The state of UK software hiring in 2026
Where salaries, demand and remote norms are heading across engineering disciplines.
After two years of correction, UK software hiring has settled into a more disciplined rhythm. Headcount growth is back — but it's selective, weighted toward senior individual contributors and platform-leaning roles rather than the broad mid-level hiring sprees of 2021.
Salaries for staff and principal engineers in London have climbed roughly 8% year-on-year, while mid-level permanent base pay is broadly flat. Outside London, regional hubs like Manchester, Bristol and Edinburgh are closing the gap faster than most hiring managers expect, particularly for fully remote roles.
Remote norms have crystallised around a 2-3 day hybrid expectation for permanent roles, with fully remote concentrated in scale-ups and US-headquartered firms. Candidates increasingly treat office mandates as a salary negotiation lever rather than a deal-breaker.
Demand is strongest in platform engineering, applied ML, and senior backend roles with distributed systems experience. Front-end-only profiles are taking noticeably longer to place, and generalist full-stack candidates are being asked to demonstrate depth in at least one area.
Our advice to hiring managers: tighten your specs, shorten your loops to three stages, and benchmark salary bands quarterly rather than annually. The market moves faster than your comp review cycle.