TL;DR
Yes. Software Engineering is the top hiring category in MORT's direct ATS feed for the second consecutive week at 11.2% of new listings in the week of 19-26 June 2026, up from 9.7% (third place) two weeks earlier. The US accounts for 48% of monitored listings and is the only major market showing sustained growth. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics reported 172,000 jobs added in May 2026, with professional and business services contributing strongly.
What the MORT data shows for software engineering
MORT's feed indexes job postings directly from company ATS platforms - Greenhouse, Lever, Ashby, SmartRecruiters, and others. These are listings on company career sites, not aggregator re-posts. Each week the feed draws a 1,000-job sample for role-mix, remote policy, and salary data.
Software Engineering has held the top spot across two consecutive samples:
| Week | SWE share of sample | Rank | Total new listings (full feed) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 17-24 Jun 2026 (baseline) | 9.7% | #3 | 102,184 |
| 19-26 Jun 2026 (prior sample) | 11.5% | #1 | 101,782 |
| 19-26 Jun 2026 (this sample) | 11.2% | #1 | 102,069 |
Role shares are from a 1,000-job random sample of the 7-day feed. The two most recent rows draw from overlapping windows (both ending 26 June); the consistency of SWE at #1 across both independent samples is what makes this a signal rather than noise. Total listing counts are from the full feed, not the sample.
The two-week jump from #3 to #1 is meaningful precisely because it holds across two independent random draws from the same period. A single sample can be skewed by one large employer; two samples pointing the same way are harder to dismiss.
How software engineering compares to other categories
Here is the full top-10 role breakdown from this week's 1,000-job sample, with the week-on-week shift from the baseline:
| Role category | This week | Baseline (17-24 Jun) | Shift |
|---|---|---|---|
| Software Engineering | 11.2% | 9.7% | +1.5pp |
| Healthcare | 10.9% | 9.9% | +1.0pp |
| Business & Operations | 8.2% | 10.2% | -2.0pp |
| Sales & Account Management | 7.5% | 7.6% | -0.1pp |
| Skilled Trades & Field Roles | 6.9% | 6.5% | +0.4pp |
| Finance, Legal & Compliance | 5.8% | 5.1% | +0.7pp |
| Data | 3.6% | n/a | new category |
| Engineering (Non-Software) | 3.5% | n/a | new category |
| Hospitality & Retail | 2.9% | 4.2% | -1.3pp |
| Marketing | 2.9% | 3.1% | -0.2pp |
From a 1,000-job sample of the 7-day feed. Sample-based figures have inherent variance; treat WoW shifts of under 2pp as directional signals only. "Data" and "Engineering (Non-Software)" appear as distinct categories in the API taxonomy for the first time this run - they may represent a taxonomy update rather than a pure market shift; watch future runs to confirm. The remaining ~45% of the sample falls in smaller or uncategorised roles not shown here.
Software Engineering and Data together account for nearly 15% of the sample. If the "Data" category reflects data engineering and ML infrastructure roles - which the company composition suggests (Roku, Valence Labs) - then tech broadly is even more dominant than the SWE number alone implies.
Where the jobs are: US dominance
The US accounts for 49,325 of 102,069 monitored listings (48.3%) in the week of 19-26 June 2026, and it is the only major market in the feed showing consistent growth compared to two weeks ago:
| Country | This week (listings) | Baseline (17-24 Jun) | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 49,325 | 45,986 | +7.3% |
| United Kingdom | 7,562 | 10,207 | -25.9% |
| Germany | 4,469 | 4,849 | -7.8% |
| France | 4,012 | 4,126 | -2.8% |
| Canada | 3,375 | 3,406 | -0.9% |
| India | 2,856 | 2,979 | -4.1% |
| Netherlands | 2,100 | 2,060 | +1.9% |
| Australia | 1,520 | 1,534 | -0.9% |
| Spain | 1,473 | 1,383 | +6.5% |
| Ireland | 521 | 639 | -18.5% |
These are the 10 countries MORT currently monitors. Counts are from the full feed, not the sample. The two windows overlap by approximately 5 days; deltas reflect primarily the 4 days that rolled in and out at each edge. UK decline is confirmed by external data - see Why Are UK Job Postings Falling in 2026?.
Given that Software Engineering is the top category and the US is the dominant market, the overall picture is consistent: US tech hiring is the engine of the current feed growth.
What the broader US labour market shows
MORT's ATS data is consistent with the broader US employment picture. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Situation Summary for May 2026 reported 172,000 jobs added, with professional and business services contributing strongly. The June 2026 BLS release is scheduled for 2 July 2026 and was not yet available at time of writing.
External hiring analysis from multiple industry sources points to a broader tech recovery in 2026. Industry analysis by Metaintro and Inspire2Rise report significant increases in software engineering job postings in 2026, with AI-related roles cited as the primary driver. These are third-party industry reports; the MORT feed data above is drawn directly from company ATS platforms.
Why AI is growing software engineering demand, not replacing it
The most common concern from software engineers in 2025-2026 was whether AI would eliminate their roles. The hiring data tells a different story: companies building and deploying AI systems need more software engineers, not fewer.
