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 3 July 2026.

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

6 months to
3 Jul 2026
Same period 2025 Same period 2024
Rank 20 99 29
Rank change year-on-year +79 -70 +42
Permanent jobs requiring a Software Engineer 940 239 1,126
As % of all permanent jobs in the South East 6.13% 2.90% 6.27%
As % of the Job Titles category 6.41% 3.28% 6.66%
Number of salaries quoted 686 174 869
10th Percentile £45,000 £36,250 £37,500
25th Percentile £52,813 £49,063 £45,000
Median annual salary (50th Percentile) £65,000 £65,000 £54,500
Median % change year-on-year - +19.27% -9.17%
75th Percentile £80,000 £75,000 £65,000
90th Percentile £90,000 £90,000 £80,000
England median annual salary £70,000 £78,810 £60,000
% change year-on-year -11.18% +31.35% -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 14,659 7,289 16,919
% of permanent jobs with a recognized job title 95.54% 88.42% 94.21%
Number of salaries quoted 10,369 3,993 12,108
10th Percentile £30,000 £27,750 £27,750
25th Percentile £38,750 £36,250 £36,250
Median annual salary (50th Percentile) £54,000 £50,500 £50,000
Median % change year-on-year +6.93% +1.00% -9.09%
75th Percentile £70,000 £67,500 £65,000
90th Percentile £85,000 £82,500 £77,500
England median annual salary £57,500 £57,201 £52,500
% change year-on-year +0.52% +8.95% -12.50%

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 3 July 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 3 July 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 +42 372 £70,000 +7.69% 92
Thames Valley +98 371 £65,000 +4.00% 53
Oxfordshire +27 197 £65,000 -3.70% 24
Surrey +25 113 £80,000 +14.29% 17
Berkshire +59 91 £65,000 +18.18% 15
Buckinghamshire +48 83 £80,000 +52.38% 14
Kent -8 37 £40,000 -36.00% 7
East Sussex +18 30 £65,000 -27.78% 6
West Sussex -13 15 £75,000 +150.00% 6
Sussex - 2 £85,000 - 5
Software Engineer
England

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

For the 6 months to 3 July 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.

