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 2 August 2026.

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

6 months to
2 Aug 2026
Same period 2025 Same period 2024
Rank 22 94 26
Rank change year-on-year +72 -68 +44
Permanent jobs requiring a Software Engineer 982 253 929
As % of all permanent jobs in the South East 5.93% 2.92% 6.67%
As % of the Job Titles category 6.21% 3.25% 7.06%
Number of salaries quoted 701 165 700
10th Percentile £45,000 £45,000 £40,000
25th Percentile £55,000 £55,000 £45,000
Median annual salary (50th Percentile) £65,000 £65,000 £52,500
Median % change year-on-year - +23.81% -12.50%
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 15,820 7,779 13,156
% of permanent jobs with a recognized job title 95.49% 89.72% 94.39%
Number of salaries quoted 11,191 4,369 8,987
10th Percentile £30,000 £27,500 £29,750
25th Percentile £40,000 £35,250 £38,500
Median annual salary (50th Percentile) £55,000 £50,000 £50,000
Median % change year-on-year +10.00% - -9.09%
75th Percentile £70,000 £67,500 £65,000
90th Percentile £87,200 £80,250 £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 2 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 2 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 +33 421 £65,000 - 44
Thames Valley +107 363 £67,500 +3.85% 67
Oxfordshire +26 170 £65,000 -3.70% 36
Surrey +9 112 £80,000 +6.67% 12
Berkshire +88 110 £65,000 +8.33% 24
Buckinghamshire +50 83 £82,500 +50.00% 7
Kent -12 32 £35,000 -44.00% 4
East Sussex +9 26 £65,000 -27.78% 1
West Sussex -1 23 £75,000 +9.09% 7
Sussex - 5 £85,000 - 4
Software Engineer
England

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

For the 6 months to 2 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.

1 974 (99.19%) Software Engineering
2 258 (26.27%) C++
3 206 (20.98%) Python
4 200 (20.37%) C#
5 178 (18.13%) Degree
6 128 (13.03%) .NET
7 123 (12.53%) Agile
8 118 (12.02%) AWS
8 118 (12.02%) Security Cleared
9 98 (9.98%) Linux
10 96 (9.78%) AI
11 92 (9.37%) Azure
12 88 (8.96%) Computer Science Degree
13 87 (8.86%) C
14 86 (8.76%) CI/CD
14 86 (8.76%) Computer Science
15 85 (8.66%) SC Cleared
16 83 (8.45%) Full-Stack Development
17 76 (7.74%) DevOps
18 72 (7.33%) Docker
19 70 (7.13%) Problem-Solving
20 62 (6.31%) JavaScript
21 60 (6.11%) Mentoring
21 60 (6.11%) TypeScript
22 58 (5.91%) Git
22 58 (5.91%) Test Automation
23 57 (5.80%) Containerisation
24 55 (5.60%) SaaS
24 55 (5.60%) Software Architecture
25 54 (5.50%) SDLC

