9 111 (10.78%) Agile
9 111 (10.78%) AWS
10 97 (9.42%) Linux
11 96 (9.32%) CI/CD
12 86 (8.35%) C
13 85 (8.25%) SC Cleared
14 83 (8.06%) Azure
15 77 (7.48%) Computer Science Degree
16 74 (7.18%) Full-Stack Development
17 73 (7.09%) Docker
17 73 (7.09%) JavaScript
17 73 (7.09%) Problem-Solving
18 71 (6.89%) Computer Science
19 70 (6.80%) TypeScript
20 67 (6.50%) DevOps
21 64 (6.21%) Mentoring
22 63 (6.12%) Git
23 59 (5.73%) Software Architecture
24 58 (5.63%) SDLC
25 55 (5.34%) Java
26 51 (4.95%) React
26 51 (4.95%) SaaS

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 9 (0.87%) Apache
2 2 (0.19%) Confluence
3 1 (0.097%) ArchestrA
Applications
1 18 (1.75%) Lightworks
2 6 (0.58%) Simulink
3 3 (0.29%) Microsoft Excel
3 3 (0.29%) Microsoft Office
3 3 (0.29%) Microsoft PowerPoint
Business Applications
1 6 (0.58%) Oracle Applications
Cloud Services
1 111 (10.78%) AWS
2 83 (8.06%) Azure
3 51 (4.95%) SaaS
4 27 (2.62%) GCP
5 15 (1.46%) Azure DevOps
6 14 (1.36%) Serverless
7 13 (1.26%) GitHub
8 12 (1.17%) Firebase
9 8 (0.78%) Anthropic Claude
10 7 (0.68%) Cloud Run
11 6 (0.58%) GitHub Actions
11 6 (0.58%) PaaS
12 5 (0.49%) Azure Functions
13 4 (0.39%) Amazon EKS
14 3 (0.29%) Amazon S3
14 3 (0.29%) AWS Lambda
14 3 (0.29%) Azure Key Vault
14 3 (0.29%) Azure Monitor
14 3 (0.29%) GitHub Copilot
15 2 (0.19%) Azure AKS
Communications & Networking
1 29 (2.82%) Wireless
2 13 (1.26%) TCP/IP
3 10 (0.97%) ATM
3 10 (0.97%) MQTT
4 9 (0.87%) 5G
5 7 (0.68%) Wireshark
6 5 (0.49%) Ethernet
7 3 (0.29%) HTTP
7 3 (0.29%) Software-Defined Radio
8 1 (0.097%) Broadband
8 1 (0.097%) Internet
8 1 (0.097%) LAN
8 1 (0.097%) Multicast
8 1 (0.097%) NGN
8 1 (0.097%) SNMP
8 1 (0.097%) Software-Defined Networking
8 1 (0.097%) VLAN
8 1 (0.097%) VoIP
8 1 (0.097%) WAN
8 1 (0.097%) Wi-Fi
Database & Business Intelligence
1 28 (2.72%) PostgreSQL
2 27 (2.62%) SQL Server
3 13 (1.26%) MySQL
4 10 (0.97%) MongoDB
5 9 (0.87%) Relational Database
6 7 (0.68%) Chroma
6 7 (0.68%) Pinecone
6 7 (0.68%) Redis
7 6 (0.58%) Elasticsearch
8 2 (0.19%) Data Warehouse
8 2 (0.19%) NoSQL
8 2 (0.19%) RDBMS
9 1 (0.097%) DynamoDB
9 1 (0.097%) Electronic Patient Records
Development Applications
1 63 (6.12%) Git
2 21 (2.04%) GitLab
3 18 (1.75%) Visual Studio Code
4 10 (0.97%) Jenkins
5 7 (0.68%) JIRA
6 6 (0.58%) CMake
7 5 (0.49%) Yeoman
8 4 (0.39%) PetaLinux
8 4 (0.39%) Rational Rhapsody
8 4 (0.39%) Visual Studio
9 3 (0.29%) Eclipse
9 3 (0.29%) Eclipse RCP
9 3 (0.29%) JUnit
9 3 (0.29%) Storybook
10 2 (0.19%) Bitbucket
10 2 (0.19%) ESLint
10 2 (0.19%) NUnit
10 2 (0.19%) Vite
11 1 (0.097%) Claude Code
11 1 (0.097%) Subversion
General
1 89 (8.64%) Manufacturing
2 79 (7.67%) Electronics
3 66 (6.41%) Social Skills
4 47 (4.56%) Aviation
5 43 (4.17%) Finance
6 40 (3.88%) Aerospace
7 18 (1.75%) Analytical Skills
8 15 (1.46%) Automotive
9 14 (1.36%) Telecoms
10 13 (1.26%) Public Sector
11 12 (1.17%) Military
12 10 (0.97%) Games
13 9 (0.87%) Health Technology
13 9 (0.87%) Pharmaceutical
14 6 (0.58%) Law
14 6 (0.58%) Organisational Skills
15 4 (0.39%) Digital Health
16 3 (0.29%) Banking
16 3 (0.29%) Marketing
17 2 (0.19%) Documentation Skills
Libraries, Frameworks & Software Standards
1 117 (11.36%) .NET
2 51 (4.95%) React
3 34 (3.30%) CSS
4 32 (3.11%) HTML
5 28 (2.72%) WPF
6 27 (2.62%) Vue
7 22 (2.14%) AngularJS
7 22 (2.14%) Django