1 927 (98.62%) Software Engineering
2 254 (27.02%) C++
3 194 (20.64%) C#
4 186 (19.79%) Python
5 185 (19.68%) Degree
6 126 (13.40%) .NET
7 121 (12.87%) Agile
8 109 (11.60%) AWS
9 98 (10.43%) Security Cleared
10 97 (10.32%) Computer Science
11 94 (10.00%) Computer Science Degree
12 87 (9.26%) C
13 86 (9.15%) Linux
14 85 (9.04%) Azure
15 81 (8.62%) Full-Stack Development
16 75 (7.98%) AI
17 74 (7.87%) CI/CD
17 74 (7.87%) DevOps
18 68 (7.23%) SaaS
19 66 (7.02%) Problem-Solving
20 65 (6.91%) SC Cleared
21 57 (6.06%) Docker
22 56 (5.96%) JavaScript
23 55 (5.85%) Test Automation
23 55 (5.85%) TypeScript
24 54 (5.74%) Git
25 52 (5.53%) Mentoring
26 48 (5.11%) Containerisation
26 48 (5.11%) Continuous Improvement
26 48 (5.11%) 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 5 (0.53%) Apache
2 2 (0.21%) Confluence
3 1 (0.11%) ArchestrA
Applications
1 8 (0.85%) Lightworks
2 5 (0.53%) Simulink
3 2 (0.21%) AutoCAD
3 2 (0.21%) EPLAN
3 2 (0.21%) Microsoft Office
4 1 (0.11%) Microsoft Excel
4 1 (0.11%) Microsoft PowerPoint
4 1 (0.11%) Microsoft Project
Cloud Services
1 109 (11.60%) AWS
2 85 (9.04%) Azure
3 68 (7.23%) SaaS
4 32 (3.40%) GCP
5 14 (1.49%) Azure DevOps
6 12 (1.28%) GitHub
7 11 (1.17%) Serverless
8 7 (0.74%) Firebase
9 6 (0.64%) PaaS
10 5 (0.53%) Figma
11 4 (0.43%) Amazon EKS
11 4 (0.43%) AWS Lambda
12 3 (0.32%) Azure Functions
12 3 (0.32%) Azure Monitor
12 3 (0.32%) GitHub Actions
12 3 (0.32%) Stripe
13 2 (0.21%) Amazon S3
13 2 (0.21%) Anthropic Claude
13 2 (0.21%) Cloud Run
14 1 (0.11%) Google Analytics
Communications & Networking
1 18 (1.91%) Wireless
2 9 (0.96%) TCP/IP
3 7 (0.74%) MQTT
4 4 (0.43%) Software-Defined Radio
4 4 (0.43%) Wireshark
5 3 (0.32%) ATM
5 3 (0.32%) Ethernet
6 1 (0.11%) Broadband
6 1 (0.11%) Internet
6 1 (0.11%) LAN
6 1 (0.11%) Multicast
6 1 (0.11%) Software-Defined Networking
6 1 (0.11%) SpaceWire
6 1 (0.11%) VoIP
6 1 (0.11%) WAN
Database & Business Intelligence
1 34 (3.62%) SQL Server
2 15 (1.60%) PostgreSQL
3 7 (0.74%) MySQL
4 6 (0.64%) MongoDB
5 3 (0.32%) Elasticsearch
5 3 (0.32%) Redis
6 2 (0.21%) NoSQL
6 2 (0.21%) Pinecone
6 2 (0.21%) Relational Database
7 1 (0.11%) Oracle Reports
Development Applications
1 54 (5.74%) Git
2 21 (2.23%) GitLab
3 20 (2.13%) Visual Studio Code
4 6 (0.64%) Yeoman
5 5 (0.53%) JIRA
6 4 (0.43%) Visual Studio
7 3 (0.32%) Bitbucket
7 3 (0.32%) Jenkins
7 3 (0.32%) JUnit
7 3 (0.32%) PetaLinux
7 3 (0.32%) Rational Rhapsody
8 2 (0.21%) CMake
8 2 (0.21%) Eclipse
8 2 (0.21%) Eclipse RCP
8 2 (0.21%) Postman
8 2 (0.21%) SpecFlow
9 1 (0.11%) NUnit
9 1 (0.11%) Storybook
9 1 (0.11%) Toad
9 1 (0.11%) utPLSQL
General
1 63 (6.70%) Social Skills
2 60 (6.38%) Manufacturing
3 56 (5.96%) Electronics
4 32 (3.40%) Aerospace
5 31 (3.30%) Finance
6 24 (2.55%) Aviation
7 16 (1.70%) Telecoms
8 15 (1.60%) Analytical Skills
8 15 (1.60%) Military
9 14 (1.49%) Pharmaceutical
10 12 (1.28%) Games
11 8 (0.85%) Automotive
12 7 (0.74%) Public Sector
13 5 (0.53%) Law
14 4 (0.43%) Organisational Skills
15 3 (0.32%) Banking
15 3 (0.32%) Health Technology
16 2 (0.21%) Digital Health
17 1 (0.11%) Marketing
17 1 (0.11%) Tech for Good
Libraries, Frameworks & Software Standards
1 126 (13.40%) .NET
2 45 (4.79%) React
3 28 (2.98%) CSS
4 27 (2.87%) HTML
5 22 (2.34%) Vue
6 20 (2.13%) AngularJS
