Software Engineer jobs in 2026 — required skills, demand trends, and top hiring cities

As of 2026-11-02, Skillenai has indexed 41,722 job postings with the title “Software Engineer” over the past 90 days. The skill mentioned most often is Python, with demand share up 0.6% vs the prior 4 weeks.

Last updated · 90d ending 2026-11-02

Postings · last 90 days
41,722
Demand vs prior month
up 0.6% vs the prior 4 weeks
Most-required skill
Top hiring metro
San Francisco

How well does your resume match Software Engineer?

Upload your resume and Skillenai will score it against the Software Engineer skills on this page, then show exactly which ones you are missing.

Frequently asked questions about Software Engineer jobs

+How many Software Engineer jobs are being posted in 2026?

Skillenai has indexed 41,722 job postings with the title “Software Engineer” over the 90 days ending 2026-11-02.

+What skills do Software Engineer jobs require?

Across Software Engineer postings indexed by Skillenai over the 90 days ending 2026-11-02, the skills mentioned most often are Python, Java, AWS, CI/CD, Kubernetes.

+Which cities are hiring the most Software Engineer?

As of 2026-11-02, Software Engineer postings indexed by Skillenai are concentrated in San Francisco, New York City, Bengaluru, London, Pune.

+Is Software Engineer a good career path right now?

Skillenai indexes 41,722 Software Engineer postings over the 90 days ending 2026-11-02. The skill mentioned most often in Software Engineer postings is Python, so building it gives the strongest signal that an applicant matches the role.

+How can I track new Software Engineer job postings as they’re indexed?

Skillenai sends a daily email digest of new Software Engineer postings indexed across the open web. Subscribe from your account dashboard after creating a free Skillenai account.

+What roles do people move into and out of Software Engineer?

The career-flow chart shows roles before and after observed employer changes across all locations. Counts are moves, not distinct people or promotion probabilities. Same-role moves to another employer are included. The incoming and outgoing sides are separate groups of observations, not a matched three-stage journey.

Weekly indexed Software Engineer postings — last 90 days

Salary distribution

Box = 25th–75th percentile · tick = median · whisker = 10th–90th · USD, annualized

Career paths through Software Engineer

Different-role employer moves. Each side is scaled independently.

Historical career profiles · all locations

156,357 employer moves kept the same role.

Roles before Software Engineer

Before Software EngineerSoftware Developer → Software Engineer: 5,209 observed employer movesWeb Developer → Software Engineer: 2,719 observed employer movesResearch Assistant → Software Engineer: 2,481 observed employer movesData Scientist → Software Engineer: 2,405 observed employer movesTeaching Assistant → Software Engineer: 2,158 observed employer movesData Analyst → Software Engineer: 1,730 observed employer movesML Engineer → Software Engineer: 1,428 observed employer movesSoftwareEngineerSoftware Developer: 5,209 movesSoftware Developer5,209 movesWeb Developer: 2,719 movesWeb Developer2,719 movesResearch Assistant: 2,481 movesResearch Assistant2,481 movesData Scientist: 2,405 movesData Scientist2,405 movesTeaching Assistant: 2,158 movesTeaching Assistant2,158 movesData Analyst: 1,730 movesData Analyst1,730 movesML Engineer: 1,428 movesML Engineer1,428 moves

Roles after Software Engineer

After Software EngineerSoftware Engineer → Software Developer: 3,536 observed employer movesSoftware Engineer → Data Scientist: 2,289 observed employer movesSoftware Engineer → Data Engineer: 2,062 observed employer movesSoftware Engineer → Data Analyst: 1,596 observed employer movesSoftware Engineer → ML Engineer: 1,438 observed employer movesSoftware Engineer → Product Manager: 1,422 observed employer movesSoftware Engineer → Web Developer: 1,409 observed employer movesSoftwareEngineerSoftware Developer: 3,536 movesSoftware Developer3,536 movesData Scientist: 2,289 movesData Scientist2,289 movesData Engineer: 2,062 movesData Engineer2,062 movesData Analyst: 1,596 movesData Analyst1,596 movesML Engineer: 1,438 movesML Engineer1,438 movesProduct Manager: 1,422 movesProduct Manager1,422 movesWeb Developer: 1,409 movesWeb Developer1,409 moves
How to read this chart · view counts

Each side is an independent set of observed employer moves, not the same people followed through three stages. Ribbon widths compare move counts within that side. Internal moves are not included.

Same role means a change of employer while keeping the same role. Counts are moves, not distinct people, promotions, or your chances of making a particular move.

Source: Skillenai talent graph, historical career profiles. Historical descriptions and coverage can change. Only the leading published connections are shown.

Observed connections and move counts
ConnectionMoves
Before: Software Engineer (different employer)156,357
Before: Software Developer5,209
Before: Web Developer2,719
Before: Research Assistant2,481
Before: Data Scientist2,405
Before: Teaching Assistant2,158
Before: Data Analyst1,730
Before: ML Engineer1,428
After: Software Engineer (different employer)156,357
After: Software Developer3,536
After: Data Scientist2,289
After: Data Engineer2,062
After: Data Analyst1,596
After: ML Engineer1,438
After: Product Manager1,422
After: Web Developer1,409

Skills most often required for Software Engineer

NamePostingsShare
Python16,10338.6%
Java13,35332.0%
AWS10,21324.5%
CI/CD10,05624.1%
Kubernetes9,15221.9%
TypeScript8,86721.3%
React7,57618.2%
JavaScript6,95216.7%
Distributed systems6,83316.4%
Docker6,58815.8%
Go6,51115.6%
C++6,39215.3%
SQL6,33015.2%
Git5,12912.3%
microservices5,05712.1%

Top companies posting Software Engineer jobs

Employers ranked by indexed job postings in the last 90 days.

Top companies posting Software Engineer jobs
CompanyPostings · 90 days
Cisco1,062
Mastercard595
Google506
NVIDIA364
Capital One314
Globalpr309
Anduril Industries297
Northrop Grumman287
Elastic283
CLERA275

Job postings indexed over the past 90 days, grouped by resolved employer. Counts are postings, not hires. Companies without a published page appear without a link.

Top metros hiring Software Engineer

NamePostingsShare
San Francisco1,6303.9%
New York City1,1712.8%
Bengaluru1,0142.4%
London7211.7%
Pune6411.5%
Seattle5351.3%
Toronto4771.1%
Hyderabad4761.1%
Dublin3940.9%

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How this was computed

Weekly job-count charts omit the incomplete current week (weeks start Monday, UTC). Totals include all postings in the stated window. Counts derive from the Skillenai jobs index over the 90 days ending 2026-11-02, matching postings whose canonical role is “Software Engineer”. Pages refresh weekly (or daily for the top-50 most-posted roles). Adjusted posting share: 16.9% to 17.0%. Demand share change is the relative percentage change between these adjusted shares. Each employer-and-ATS group has at least 10 postings in each 90-day window; its earlier posting count supplies the same weight in both windows. The panel includes 2,474 identified employers and covers 71% of earlier and 70% of latest indexed postings. Windows: 2026-07-07 to 2026-10-05 and 2026-08-04 to 2026-11-02 (UTC; end dates excluded). The windows overlap by 62 days. Dates reflect indexing, not the employer’s posting date. This measures posting mix, not total hiring or market-wide demand. Matching excludes entrants and exits; changes in crawl completeness within an employer or ATS can still affect the result.

role
Software Engineer
source
Skillenai jobs index, deduplicated daily
data_as_of
2026-11-02
window_days
90
Compiled by Jared Rand · Data sourced from the Skillenai labor market index