8 21 (2.04%) Node.js
9 18 (1.75%) Terraform
10 14 (1.36%) JSON
10 14 (1.36%) React Native
11 13 (1.26%) XML
12 12 (1.17%) ASP.NET
13 10 (0.97%) REST
13 10 (0.97%) WebSockets
13 10 (0.97%) Yocto
14 8 (0.78%) .NET Core
15 7 (0.68%) Blazor
15 7 (0.68%) Kafka
Miscellaneous
1 49 (4.76%) Algorithms
2 42 (4.08%) Embedded Systems
3 38 (3.69%) Robotics
4 25 (2.43%) Distributed Computing
5 22 (2.14%) Cloud Native
5 22 (2.14%) Product Ownership
6 13 (1.26%) AI Agents
6 13 (1.26%) Data Structures
7 12 (1.17%) IoT
8 10 (0.97%) Distributed Systems
9 9 (0.87%) Enterprise Software
10 8 (0.78%) Self-Motivation
11 7 (0.68%) Life Science
12 6 (0.58%) Client/Server
12 6 (0.58%) Legacy Systems
13 5 (0.49%) FPGA
13 5 (0.49%) Greenfield Project
13 5 (0.49%) Management Information System
13 5 (0.49%) NHS
14 4 (0.39%) VHDL
Operating Systems
1 97 (9.42%) Linux
2 25 (2.43%) Windows
3 12 (1.17%) Embedded Linux
4 6 (0.58%) FreeRTOS
5 5 (0.49%) Android
5 5 (0.49%) Debian
6 4 (0.39%) Apple iOS
7 3 (0.29%) Gentoo
8 2 (0.19%) Robot Operating System
9 1 (0.097%) Ubuntu
Processes & Methodologies
1 1,024 (99.42%) Software Engineering
2 112 (10.87%) AI
3 111 (10.78%) Agile
4 96 (9.32%) CI/CD
5 74 (7.18%) Full-Stack Development
6 73 (7.09%) Problem-Solving
7 71 (6.89%) Computer Science
8 67 (6.50%) DevOps
9 64 (6.21%) Mentoring
10 59 (5.73%) Software Architecture
11 58 (5.63%) SDLC
12 48 (4.66%) Machine Learning
13 47 (4.56%) Containerisation
13 47 (4.56%) Microservices
13 47 (4.56%) Test Automation
14 38 (3.69%) Continuous Improvement
15 34 (3.30%) Data Science
16 33 (3.20%) Code Quality
17 31 (3.01%) Embedded Software Development
18 30 (2.91%) Design Patterns
Programming Languages
1 264 (25.63%) C++
2 220 (21.36%) C#
3 204 (19.81%) Python
4 86 (8.35%) C
5 73 (7.09%) JavaScript
6 70 (6.80%) TypeScript
7 55 (5.34%) Java
8 42 (4.08%) SQL
9 28 (2.72%) Rust
10 20 (1.94%) Go
11 13 (1.26%) PHP
12 11 (1.07%) Ada
13 8 (0.78%) MATLAB
14 6 (0.58%) T-SQL
15 5 (0.49%) Embedded C++
16 4 (0.39%) Bash
16 4 (0.39%) Julia
16 4 (0.39%) Ruby
16 4 (0.39%) VB.NET
17 3 (0.29%) PowerShell
Qualifications
1 155 (15.05%) Degree
2 121 (11.75%) Security Cleared
3 85 (8.25%) SC Cleared
4 77 (7.48%) Computer Science Degree
5 40 (3.88%) Master's Degree
6 33 (3.20%) DV Cleared
7 26 (2.52%) PhD
8 9 (0.87%) BPSS Clearance
9 8 (0.78%) Azure Certification
10 2 (0.19%) AWS Certification
10 2 (0.19%) Microsoft Certification
10 2 (0.19%) Numerate Degree
11 1 (0.097%) Chartered Engineer
Quality Assurance & Compliance
1 12 (1.17%) QA
2 4 (0.39%) DO-178B
2 4 (0.39%) ECSS
3 3 (0.29%) GAMP
4 2 (0.19%) AUTOSAR
4 2 (0.19%) ISO/IEC 27001
4 2 (0.19%) MISRA
4 2 (0.19%) MISRA C
5 1 (0.097%) Accessibility
System Software
1 73 (7.09%) Docker
2 30 (2.91%) Firmware
3 13 (1.26%) Embedded Firmware
4 4 (0.39%) Virtual Machines
5 2 (0.19%) Active Directory
5 2 (0.19%) KVM
5 2 (0.19%) VMware Infrastructure
6 1 (0.097%) Hyper-V
Systems Management
1 43 (4.17%) Kubernetes
2 15 (1.46%) Ansible
3 6 (0.58%) Podman
4 2 (0.19%) Puppet
Vendors
1 13 (1.26%) Salesforce
2 11 (1.07%) Microsoft
3 10 (0.97%) Oracle
4 8 (0.78%) Sage
5 5 (0.49%) Google
6 4 (0.39%) Xilinx
7 2 (0.19%) Atlassian
7 2 (0.19%) ServiceNow
7 2 (0.19%) VMware
7 2 (0.19%) Yahoo!
8 1 (0.097%) Adobe
8 1 (0.097%) IBM
8 1 (0.097%) NVIDIA
8 1 (0.097%) Typelevel
8 1 (0.097%) Xamarin