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 (0.71%) Apache
2 3 (0.31%) Confluence
3 1 (0.10%) ArchestrA
Applications
1 12 (1.22%) Lightworks
2 5 (0.51%) Simulink
3 4 (0.41%) Microsoft Office
4 3 (0.31%) Microsoft Excel
4 3 (0.31%) Microsoft PowerPoint
5 2 (0.20%) AutoCAD
5 2 (0.20%) EPLAN
6 1 (0.10%) Microsoft Project
Business Applications
1 2 (0.20%) Oracle Applications
Cloud Services
1 118 (12.02%) AWS
2 92 (9.37%) Azure
3 55 (5.60%) SaaS
4 40 (4.07%) GCP
5 17 (1.73%) Azure DevOps
6 15 (1.53%) Serverless
7 14 (1.43%) GitHub
8 12 (1.22%) Firebase
9 7 (0.71%) Anthropic Claude
9 7 (0.71%) Cloud Run
10 6 (0.61%) PaaS
11 5 (0.51%) Azure Functions
11 5 (0.51%) Figma
12 4 (0.41%) Amazon EKS
12 4 (0.41%) AWS Lambda
12 4 (0.41%) GitHub Actions
13 3 (0.31%) Azure Key Vault
13 3 (0.31%) Azure Monitor
14 2 (0.20%) Azure App Service
14 2 (0.20%) Azure Service Bus
Communications & Networking
1 19 (1.93%) Wireless
2 12 (1.22%) TCP/IP
3 10 (1.02%) ATM
4 9 (0.92%) MQTT
5 6 (0.61%) Wireshark
6 3 (0.31%) Ethernet
6 3 (0.31%) Software-Defined Radio
7 2 (0.20%) HTTP
8 1 (0.10%) Broadband
8 1 (0.10%) Internet
8 1 (0.10%) LAN
8 1 (0.10%) Multicast
8 1 (0.10%) Software-Defined Networking
8 1 (0.10%) VoIP
8 1 (0.10%) WAN
Database & Business Intelligence
1 35 (3.56%) SQL Server
2 21 (2.14%) PostgreSQL
3 11 (1.12%) MySQL
4 8 (0.81%) MongoDB
5 7 (0.71%) Pinecone
6 6 (0.61%) Relational Database
7 3 (0.31%) Elasticsearch
7 3 (0.31%) Redis
8 2 (0.20%) Data Warehouse
8 2 (0.20%) NoSQL
9 1 (0.10%) Electronic Patient Records
9 1 (0.10%) Oracle Reports
9 1 (0.10%) RDBMS
Development Applications
1 58 (5.91%) Git
2 20 (2.04%) GitLab
3 19 (1.93%) Visual Studio Code
4 8 (0.81%) Jenkins
5 7 (0.71%) JIRA
6 6 (0.61%) CMake
6 6 (0.61%) Yeoman
7 4 (0.41%) Rational Rhapsody
8 3 (0.31%) Bitbucket
8 3 (0.31%) Eclipse
8 3 (0.31%) Eclipse RCP
8 3 (0.31%) JUnit
8 3 (0.31%) NUnit
8 3 (0.31%) PetaLinux
8 3 (0.31%) Visual Studio
9 2 (0.20%) Postman
9 2 (0.20%) SpecFlow
10 1 (0.10%) GDB
10 1 (0.10%) Storybook
10 1 (0.10%) utPLSQL
General
1 75 (7.64%) Manufacturing
2 67 (6.82%) Electronics
2 67 (6.82%) Social Skills
3 35 (3.56%) Aerospace
4 33 (3.36%) Aviation
5 32 (3.26%) Finance
6 20 (2.04%) Analytical Skills
7 17 (1.73%) Telecoms
8 14 (1.43%) Pharmaceutical
9 13 (1.32%) Military
10 11 (1.12%) Games
11 10 (1.02%) Automotive
11 10 (1.02%) Public Sector
12 6 (0.61%) Law
12 6 (0.61%) Organisational Skills
13 4 (0.41%) Digital Health
13 4 (0.41%) Health Technology
14 3 (0.31%) Banking
15 2 (0.20%) Documentation Skills
16 1 (0.10%) Advertising
Libraries, Frameworks & Software Standards
1 128 (13.03%) .NET
2 48 (4.89%) React
3 31 (3.16%) CSS
4 30 (3.05%) HTML
5 24 (2.44%) Django
6 23 (2.34%) Vue
7 20 (2.04%) AngularJS
8 18 (1.83%) Node.js
8 18 (1.83%) REST
8 18 (1.83%) Unreal Engine
9 17 (1.73%) WPF
10 14 (1.43%) ASP.NET
10 14 (1.43%) JSON
10 14 (1.43%) WebSockets
11 12 (1.22%) XML
12 8 (0.81%) .NET Core
12 8 (0.81%) Blazor
12 8 (0.81%) Yocto
13 7 (0.71%) Kafka
13 7 (0.71%) Qt
Miscellaneous
1 49 (4.99%) Algorithms
2 34 (3.46%) Robotics
