Industry report · October 2026
State of tech recruitment in Leeds
Leeds employers and agencies advertised 358 tech jobs across the roles we track in the 30 days to 6 October 2026. Software Engineer leads with 85 live adverts, and 71% came direct from the employer.
Updated 6 October 2026 · Live adverts, last 30 days · Next update 1 November 2026 · Baseline edition: month-on-month changes start next month
The 10 most in-demand tech roles in Leeds
Ranked by live adverts in the 30 days to 6 October 2026. Direct adverts were posted by the employer itself rather than an agency.
| # | Role | Live adverts | Direct | Last 7 days | Leads |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Software Engineer | 85 | 48 | 18 | Get leads |
| 2 | DevOps Engineer | 74 | 50 | 23 | Get leads |
| 3 | Data Analyst | 46 | 37 | 12 | Get leads |
| 4 | Solutions Architect | 41 | 27 | 11 | Get leads |
| 5 | Product Manager | 39 | 32 | 9 | Get leads |
| 6 | Data Engineer | 28 | 20 | 8 | Get leads |
| 7 | IT Support Engineer | 24 | 22 | 8 | Get leads |
| 8 | Cyber Security Analyst | 9 | 9 | 1 | Get leads |
| 9 | Machine Learning Engineer | 7 | 5 | 3 | Get leads |
| 10 | Frontend Developer | 5 | 3 | 0 | Get leads |
Titles counted for each role
- Software Engineer
- Senior Software Engineer · 11Software Developer · 11Full Stack Engineer · 10Full Stack Developer · 2Software Development Engineer · 2Backend Developer · 1Backend Engineer · 1
- DevOps Engineer
- Platform Engineer · 34Cloud Engineer · 11Senior DevOps Engineer · 6Site Reliability Engineer · 6Lead DevOps Engineer · 0Site Reliability Engineer (SRE) · 0SRE · 0
- Data Analyst
- Business Intelligence Analyst · 8Reporting Analyst · 6Insight Analyst · 2Junior Data Analyst · 1Senior Data Analyst · 0
- Solutions Architect
- Technical Architect · 11Enterprise Architect · 6Software Architect · 4Systems Architect · 3Cloud Architect · 2Lead Solutions Architect · 0Principal Solutions Architect · 0
- Product Manager
- Product Owner · 10Technical Product Manager · 4Associate Product Manager · 3Principal Product Manager · 2Senior Product Manager · 2Product Lead · 1Group Product Manager · 0
- Data Engineer
- Senior Data Engineer · 5Lead Data Engineer · 4Analytics Engineer · 2Big Data Engineer · 0Data Infrastructure Engineer · 0Junior Data Engineer · 0
- IT Support Engineer
- IT Support Technician · 5Service Desk Analyst · 51st Line Support · 3IT Support Specialist · 3Technical Support Engineer · 32nd Line Support · 2IT Support Analyst · 0
- Cyber Security Analyst
- Security Analyst · 8SOC Analyst · 1Cyber Analyst · 0Cybersecurity Analyst · 0Cybersecurity Engineer · 0Information Security Analyst · 0Junior Security Analyst · 0
- Machine Learning Engineer
- AI Engineer · 4ML Engineer · 1Junior Machine Learning Engineer · 0Lead Machine Learning Engineer · 0Senior Machine Learning Engineer · 0Staff Machine Learning Engineer · 0
- Frontend Developer
- Web Developer · 3Frontend Engineer · 1Front End Developer · 0Front End Engineer · 0Front-End Developer · 0Front-End Engineer · 0React Developer · 0
Each role counts its own title and the related titles employers use for it, and an advert matching several of them counts once. Per-title counts overlap ("Senior Data Engineer" adverts also match "Data Engineer"), so they add up to more than the role total.
253 Leeds tech adverts came straight from the employer.
Behind each one is a hiring manager. OutputX turns adverts like these into named decision makers you can contact, with outreach written in your voice, in about ten minutes.
What the numbers say
- DevOps Engineer runs Software Engineer close in Leeds: 74 adverts against 85, with Platform Engineer (34) the most-used DevOps title.
- Data Analyst is the third busiest role, with 46 adverts, 80% of them posted direct.
- 26% of the month's adverts appeared in the last 7 days, a touch ahead of an even month.
What it means for recruiters
71% of Leeds tech adverts are direct. DevOps takes a bigger slice of the market here than in any other city we cover, so an infrastructure desk has more to work with than the headline total suggests.
Questions recruiters ask
How many tech jobs are advertised in Leeds?
358 live tech job adverts were posted in Leeds and nearby towns in the 30 days to 6 October 2026, across the roles in this report and counted once each. 71% came direct from employers.
Which tech role is most in demand in Leeds?
Software Engineer, with 85 live adverts. Next came DevOps Engineer (74) and Data Analyst (46).
How does Leeds compare with other UK cities for tech jobs?
Leeds ranks fourth of the 5 cities we cover for tech adverts; London has 20.3× its volume. London: 7,278, Manchester: 755, Bristol: 368, Leeds: 358, Birmingham: 283.
How many tech adverts in Leeds come direct from employers?
253 of the 358 (71%) were posted by the employer itself; the rest came through recruitment agencies and other intermediaries.
Is tech hiring in Leeds speeding up or slowing down?
26% of the month's adverts were posted in the last 7 days, against about 23% in an even month, so tech hiring in Leeds looks steady.
Tech across the cities we cover
| # | City | Live adverts |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | London | 7,278 |
| 2 | Manchester | 755 |
| 3 | Bristol | 368 |
| 4 | Leeds | 358 |
| 5 | Birmingham | 283 |
More reports for Leeds
- Legal recruitment in Leeds · 99 adverts
- Finance recruitment in Leeds · 221 adverts
How we measure
Live job adverts posted in the 30 days to 6 October 2026 in Leeds, Bradford, Huddersfield, Wakefield, Halifax, Dewsbury, Batley, Castleford, from licensed job-advert data, each counted once per role. These are adverts, not vacancies: one vacancy can be advertised by several agencies. Full method →
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