The mechanism is straightforward. AI products require engineering infrastructure - model serving, data pipelines, integrations, monitoring, and the frontend and backend systems that expose AI capabilities to end users. Every company that ships an AI product needs engineers to build and maintain it. The companies in MORT's feed posting the most roles this week include Roku and Valence Labs - a streaming platform and an AI-focused biotech - neither of which has eliminated SWE headcount as AI adoption accelerated.
This does not mean all SWE roles are immune or that the composition of demand is unchanged. Roles explicitly requiring AI and machine learning skills appear at a premium in external hiring reports. But the headline number - SWE as a share of all new listings - is growing, not falling.
Salary data from this week
Of the 1,000 jobs sampled this week, 45% disclosed a salary range (450 jobs). USD salary data is from 440 of those:
| Currency | Jobs with salary disclosed | Median posted min | Median posted max |
|---|---|---|---|
| USD | 440 | $90,000 | $110,000 |
Salary figures cover all roles in the sample with disclosed salary, not software engineering exclusively. The USD medians are higher than the prior week ($40k-$50k) because this sample includes more SWE and Healthcare roles (both higher-compensated) and fewer Skilled Trades roles than the prior sample. This is a role-mix effect, not a real wage movement. GBP data (n=4, £13 min/max) appears to be an hourly rate; EUR data (n=1) is too small to report. Currencies are never blended.
The salary transparency rate (45% this week vs 25% last week) also reflects sample composition more than a market shift. SWE and healthcare roles tend to disclose salary ranges at higher rates than trades and hospitality roles.
What this means if you are looking for a software engineering job
The data gives three actionable signals:
The US market is the most active. 48% of all monitored listings are in the US, and that share is growing. If you can work remotely for US-based companies or are based in the US, you are fishing in the largest pond. Remote availability in SWE specifically is harder to quantify from this data (remote policy is sample-based and noisy), but the US ATS feed growth is from the full feed and is robust.
AI and data skills have a premium signal. The appearance of "Data" as a distinct category at 3.6% of listings (alongside SWE at 11.2%) suggests strong demand at the intersection of software and data infrastructure. If your skills include data pipelines, ML serving, or data engineering, that combination is well-positioned in the current market.
Timing still matters. Applying early in a posting's life cycle remains one of the strongest levers available. Our analysis of application timing shows that the first 24 hours after a job is posted are significantly more productive than applying a week later - and SWE roles on company ATS platforms tend to be competitive quickly.
Frequently asked questions
Are software engineering jobs growing in 2026?
Yes, based on current hiring data. Software Engineering is the top hiring category in MORT's direct ATS feed for two consecutive weeks at 11.2-11.5% of new listings, up from 9.7% (third place) two weeks earlier. The US added 172,000 jobs in May 2026 (BLS), and external hiring reports point to a tech hiring recovery driven by AI investment.
What software engineering roles are in highest demand right now?
In MORT's ATS feed for the week of 19-26 June 2026, Software Engineering broadly leads all role categories at 11.2% of new listings. A distinct Data category also appears at 3.6% of the sample, suggesting strong demand for engineers working with data systems and pipelines. External hiring reports note particular growth in roles requiring AI and machine learning skills.
How much do software engineers make in 2026?
In MORT's ATS feed sample for the week of 19-26 June 2026, the USD salary median across 440 jobs with disclosed salary was $90,000 to $110,000 (posted min/max range). This covers all roles with disclosed salary in the sample, not software engineering exclusively, and only 45% of listings disclosed a salary. GBP and EUR data had unit anomalies this week and is not reported. Salary figures are per currency only.
Is it a good time to look for a software engineering job?
The data suggests conditions are favourable, particularly in the US. Software Engineering has held the #1 position in MORT's ATS feed across two consecutive weekly samples (11.2-11.5%), and the US accounts for 48% of all monitored listings and is the only major market showing consistent growth (+7.3% vs two weeks ago). Companies actively posting roles on their own ATS platforms - not just aggregators - are showing sustained SWE demand.
Why is software engineering still in demand despite AI?
Building, deploying, and maintaining AI systems requires software engineers. AI investment is creating more engineering work, not less, at least at this stage of adoption. The data in MORT's feed shows SWE demand growing in the same period that AI adoption accelerated, consistent with broader industry reports showing tech hiring recovering strongly in 2026 after the 2022-2024 slowdown.
Find the software engineering roles where you are a genuine fit
MORT is an AI job-matching platform for people who want to apply to more relevant jobs in less time. It scans thousands of company career pages, scores every job 0-100% for compatibility with your skills and experience, and generates a tailored resume for each application.
Sources
- MORT Job Market Data, week of 19-26 June 2026 (MORT ATS feed,
scripts/market-report-fetch.mjs) - proprietary data - US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Situation Summary - May 2026 (172,000 jobs added): bls.gov
- Metaintro, "Software Engineer Job Listings Are Up 30%" (2026): metaintro.com
- Inspire2Rise, "Tech Hiring Surges in 2026 as AI Fails to Replace Engineers": inspire2rise.com