Embedded Linux Job Trends

Embedded Linux
UK

The table below provides summary statistics and salary benchmarking for jobs requiring Embedded Linux skills. It covers permanent job vacancies from the 6 months leading up to 1 January 2026, with comparisons to the same periods in the previous two years.

6 months to
1 Jan 2026
Same period 2025 Same period 2024
Rank 614 564 642
Rank change year-on-year -50 +78 +252
Permanent jobs citing Embedded Linux 37 148 71
As % of all permanent jobs in the UK 0.063% 0.27% 0.14%
As % of the Operating Systems category 0.74% 1.79% 0.85%
Number of salaries quoted 16 95 67
10th Percentile - £51,250 £49,000
25th Percentile £45,000 £57,500 £52,500
Median annual salary (50th Percentile) £45,500 £65,000 £60,000
Median % change year-on-year -30.00% +8.33% -
75th Percentile £54,063 £85,000 £71,250
90th Percentile £67,500 - £99,500
UK excluding London median annual salary £45,500 £67,000 £60,000
% change year-on-year -32.09% +11.67% +20.00%

All Operating Systems
UK

Embedded Linux falls under the Operating Systems category. For comparison with the information above, the following table provides summary statistics for all permanent job vacancies requiring operating system skills.

Permanent vacancies with a requirement for operating system skills 4,976 8,267 8,397
As % of all permanent jobs advertised in the UK 8.41% 14.97% 16.36%
Number of salaries quoted 3,698 4,738 6,889
10th Percentile £27,000 £28,250 £27,465
25th Percentile £31,250 £36,250 £34,581
Median annual salary (50th Percentile) £44,000 £50,242 £50,000
Median % change year-on-year -12.42% +0.48% -4.76%
75th Percentile £65,000 £72,438 £67,500
90th Percentile £85,000 £88,750 £87,500
UK excluding London median annual salary £37,500 £47,000 £45,000
% change year-on-year -20.21% +4.44% -

Embedded Linux
Job Vacancy Trend

Historical trend showing the proportion of permanent IT job postings citing Embedded Linux relative to all permanent IT jobs advertised.

Embedded Linux job vacancy trend in the UK

Embedded Linux
Salary Trend

Salary distribution trend for jobs in the UK citing Embedded Linux.

Salary distribution trend for jobs in the UK citing Embedded Linux

Embedded Linux
Salary Histogram

Salary distribution for jobs citing Embedded Linux over the 6 months to 1 January 2026.

Salary histogram for Embedded Linux in the UK

Embedded Linux
Top 10 Job Locations

The table below looks at the demand and provides a guide to the median salaries quoted in IT jobs citing Embedded Linux within the UK over the 6 months to 1 January 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
UK excluding London -43 37 £45,500 -32.09% 34
England -34 27 £45,000 -35.71% 28
Work from Home +35 16 £65,000 -5.80% 11
South East -22 13 - - 5
Scotland +9 10 £65,000 +4.00% 6
East of England -3 9 £45,000 -35.71% 7
West Midlands +2 4 £52,500 -14.63%
Midlands +1 4 £52,500 -13.58% 4
North of England +19 1 £46,000 -3.16% 4
Yorkshire -9 1 £46,000 -16.36%

Embedded Linux
Co-Occurring Skills & Capabilities 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:

Cloud Services
1 1 (2.70%) SaaS
Communications & Networking
1 13 (35.14%) Software-Defined Radio
1 13 (35.14%) Wireless
2 7 (18.92%) RS-232
3 5 (13.51%) Modbus
3 5 (13.51%) RS-485
4 4 (10.81%) 3G
4 4 (10.81%) GPRS
4 4 (10.81%) GSM
4 4 (10.81%) SSL
4 4 (10.81%) TCP/IP
5 3 (8.11%) Ethernet
Development Applications
1 1 (2.70%) JIRA
General
1 13 (35.14%) Finance
2 3 (8.11%) Manufacturing
3 1 (2.70%) Electronics
3 1 (2.70%) Social Skills
Job Titles
1 33 (89.19%) Software Engineer
2 31 (83.78%) Embedded Engineer
3 30 (81.08%) Embedded Software Engineer
4 17 (45.95%) Linux Engineer
5 14 (37.84%) Embedded Linux Engineer
5 14 (37.84%) Embedded Linux Software Engineer
6 10 (27.03%) Senior
6 10 (27.03%) Senior Embedded Engineer
6 10 (27.03%) Senior Embedded Software Engineer
6 10 (27.03%) Senior Software Engineer
7 7 (18.92%) Senior Linux Engineer
8 2 (5.41%) C Software Engineer
8 2 (5.41%) C/C++ Embedded Software Engineer
8 2 (5.41%) C/C++ Software Engineer
8 2 (5.41%) C++ Software Engineer
8 2 (5.41%) Embedded C Engineer
8 2 (5.41%) Embedded C Software Engineer
8 2 (5.41%) Embedded C/C++ Engineer
8 2 (5.41%) Embedded C/C++ Software Engineer
8 2 (5.41%) Embedded C++ Engineer
Libraries, Frameworks & Software Standards
1 3 (8.11%) Yocto
Miscellaneous
1 14 (37.84%) Embedded Systems
2 13 (35.14%) e-Learning
2 13 (35.14%) MicroBlaze
2 13 (35.14%) RISC-V
3 3 (8.11%) Device Driver
4 1 (2.70%) Analogue Electronics
4 1 (2.70%) CAN bus
Operating Systems
1 37 (100.00%) Linux
2 4 (10.81%) FreeRTOS
Processes & Methodologies
1 35 (94.59%) Software Engineering
2 20 (54.05%) Agile
3 13 (35.14%) Digital Signal Processing
3 13 (35.14%) Innovative Thinking
3 13 (35.14%) Signal Processing
4 5 (13.51%) Test Automation
5 4 (10.81%) Embedded Software Development
5 4 (10.81%) Scrum
5 4 (10.81%) Secure Coding
6 1 (2.70%) Collaborative Culture
6 1 (2.70%) Manual Testing
6 1 (2.70%) Mentoring
6 1 (2.70%) Software Testing
Programming Languages
1 29 (78.38%) C
1 29 (78.38%) C++
2 8 (21.62%) Embedded C
3 7 (18.92%) Embedded C++
Qualifications
1 13 (35.14%) SC Cleared
1 13 (35.14%) Security Cleared
2 8 (21.62%) Degree
Quality Assurance & Compliance
1 4 (10.81%) MISRA
System Software
1 18 (48.65%) Embedded Firmware
1 18 (48.65%) Firmware