The software engineering hiring rebound has a catch: It's leaving early-career engineers behind

Software engineering hiring is rebounding, but the gains have been concentrated among senior-level roles. gorodenkoff/Getty Images Software engineering hiring is rebounding, but not all workers appear to be sharing in the recovery.

Nearly 70% of software development postings were for senior-level roles, per recent Indeed data.

The AI boom may favor experienced engineers who can direct AI tools and review their work.

After years of layoffs, businesses are hiring more software engineers — but the rebound is spread unevenly.

As of the first quarter of this year, nearly 70% of US software development job postings on Indeed were for senior-level roles, rather than mid- or entry-level.

That's up from 55% in early 2019.

Of the more than 40 employment sectors that Indeed analyzed across the economy, software development had the highest share of senior-level postings.

As AI reshapes the economy, software engineering has become a closely watched test case for what the technology could mean for workers.

After surging during the early pandemic years, software development job postings began to plummet in 2022.

The downturn overlapped with the release of ChatGPT and other AI models, raising questions about whether AI was reducing demand for software engineers .

But over the past year and a half, the trend has started to reverse.

Software development postings remain below pre-pandemic levels, but were up roughly 15% in June from early 2025.

In Indeed's analysis, senior engineers appear to be finding their footing in the age of AI, while less-experienced engineers aren't seeing the same recovery.

AI could be giving senior engineers an edge Sneha Puri, economist at Indeed Hiring Lab, said the recent rebound in software development postings has been tied in part to a return to more normal hiring levels in the tech sector after years of slower hiring .