Industry report · October 2026
State of tech recruitment in Manchester
Manchester employers and agencies advertised 755 tech jobs across the roles we track in the 30 days to 6 October 2026. Software Engineer leads with 230 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 Manchester
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 | 230 | 166 | 48 | Get leads |
| 2 | DevOps Engineer | 111 | 65 | 39 | Get leads |
| 3 | Product Manager | 98 | 78 | 26 | Get leads |
| 4 | Data Engineer | 78 | 45 | 19 | Get leads |
| 5 | Solutions Architect | 54 | 35 | 10 | Get leads |
| 6 | Data Analyst | 51 | 39 | 5 | Get leads |
| 7 | Machine Learning Engineer | 49 | 41 | 6 | Get leads |
| 8 | IT Support Engineer | 46 | 43 | 11 | Get leads |
| 9 | Frontend Developer | 22 | 12 | 7 | Get leads |
| 10 | Cyber Security Analyst | 15 | 13 | 6 | Get leads |
Titles counted for each role
- Software Engineer
- Senior Software Engineer · 65Software Developer · 24Full Stack Engineer · 21Full Stack Developer · 9Backend Engineer · 8Backend Developer · 5Software Development Engineer · 2
- DevOps Engineer
- Platform Engineer · 35Cloud Engineer · 16Senior DevOps Engineer · 16Site Reliability Engineer · 12SRE · 3Lead DevOps Engineer · 1Site Reliability Engineer (SRE) · 0
- Product Manager
- Product Owner · 25Senior Product Manager · 16Product Lead · 6Principal Product Manager · 3Associate Product Manager · 1Technical Product Manager · 1Group Product Manager · 0
- Data Engineer
- Senior Data Engineer · 27Lead Data Engineer · 6Analytics Engineer · 2Junior Data Engineer · 1Big Data Engineer · 0Data Infrastructure Engineer · 0
- Solutions Architect
- Technical Architect · 19Enterprise Architect · 9Cloud Architect · 5Lead Solutions Architect · 1Systems Architect · 1Principal Solutions Architect · 0Software Architect · 0
- Data Analyst
- Senior Data Analyst · 5Business Intelligence Analyst · 4Insight Analyst · 3Reporting Analyst · 1Junior Data Analyst · 0
- Machine Learning Engineer
- AI Engineer · 31ML Engineer · 7Senior Machine Learning Engineer · 2Junior Machine Learning Engineer · 0Lead Machine Learning Engineer · 0Staff Machine Learning Engineer · 0
- IT Support Engineer
- Service Desk Analyst · 15Technical Support Engineer · 71st Line Support · 5IT Support Analyst · 32nd Line Support · 1IT Support Technician · 1IT Support Specialist · 0
- Frontend Developer
- Web Developer · 8Front End Developer · 2Front-End Developer · 2Front-End Engineer · 1React Developer · 1Front End Engineer · 0Frontend Engineer · 0
- Cyber Security Analyst
- Security Analyst · 13Information Security Analyst · 5SOC Analyst · 2Cyber Analyst · 0Cybersecurity Analyst · 0Cybersecurity Engineer · 0Junior Security Analyst · 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.
538 Manchester 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
- Software Engineer leads with 230 adverts, and DevOps Engineer is second with 111, 15% of all Manchester tech adverts.
- IT Support Engineer is the most direct-hire role: 93% of its 46 adverts came from the employer.
- Machine Learning Engineer adverts are 84% direct, 41 of 49, mostly under the AI Engineer title.
What it means for recruiters
71% of Manchester's tech adverts come straight from the employer, so the direct route is open for most roles. Software Engineer and DevOps Engineer carry the volume; IT support and machine learning are where agencies are least present.
Questions recruiters ask
How many tech jobs are advertised in Manchester?
755 live tech job adverts were posted in Manchester 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 Manchester?
Software Engineer, with 230 live adverts. Next came DevOps Engineer (111) and Product Manager (98).
How does Manchester compare with other UK cities for tech jobs?
Manchester ranks second of the 5 cities we cover for tech adverts; London has 9.6× its volume. London: 7,278, Manchester: 755, Bristol: 368, Leeds: 358, Birmingham: 283.
How many tech adverts in Manchester come direct from employers?
538 of the 755 (71%) were posted by the employer itself; the rest came through recruitment agencies and other intermediaries.
Is tech hiring in Manchester speeding up or slowing down?
24% of the month's adverts were posted in the last 7 days, against about 23% in an even month, so tech hiring in Manchester 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 Manchester
- Legal recruitment in Manchester · 181 adverts
- Finance recruitment in Manchester · 327 adverts
How we measure
Live job adverts posted in the 30 days to 6 October 2026 in Manchester, Salford, Stockport, Bolton, Oldham, Rochdale, Bury, Wigan, 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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