7 18 (1.91%) Unreal Engine
8 17 (1.81%) Django
8 17 (1.81%) WPF
9 16 (1.70%) Node.js
9 16 (1.70%) REST
10 12 (1.28%) JSON
10 12 (1.28%) WebSockets
11 11 (1.17%) ASP.NET
12 10 (1.06%) XML
13 9 (0.96%) .NET Core
14 8 (0.85%) Qt
15 7 (0.74%) Blazor
16 6 (0.64%) RESTful
17 5 (0.53%) Web Services
Miscellaneous
1 51 (5.43%) Algorithms
2 35 (3.72%) Embedded Systems
3 23 (2.45%) Robotics
4 22 (2.34%) Product Ownership
5 21 (2.23%) Client/Server
6 19 (2.02%) IoT
7 18 (1.91%) Distributed Systems
8 17 (1.81%) Distributed Computing
9 14 (1.49%) Cloud Native
10 13 (1.38%) Self-Motivation
11 11 (1.17%) Data Structures
12 9 (0.96%) AI Agents
12 9 (0.96%) Legacy Systems
12 9 (0.96%) Smart Energy
13 6 (0.64%) Life Science
14 5 (0.53%) FPGA
14 5 (0.53%) Management Information System
14 5 (0.53%) Video Conferencing
15 4 (0.43%) Enterprise Software
15 4 (0.43%) SCADA
Operating Systems
1 86 (9.15%) Linux
2 21 (2.23%) Windows
3 8 (0.85%) Android
4 6 (0.64%) Embedded Linux
5 4 (0.43%) Debian
6 3 (0.32%) FreeRTOS
6 3 (0.32%) Gentoo
7 2 (0.21%) Robot Operating System
8 1 (0.11%) Ubuntu
8 1 (0.11%) VxWorks
Processes & Methodologies
1 927 (98.62%) Software Engineering
2 121 (12.87%) Agile
3 97 (10.32%) Computer Science
4 81 (8.62%) Full-Stack Development
5 75 (7.98%) AI
6 74 (7.87%) CI/CD
6 74 (7.87%) DevOps
7 66 (7.02%) Problem-Solving
8 55 (5.85%) Test Automation
9 52 (5.53%) Mentoring
10 48 (5.11%) Containerisation
10 48 (5.11%) Continuous Improvement
10 48 (5.11%) Software Architecture
11 47 (5.00%) SDLC
12 46 (4.89%) Machine Learning
13 40 (4.26%) Code Quality
14 37 (3.94%) Microservices
15 35 (3.72%) Embedded Software Development
16 33 (3.51%) Software Testing
17 28 (2.98%) Scrum
Programming Languages
1 254 (27.02%) C++
2 194 (20.64%) C#
3 186 (19.79%) Python
4 87 (9.26%) C
5 56 (5.96%) JavaScript
6 55 (5.85%) TypeScript
7 48 (5.11%) SQL
8 37 (3.94%) Java
9 32 (3.40%) Rust
10 12 (1.28%) PHP
11 10 (1.06%) Go
12 8 (0.85%) MATLAB
13 7 (0.74%) Ruby
14 6 (0.64%) PL/SQL
15 4 (0.43%) Apex Code
15 4 (0.43%) Julia
16 3 (0.32%) Ada
16 3 (0.32%) Bash
16 3 (0.32%) T-SQL
16 3 (0.32%) VB.NET
Qualifications
1 185 (19.68%) Degree
2 98 (10.43%) Security Cleared
3 94 (10.00%) Computer Science Degree
4 65 (6.91%) SC Cleared
5 47 (5.00%) Master's Degree
6 26 (2.77%) DV Cleared
7 23 (2.45%) PhD
8 8 (0.85%) Azure Certification
9 5 (0.53%) BPSS Clearance
10 3 (0.32%) HNC
10 3 (0.32%) HND
11 2 (0.21%) AWS Certification
11 2 (0.21%) Microsoft Certification
11 2 (0.21%) NVQ Level 3
Quality Assurance & Compliance
1 27 (2.87%) QA
2 4 (0.43%) ECSS
2 4 (0.43%) ISO 9001
3 3 (0.32%) DO-178B
3 3 (0.32%) GAMP
4 2 (0.21%) GDPR
System Software
1 57 (6.06%) Docker
2 40 (4.26%) Firmware
3 14 (1.49%) Hyper-V
3 14 (1.49%) KVM
3 14 (1.49%) VMware Infrastructure
4 11 (1.17%) Embedded Firmware
5 6 (0.64%) Virtual Machines
Systems Management
1 33 (3.51%) Kubernetes
2 14 (1.49%) Terraform
3 10 (1.06%) Ansible
4 4 (0.43%) Podman
5 1 (0.11%) Puppet
Vendors
1 14 (1.49%) VMware
2 12 (1.28%) Oracle
3 10 (1.06%) Microsoft
4 9 (0.96%) Salesforce
5 3 (0.32%) Allen-Bradley
5 3 (0.32%) Google
5 3 (0.32%) HubSpot
5 3 (0.32%) Siemens
5 3 (0.32%) Wonderware
5 3 (0.32%) Xilinx
6 1 (0.11%) Adobe
6 1 (0.11%) Atlassian
6 1 (0.11%) NVIDIA
6 1 (0.11%) Typelevel
6 1 (0.11%) Xamarin
6 1 (0.11%) Yahoo!