US software engineer postings dip 8% this month, but defense hiring splits sharply
New roles fell 8% from the prior month even as weekly volume held steady. RTX and Northrop Grumman pulled back on new postings while Leidos kept adding roles.
The middle posted range across all levels. 58% of open roles post their pay.
9,528 roles with yearly payof open roles are at employers with recent US H-1B visa filings. Amazon, NVIDIA, JPMorganChase and Apple are on the list.
US H-1B filings, matched by employeris what the typical role asks for. 15% ask for 10 years or more.
76% of open roles state yearsThis week's read
There are 16,555 open software engineer roles right now across 3,997 companies, and the typical role stays open 28 days. New postings fell 8% in the last 30 days compared with the month before, though weekly volume has barely moved since late September, sitting close to where it has been for weeks.
Look inside the top employers and you see defense contractors moving in opposite directions. New postings at RTX fell 39% in the last 30 days, and at Northrop Grumman they fell 29%. Leidos moved the other way, posting 21% more new roles over the same stretch.
Employers are clear about what they want: 76% of postings state a required experience level. The median minimum is 5 years, and 15% ask for 10 years or more, so the market leans toward people with some track record already.
Remote work is scarce: only 10% of open roles are listed as remote. Pay is shown on 58% of postings, and the typical range across all levels runs from $136k to $195k.
Python is the most requested skill, named in 42% of postings read this week. If you need visa sponsorship, 41% of open roles sit at employers with recent H-1B filings, including Amazon, one of the biggest posters this month.
What this means for you
Three things you can act on this week
- Defense employers are splitting
RTX's new postings fell 39% and Northrop Grumman's fell 29% over the last 30 days, while Leidos's rose 21%. If you're targeting defense work, Leidos is adding roles faster than its peers right now.
- Show your years clearly
76% of postings state a required experience level, with a median minimum of 5 years and 15% asking for 10 years or more. Make your years of experience easy to find on your resume.
- Check sponsorship before applying
41% of open roles sit at employers with recent H-1B filings, including Amazon. If you need sponsorship, this list is a good place to start your search.
Pay
What Engineering roles in the United States pay, by level
The middle (median) of the pay ranges employers post. Read each bar from the typical low end to the typical high end of a posting. 58% of open roles post their pay.
See the numbers
| Level | Roles with pay | Typical low | Typical high |
|---|---|---|---|
| Director | 47 | $180k | $244k |
| Principal / Staff | 1,686 | $167k | $247k |
| Senior / Lead | 3,344 | $141k | $203k |
| Mid level | 4,451 | $120k | $175k |
Yearly USD ranges only (hourly pay and other currencies are left out). Level is read from the job title.
Momentum
New Engineering roles each week
Last 30 days: 6,907 new roles, against 7,483 the 30 days before (-8%). Each week counts the same companies, and a role counts as new only in the week it was posted, so a careers site we start reading never shows up as growth.
See the numbers
| Week starting | New roles |
|---|---|
| 7 Sep | 1,753 |
| 14 Sep | 2,078 |
| 21 Sep | 1,943 |
| 28 Sep | 2,100 |
| 5 Oct | 2,005 |
| 12 Oct | 1,913 |
| 19 Oct | 2,067 |
| 26 Oct | 2,072 |
Who is hiring
The companies with the most open Engineering roles
3,997 companies are hiring. The top eight hold 14% of the open roles.
| Company | Open roles | Change in new roles | H-1B filings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amazon | 616 | On the list | |
| NVIDIA | 296 | On the list | |
| JPMorganChase | 264 | On the list | |
| Apple | 234 | -9% | On the list |
| RTX | 234 | -39% | |
| Brightvisiontechnologies | 232 | -8% | |
| Capgemini | 221 | On the list | |
| Northrop Grumman | 218 | -29% |
Change compares new roles in the last 30 days with the 30 days before, shown where a company posted 25 or more in the earlier 30 days. Staffing agencies are left out. A company name links to its Ashney company page where there is one.
What they ask for
The technology Engineering roles ask for most
Ask Rate is the share of roles that name a skill, from 15,557 postings read in full. Ways of working (methods such as Agile, tools such as Jira) are listed apart; office tools and soft skills are left out.
Ways of working
Industries named most: Defense 4%, Robotics 4%, Healthcare 4%. Certifications named: CompTIA Security+ 1%, DoD 8570 1%, Salesforce Certified Platform Developer 1%. 10% of open roles say they are remote.
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