TL;DR
A January 2026 snapshot finds 105,115 global software engineering job postings, with about 13,985 remote and 91,130 on-site roles. Demand centers on business applications, core software engineering, cybersecurity and AI skills, while Bengaluru, major U.S. cities and Indian tech hubs show the largest concentrations.
What happened
A jobs dataset published for January 2026 catalogs 105,115 software engineering openings worldwide, split between roughly 13,985 remote postings and 91,130 on-site roles. The largest specialization by volume is business software applications (20,248), followed by software engineering (16,992) and cybersecurity engineering (11,476). Roles emphasizing leadership, data and analytics, and AI/ML engineering also feature prominently. Employers are seeking technical skills heavily: Python tops the list (12,575), with cloud and infrastructure skills such as AWS (7,566), SQL (7,383), CI/CD (7,252), and Kubernetes (6,790) close behind. AI-related signals appear across many listings, with 21,477 roles referencing general AI and several thousand citing generative AI, LLMs and RAG. Most openings are mid-level (59,260), with fewer senior and leadership positions. Geographic hotspots include Bengaluru, prominent U.S. markets, and major Indian cities, plus London, Toronto and Singapore.
Why it matters
- High counts for business-applications and core engineering roles signal steady demand for application development and integration expertise.
- Strong emphasis on cloud, CI/CD and containerization skills reflects employer priorities for cloud-native and production-oriented capabilities.
- Widespread AI mentions—both general and specialized—indicate companies are integrating AI into a wide range of software roles.
- The concentration of openings in a few global hubs has implications for talent sourcing, relocation, and remote-work strategies.
Key facts
- Total job postings: 105,115 (Remote: 13,985; On-site: 91,130).
- Top specializations by count: business software applications 20,248; software engineering 16,992; cybersecurity engineering 11,476.
- Other notable specializations: software-engineering-leadership 10,608; data-and-analytics 10,379; machine-learning-and-ai-engineering 8,793.
- Most in-demand skills: Python 12,575; AWS 7,566; SQL 7,383; CI/CD 7,252; Kubernetes 6,790.
- AI skill signals: AI (generic) 21,477; Generative AI 4,887; LLMs 4,376; RAG 1,019; Prompt engineering 772.
- Seniority distribution: Mid Level 59,260; Senior 24,137; Lead 6,721; Manager 5,882; Principal 3,416.
- Top geographic hotspots by posting count: Bengaluru 6,808; United States (overall) 5,079; Hyderabad 3,183; Pune 2,730; New York City 2,706.
- Other international hubs with notable counts: Chennai 2,001; San Francisco 1,967; London 1,824; Toronto 1,567; Singapore 1,160.
What to watch next
- Demand for AI-related skills (generative AI, LLMs, RAG) and integrations like Copilot and OpenAI appears significant and may shape hiring profiles.
- Continued emphasis on cloud-native and DevOps competencies (AWS, CI/CD, Kubernetes, Docker) as employers prioritize scalable deployment pipelines.
- Geographic concentration in Bengaluru and major U.S. and Indian tech centers could influence where companies recruit and invest in local teams.
Quick glossary
- CI/CD: Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment — practices and toolchains that automate code integration, testing and delivery.
- LLM: Large Language Model — a type of AI model trained on large text corpora to generate or understand human language.
- RAG: Retrieval-Augmented Generation — an approach that combines information retrieval with generative models to produce more accurate outputs.
- DevOps: A set of practices and cultural philosophies aimed at unifying software development and IT operations for faster delivery.
- Full stack: A developer skilled in both front-end and back-end parts of an application stack, often handling end-to-end features.
Reader FAQ
How many total software engineering job postings are in the January 2026 snapshot?
105,115 total postings.
What share of roles are remote versus on-site?
The dataset lists 13,985 remote roles and 91,130 on-site roles.
Which skills are most requested by employers?
Python, AWS, SQL, CI/CD and Kubernetes rank as the most-requested skills.
Are leadership and senior roles common in the data?
Most openings are mid-level (59,260); senior and leadership roles are fewer (Senior 24,137; Lead 6,721; Manager 5,882; Principal 3,416).
Global Software Engineering Jobs – January 2026 Total: 105,115, Remote: 13,985, On-site: 91,130. Specializations Specializations Summary: Business software applications hold the largest share of positions, indicating strong demand for professionals…
Sources
- Global software engineering job postings outlook – 2026
- Software Engineering Job Market Outlook for 2026
- Top 14 Cities for Tech Roles in 2026
- Tech Careers in 2026: AI, Cloud and Emerging Roles …
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