Programmer Job Trends
Programmer
UK
The median Programmer salary in the UK is £45,000 per year, according to job vacancies posted during the 6 months leading to 29 October 2026.
The table below compares current salary benchmarking and summary statistics with the previous two years.
| 6 months to 29 Oct 2026 |
Same period 2025 | Same period 2024 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | 304 | 569 | 404 |
| Rank change year-on-year | +265 | -165 | +111 |
| Permanent Programmer jobs | 714 | 103 | 387 |
| As % of all permanent jobs in the UK | 0.58% | 0.21% | 0.57% |
| As % of the Job Titles category | 0.64% | 0.23% | 0.60% |
| Number of salaries quoted | 429 | 71 | 194 |
| 10th Percentile | £32,500 | £35,000 | £30,000 |
| 25th Percentile | £39,750 | - | £35,000 |
| Median annual salary (50th Percentile) | £45,000 | £45,000 | £40,000 |
| Median % change year-on-year | - | +12.50% | +53.85% |
| 75th Percentile | £50,000 | £57,500 | £50,000 |
| 90th Percentile | £65,000 | £75,000 | £55,875 |
| UK excluding London median annual salary | £45,000 | £45,000 | £40,000 |
| % change year-on-year | - | +12.50% | +33.36% |
All Permanent IT Job Roles
UK
For comparison with the information above, the following table provides summary statistics for all permanent IT job adverts matching a recognised job title. The table also shows what proportion of all permanent IT job adverts they make up.
| 6 months to 29 Oct 2026 |
Same period 2025 | Same period 2024 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Permanent job adverts in the UK matching a recognised job title | 112,351 | 44,727 | 64,938 |
| % of permanent job adverts matching a recognised job title | 92.02% | 90.11% | 95.28% |
| Number of salaries quoted | 75,241 | 26,876 | 36,920 |
| 10th Percentile | £30,750 | £28,250 | £31,250 |
| 25th Percentile | £41,250 | £35,000 | £42,000 |
| Median annual salary (50th Percentile) | £59,000 | £52,500 | £57,000 |
| Median % change year-on-year | +12.38% | -7.89% | -5.00% |
| 75th Percentile | £76,250 | £73,750 | £75,000 |
| 90th Percentile | £97,500 | £93,750 | £95,000 |
| UK excluding London median annual salary | £55,000 | £45,974 | £50,000 |
| % change year-on-year | +19.63% | -8.05% | -4.76% |
Programmer Job Vacancy Trend
Historical trend showing the proportion of permanent Programmer job postings relative to all permanent IT jobs advertised.
Programmer Salary Trend
Salary distribution trend for Programmer job vacancies in the UK.
Programmer Salary Histogram
Salary distribution for Programmer jobs over the 6 months to 29 October 2026.
Programmer Top 17 Job Locations
The table below looks at the demand and provides a guide to the median salaries quoted in Programmer jobs within the UK over the 6 months to 29 October 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 |
Job Ads Past 6 Months |
Median Salary Past 6 Months |
Median Salary % Change on Same Period Last Year |
Live Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| England | +251 | 681 | £45,000 | - | 48 |
| UK excluding London | +206 | 672 | £45,000 | - | 45 |
| Midlands | +92 | 224 | £45,000 | - | 15 |
| South East | +87 | 171 | £55,000 | +10.00% | 15 |
| West Midlands | +56 | 138 | £42,000 | -6.67% | 9 |
| North of England | +25 | 112 | £40,000 | -20.00% | 12 |
| South West | +26 | 106 | £40,000 | - | 3 |
| East Midlands | +40 | 86 | £45,000 | - | 6 |
| North West | -3 | 48 | £40,000 | -20.00% | 8 |
| Work from Home | -23 | 46 | £65,000 | -7.14% | 11 |
| East of England | -20 | 45 | £55,000 | +10.00% | 1 |
| Yorkshire | - | 40 | £40,000 | - | 2 |
| North East | - | 24 | £42,328 | - | 3 |
| London | -52 | 23 | £50,000 | -28.57% | 4 |
| Scotland | +12 | 6 | £40,000 | -11.11% | |
| Wales | -66 | 4 | £45,000 | +12.50% | |
| Northern Ireland | -78 | 4 | £80,000 | +185.71% |
Programmer Skill Set Top 30 Co-Occurring Skills & Capabilities
For the 6 months to 29 October 2026, Programmer job ads cited 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 Programmer job ads.
| Rank | Skill | Share | Job Ads |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CAD | 14.8% | 106 |
| 2 | Continuous Improvement | 6.3% | 45 |
| 3 | Problem-Solving | 3.9% | 28 |
| 4 | C++ | 3.8% | 27 |
| 5 | Software Engineering | 2.9% | 21 |
| 6 | Mathematics | 2.7% | 19 |
| 7 | Fluid Mechanics | 2.5% | 18 |
| 7 | Motion Control | 2.5% | 18 |
| 9 | Calypso | 2.1% | 15 |
| 9 | Microsoft | 2.1% | 15 |
| 11 | 3D Modelling | 2.0% | 14 |
| 11 | Siemens | 2.0% | 14 |
| 13 | Unreal Engine | 1.8% | 13 |
| 14 | ALPHACAM | 1.7% | 12 |
| 14 | Fusion 360 | 1.7% | 12 |
| 14 | Microsoft Office | 1.7% | 12 |
| 14 | Process Improvement | 1.7% | 12 |
| 18 | Unity (Game Engine) | 1.5% | 11 |
| 19 | Cincom | 1.3% | 9 |
| 19 | Degree | 1.3% | 9 |
| 19 | ERP | 1.3% | 9 |
| 19 | HNC | 1.3% | 9 |
| 19 | QA | 1.3% | 9 |
| 19 | XML | 1.3% | 9 |
| 25 | CATI | 1.1% | 8 |
| 25 | CDISC | 1.1% | 8 |
| 25 | Computer Science | 1.1% | 8 |
| 25 | Data Collection | 1.1% | 8 |
| 25 | Data Management | 1.1% | 8 |
| 25 | Exploratory Analysis | 1.1% | 8 |
Programmer Skill Set Co-Occurring Skills & Capabilities by Category
The table below expands on the one above by listing co-occurrences one category at a time. It covers the same employment type, locality and period, with up to 20 co-occurrences in each category.
Job Titles
| Rank | Job Title | Share | Job Ads |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Senior Programmer | 8.3% | 59 |
| 2 | Lead Programmer | 3.9% | 28 |
| 3 | C++ Programmer | 3.8% | 27 |
| 4 | Trainee Programmer | 2.8% | 20 |
| 5 | Applications Engineer | 2.7% | 19 |
| 6 | Senior C++ Programmer | 2.2% | 16 |
| 7 | Analyst Programmer | 1.8% | 13 |
| 8 | PLC Programmer | 1.7% | 12 |
| 9 | Junior Programmer | 1.4% | 10 |
| 9 | Software Programmer | 1.4% | 10 |
| 11 | Technical Sales Engineer | 0.8% | 6 |
| 12 | CAD Designer | 0.7% | 5 |
| 12 | Statistical Programmer | 0.7% | 5 |
| 14 | Artificial Intelligence Programmer | 0.6% | 4 |
| 14 | Senior Statistical Programmer | 0.6% | 4 |
| 16 | Graduate C++ Programmer | 0.4% | 3 |
| 16 | QC Engineer | 0.4% | 3 |
| 16 | Senior Python Programmer | 0.4% | 3 |
| 16 | Systems Programmer | 0.4% | 3 |
| 20 | CICS Systems Programmer | 0.3% | 2 |