UK software developer salaries are surging according to new research, driven largely by growing demand for AI skills.
Figures from Stack Overflow show that while US-based developers still boast the highest global pay, their counterparts across the Atlantic are closing the gap at a notable pace.
According to Stack Overflow, AI and machine learning engineers now command a median salary of £112,000, while engineering manager pay stands at around £102,000.
Elsewhere, median salaries for cloud infrastructure engineers have reached £98,500.
The study noted that salary growth rates are a welcome sign and underscore the growing influence of the country’s tech sector. Despite this, they still lag behind US pay rates, with leading development roles often exceeding $189,000 (£141,900).
There are positive signs in terms of future growth, however. Stack Overflow noted that recent investment pledges from companies such as Microsoft and Google could “finally put [UK developer salaries] on a par with the US”.
In-demand roles and “uneven” salary growth
Stack Overflow identified a host of in-demand roles that enterprises have been crying out for in 2025. Back-end developers, for example, earn a median salary of £81,000, marking a 6.5% increase compared to £76,000 just last year.
Looking at global salary growth rates, Stack Overflow said there has been “uneven growth” in several areas. Product managers, for example, recorded the largest increase in pay from last year (29.3%) alongside game developers and front-end devs.
Conversely, established developer roles are experiencing lower salary growth rates, potentially signaling a "stabilization in mature technical disciplines”.
“More established roles such as data engineers, cloud infrastructure engineers, and QA or test developers, recorded only marginal increases,” the company said in a blog post.
The UK has developer talent challenges
While salary growth rates are a positive signal of the strength of the UK’s developer community, concerns have been rising over long-term sustainability of talent pipelines.
Previous figures from Stack Overflow found the average age of UK developers stands at 39 years old, with the company’s 2025 Developer Survey noting that 74% of professionals had more than a decade of coding experience.
Naturally, this was a cause for celebration which underlined the workforce’s strong technical capabilities. Yet speaking to ITPro in the wake of the study’s release, Stack Overflow warned the UK’s aging developer workforce could struggle to keep pace as a result of skills shortages.
Jody Bailey, chief product and technology officer at Stack Overflow, told ITPro the developer workforce will require more support from industry, academia, and government in the coming years to ensure a steady flow of new talent.
Make sure to follow ITPro on Google News to keep tabs on all our latest news, analysis, and reviews.
MORE FROM ITPRO
-
Darktrace bolsters expansion plans with double C-suite appointmentNews Industry veteran Samun Raju joins the security vendor as CFO, while former KnowBe4 executive Hein Hellemons becomes CRO
-
Ransomware attacks are hitting European enterprises at record paceNews European enterprises are facing a wave of sophisticated attacks from state-sponsored hacker groups
-
UK software developers are still cautious about AI, and for good reasonNews Experts say developers are “right to take their time” with AI coding solutions given they still remain a nascent tool
-
The UK’s aging developer workforce needs a ‘steady pipeline’ of talent to meet future demand – but AI’s impact on entry-level jobs and changing skills requirements mean it could be fighting an uphill battleAnalysis With the average age of developers in the UK rising, concerns are growing about the flow of talent into the sector
