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 15 June 2026.

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

6 months to
15 Jun 2026
Same period 2025 Same period 2024
Rank 21 106 29
Rank change year-on-year +85 -77 +39
Permanent jobs requiring a Software Engineer 872 219 1,114
As % of all permanent jobs in the South East 5.94% 2.80% 6.07%
As % of the Job Titles category 6.24% 3.24% 6.44%
Number of salaries quoted 643 165 855
10th Percentile £45,000 £35,500 £37,500
25th Percentile £51,250 £47,500 £44,500
Median annual salary (50th Percentile) £65,000 £65,000 £52,501
Median % change year-on-year - +23.81% -13.93%
75th Percentile £80,000 £75,000 £66,250
90th Percentile £90,000 £89,000 £80,000
England median annual salary £70,000 £77,500 £60,000
% change year-on-year -9.68% +29.17% -14.29%

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 13,983 6,760 17,301
% of permanent jobs with a recognized job title 95.32% 86.48% 94.25%
Number of salaries quoted 9,829 3,597 12,375
10th Percentile £30,000 £27,750 £27,500
25th Percentile £37,500 £36,250 £36,250
Median annual salary (50th Percentile) £52,500 £52,500 £50,000
Median % change year-on-year - +5.00% -9.09%
75th Percentile £70,000 £67,500 £65,000
90th Percentile £85,000 £81,250 £77,500
England median annual salary £57,239 £57,500 £52,500
% change year-on-year -0.45% +9.52% -12.87%

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 15 June 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 15 June 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
Thames Valley +85 359 £65,000 +6.12% 48
Hampshire +53 332 £67,500 +8.00% 79
Oxfordshire +31 189 £65,000 -3.70% 22
Surrey +35 111 £80,000 +23.08% 15
Buckinghamshire +47 88 £80,000 +39.13% 12
Berkshire +57 82 £62,500 +20.19% 14
Kent -19 32 £45,000 -28.00% 8
East Sussex +15 29 £57,500 -36.11% 2
West Sussex -20 9 £70,000 +133.33% 4
Software Engineer
England

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

For the 6 months to 15 June 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.

1 858 (98.39%) Software Engineering
2 233 (26.72%) C++
3 178 (20.41%) C#
4 174 (19.95%) Degree
5 162 (18.58%) Python
6 128 (14.68%) .NET
7 116 (13.30%) Agile
8 98 (11.24%) AWS
9 91 (10.44%) Computer Science Degree
10 89 (10.21%) Computer Science
11 80 (9.17%) Full-Stack Development
12 76 (8.72%) Azure
13 75 (8.60%) C
13 75 (8.60%) Security Cleared
14 73 (8.37%) Linux
15 66 (7.57%) DevOps
15 66 (7.57%) SaaS
16 63 (7.22%) CI/CD
17 60 (6.88%) AI
18 54 (6.19%) JavaScript
19 53 (6.08%) Problem-Solving
20 51 (5.85%) SC Cleared
21 50 (5.73%) Test Automation
21 50 (5.73%) TypeScript
22 49 (5.62%) Continuous Improvement
22 49 (5.62%) Git
23 48 (5.50%) Docker
24 46 (5.28%) SQL
25 45 (5.16%) Containerisation
25 45 (5.16%) Master's Degree