3 32 (3.26%) Embedded Systems
4 25 (2.55%) Product Ownership
5 21 (2.14%) Cloud Native
6 18 (1.83%) Distributed Computing
6 18 (1.83%) Distributed Systems
7 16 (1.63%) Client/Server
7 16 (1.63%) IoT
8 13 (1.32%) AI Agents
8 13 (1.32%) Self-Motivation
9 11 (1.12%) Data Structures
10 7 (0.71%) Life Science
11 6 (0.61%) Legacy Systems
11 6 (0.61%) Management Information System
11 6 (0.61%) Smart Energy
12 5 (0.51%) Video Conferencing
13 4 (0.41%) Driving Licence
13 4 (0.41%) FPGA
13 4 (0.41%) SCADA
Operating Systems
1 98 (9.98%) Linux
2 23 (2.34%) Windows
3 10 (1.02%) Embedded Linux
4 5 (0.51%) Debian
5 3 (0.31%) FreeRTOS
5 3 (0.31%) Gentoo
6 2 (0.20%) Android
6 2 (0.20%) Robot Operating System
7 1 (0.10%) Ubuntu
Processes & Methodologies
1 974 (99.19%) Software Engineering
2 123 (12.53%) Agile
3 96 (9.78%) AI
4 86 (8.76%) CI/CD
4 86 (8.76%) Computer Science
5 83 (8.45%) Full-Stack Development
6 76 (7.74%) DevOps
7 70 (7.13%) Problem-Solving
8 60 (6.11%) Mentoring
9 58 (5.91%) Test Automation
10 57 (5.80%) Containerisation
11 55 (5.60%) Software Architecture
12 54 (5.50%) SDLC
13 49 (4.99%) Machine Learning
14 44 (4.48%) Continuous Improvement
15 43 (4.38%) Code Quality
16 41 (4.18%) Microservices
17 37 (3.77%) Software Testing
18 33 (3.36%) Embedded Software Development
19 29 (2.95%) Data Science
Programming Languages
1 258 (26.27%) C++
2 206 (20.98%) Python
3 200 (20.37%) C#
4 87 (8.86%) C
5 62 (6.31%) JavaScript
6 60 (6.11%) TypeScript
7 44 (4.48%) SQL
8 43 (4.38%) Java
9 31 (3.16%) Rust
10 13 (1.32%) Go
11 11 (1.12%) Ada
12 8 (0.81%) PHP
13 7 (0.71%) MATLAB
13 7 (0.71%) Ruby
14 6 (0.61%) PL/SQL
15 5 (0.51%) T-SQL
16 4 (0.41%) Apex Code
16 4 (0.41%) Bash
16 4 (0.41%) Embedded C++
16 4 (0.41%) VB.NET
Qualifications
1 178 (18.13%) Degree
2 118 (12.02%) Security Cleared
3 88 (8.96%) Computer Science Degree
4 85 (8.66%) SC Cleared
5 45 (4.58%) Master's Degree
6 30 (3.05%) DV Cleared
7 24 (2.44%) PhD
8 8 (0.81%) Azure Certification
9 7 (0.71%) BPSS Clearance
10 3 (0.31%) HNC
10 3 (0.31%) HND
11 2 (0.20%) AWS Certification
11 2 (0.20%) Microsoft Certification
11 2 (0.20%) Numerate Degree
11 2 (0.20%) NVQ Level 3
Quality Assurance & Compliance
1 24 (2.44%) QA
2 4 (0.41%) DO-178B
3 3 (0.31%) ECSS
3 3 (0.31%) GAMP
4 2 (0.20%) GDPR
4 2 (0.20%) ISO/IEC 27001
5 1 (0.10%) AUTOSAR
5 1 (0.10%) ISO 9001
5 1 (0.10%) MISRA
5 1 (0.10%) MISRA C
System Software
1 72 (7.33%) Docker
2 34 (3.46%) Firmware
3 11 (1.12%) Embedded Firmware
3 11 (1.12%) KVM
3 11 (1.12%) VMware Infrastructure
4 10 (1.02%) Hyper-V
5 8 (0.81%) Virtual Machines
6 2 (0.20%) Active Directory
Systems Management
1 40 (4.07%) Kubernetes
2 16 (1.63%) Terraform
3 12 (1.22%) Ansible
4 6 (0.61%) Podman
5 2 (0.20%) Puppet
Vendors
1 13 (1.32%) Microsoft
2 12 (1.22%) Oracle
3 11 (1.12%) VMware
4 9 (0.92%) Salesforce
5 4 (0.41%) Google
6 3 (0.31%) Allen-Bradley
6 3 (0.31%) Siemens
6 3 (0.31%) Wonderware
6 3 (0.31%) Xilinx
7 2 (0.20%) Atlassian
7 2 (0.20%) Yahoo!
8 1 (0.10%) Adobe
8 1 (0.10%) IBM
8 1 (0.10%) NVIDIA
8 1 (0.10%) ServiceNow
8 1 (0.10%) Typelevel
8 1 (0.10%) Xamarin