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 4 (0.46%) Apache
2 2 (0.23%) Confluence
3 1 (0.11%) ArchestrA
Applications
1 3 (0.34%) Lightworks
2 2 (0.23%) AutoCAD
2 2 (0.23%) EPLAN
2 2 (0.23%) Simulink
3 1 (0.11%) Microsoft Office
3 1 (0.11%) Microsoft Project
Cloud Services
1 98 (11.24%) AWS
2 76 (8.72%) Azure
3 66 (7.57%) SaaS
4 28 (3.21%) GCP
5 11 (1.26%) Azure DevOps
6 10 (1.15%) Serverless
7 8 (0.92%) GitHub
8 6 (0.69%) PaaS
9 5 (0.57%) Figma
9 5 (0.57%) Stripe
10 4 (0.46%) AWS Lambda
10 4 (0.46%) Firebase
11 3 (0.34%) Amazon EKS
11 3 (0.34%) Azure Functions
11 3 (0.34%) Azure Monitor
12 2 (0.23%) Amazon S3
12 2 (0.23%) Anthropic Claude
12 2 (0.23%) Cloud Run
13 1 (0.11%) Adobe Analytics
13 1 (0.11%) Google Analytics
Communications & Networking
1 16 (1.83%) Wireless
2 8 (0.92%) TCP/IP
3 4 (0.46%) MQTT
3 4 (0.46%) Software-Defined Radio
3 4 (0.46%) Wireshark
4 1 (0.11%) Broadband
4 1 (0.11%) Ethernet
4 1 (0.11%) Internet
4 1 (0.11%) Multicast
4 1 (0.11%) Software-Defined Networking
4 1 (0.11%) SpaceWire
Database & Business Intelligence
1 36 (4.13%) SQL Server
2 10 (1.15%) PostgreSQL
3 4 (0.46%) MongoDB
3 4 (0.46%) MySQL
4 2 (0.23%) NoSQL
4 2 (0.23%) Pinecone
5 1 (0.11%) Elasticsearch
5 1 (0.11%) Oracle Reports
5 1 (0.11%) Redis
Development Applications
1 49 (5.62%) Git
2 20 (2.29%) GitLab
3 19 (2.18%) Visual Studio Code
4 7 (0.80%) Visual Studio
5 6 (0.69%) Yeoman
6 3 (0.34%) JIRA
6 3 (0.34%) Rational Rhapsody
7 2 (0.23%) Bitbucket
7 2 (0.23%) JUnit
7 2 (0.23%) Postman
7 2 (0.23%) SpecFlow
8 1 (0.11%) Claude Code
8 1 (0.11%) CMake
8 1 (0.11%) Eclipse
8 1 (0.11%) Eclipse RCP
8 1 (0.11%) NUnit
8 1 (0.11%) PetaLinux
8 1 (0.11%) Toad
8 1 (0.11%) utPLSQL
General
1 59 (6.77%) Social Skills
2 49 (5.62%) Electronics
2 49 (5.62%) Manufacturing
3 29 (3.33%) Aerospace
4 27 (3.10%) Finance
5 22 (2.52%) Aviation
6 13 (1.49%) Pharmaceutical
6 13 (1.49%) Telecoms
7 12 (1.38%) Games
8 11 (1.26%) Military
9 9 (1.03%) Analytical Skills
10 8 (0.92%) Automotive
11 6 (0.69%) Public Sector
12 3 (0.34%) Law
12 3 (0.34%) Organisational Skills
13 1 (0.11%) Banking
13 1 (0.11%) Influencing Skills
13 1 (0.11%) Marketing
13 1 (0.11%) Presentation Skills
13 1 (0.11%) Tech for Good
Libraries, Frameworks & Software Standards
1 128 (14.68%) .NET
2 40 (4.59%) React
3 23 (2.64%) CSS
4 22 (2.52%) HTML
5 20 (2.29%) Vue
6 17 (1.95%) AngularJS
6 17 (1.95%) Unreal Engine
6 17 (1.95%) WPF
7 16 (1.83%) Django
7 16 (1.83%) REST
8 12 (1.38%) Node.js
8 12 (1.38%) WebSockets
9 10 (1.15%) ASP.NET
9 10 (1.15%) JSON
10 9 (1.03%) .NET Core
11 8 (0.92%) XML
12 6 (0.69%) DirectX
12 6 (0.69%) Middleware
12 6 (0.69%) OpenGL
12 6 (0.69%) Qt
Miscellaneous
1 50 (5.73%) Algorithms
2 33 (3.78%) Embedded Systems
3 21 (2.41%) Client/Server
4 20 (2.29%) IoT
5 19 (2.18%) Product Ownership
6 18 (2.06%) Distributed Systems
7 16 (1.83%) Distributed Computing
8 15 (1.72%) Robotics
9 12 (1.38%) Cloud Native
9 12 (1.38%) Smart Energy
10 11 (1.26%) Data Structures
10 11 (1.26%) Self-Motivation
11 9 (1.03%) Legacy Systems
12 6 (0.69%) AI Agents
13 5 (0.57%) Life Science
13 5 (0.57%) Video Conferencing
14 4 (0.46%) Driving Licence
14 4 (0.46%) Management Information System
14 4 (0.46%) SCADA
15 3 (0.34%) Smart Home
Operating Systems
1 73 (8.37%) Linux
2 18 (2.06%) Windows
3 9 (1.03%) Android
4 5 (0.57%) Embedded Linux
5 1 (0.11%) Debian
5 1 (0.11%) FreeRTOS
5 1 (0.11%) Gentoo
5 1 (0.11%) VxWorks
Processes & Methodologies
1 858 (98.39%) Software Engineering
2 116 (13.30%) Agile
3 89 (10.21%) Computer Science
4 80 (9.17%) Full-Stack Development
5 66 (7.57%) DevOps
6 63 (7.22%) CI/CD
7 60 (6.88%) AI
8 53 (6.08%) Problem-Solving
9 50 (5.73%) Test Automation
10 49 (5.62%) Continuous Improvement
11 45 (5.16%) Containerisation
12 42 (4.82%) Mentoring
12 42 (4.82%) SDLC
13 40 (4.59%) Machine Learning
14 39 (4.47%) Software Architecture
15 37 (4.24%) Code Quality
16 32 (3.67%) Embedded Software Development
17 30 (3.44%) Microservices
18 28 (3.21%) Software Testing
19 24 (2.75%) TDD
Programming Languages
1 233 (26.72%) C++
2 178 (20.41%) C#
3 162 (18.58%) Python
4 75 (8.60%) C
5 54 (6.19%) JavaScript
6 50 (5.73%) TypeScript
7 46 (5.28%) SQL
8 32 (3.67%) Java
9 29 (3.33%) Rust
10 13 (1.49%) PHP
11 11 (1.26%) Go
12 6 (0.69%) PL/SQL
13 5 (0.57%) MATLAB
13 5 (0.57%) Ruby
14 4 (0.46%) Apex Code
14 4 (0.46%) Julia
15 3 (0.34%) Uniface
16 2 (0.23%) Shell Script
17 1 (0.11%) T-SQL
17 1 (0.11%) VB.NET
Qualifications
1 174 (19.95%) Degree
2 91 (10.44%) Computer Science Degree
3 75 (8.60%) Security Cleared
4 51 (5.85%) SC Cleared
5 45 (5.16%) Master's Degree
6 23 (2.64%) PhD
7 16 (1.83%) DV Cleared
8 8 (0.92%) Azure Certification
9 3 (0.34%) BPSS Clearance
9 3 (0.34%) HNC
9 3 (0.34%) HND
10 2 (0.23%) AWS Certification
10 2 (0.23%) Microsoft Certification
10 2 (0.23%) NVQ Level 3
10 2 (0.23%) PMI Certification
Quality Assurance & Compliance
1 28 (3.21%) QA
2 4 (0.46%) ISO 9001
3 3 (0.34%) DO-178B
4 2 (0.23%) ECSS
4 2 (0.23%) GAMP
4 2 (0.23%) GDPR
System Software
1 48 (5.50%) Docker
2 40 (4.59%) Firmware
3 14 (1.61%) Hyper-V
3 14 (1.61%) KVM
3 14 (1.61%) VMware Infrastructure
4 11 (1.26%) Embedded Firmware
5 6 (0.69%) Virtual Machines
Systems Management
1 28 (3.21%) Kubernetes
2 10 (1.15%) Terraform
3 5 (0.57%) Ansible
4 2 (0.23%) Podman
5 1 (0.11%) Puppet
Vendors
1 14 (1.61%) VMware
2 12 (1.38%) Oracle
3 9 (1.03%) Microsoft
3 9 (1.03%) Salesforce
4 5 (0.57%) HubSpot
5 3 (0.34%) Allen-Bradley
5 3 (0.34%) Siemens
5 3 (0.34%) Wonderware
6 2 (0.23%) Google
7 1 (0.11%) Adobe
7 1 (0.11%) NVIDIA
7 1 (0.11%) Typelevel
7 1 (0.11%) Xamarin
7 1 (0.11%) Xilinx