The recovery is real and it is not distributed. Postings hit their highest level since 2023, and nearly 70% of them were senior.
Short answer: Software engineering postings reached 67,000 in Q1 2026, the highest since early 2023, but nearly 70% of US postings on Indeed were senior-level. Companies are hiring people to direct AI tools and review the code they produce.
Key takeaways
- Software engineering job postings reached their highest level since November 2023, with openings hitting 67,000 in Q1 2026 and software developer postings up 15% since mid-2025 according to.
- 129 live listings in this category publish a rate, at a median top-of-range of $100 an hour and a ceiling of $300.
- The work is remote contract work, asynchronous, with no set hours and no guaranteed volume.
- Applications screen on a short skills assessment rather than a resume or interview.
What was reported
The finding
Software engineering job postings reached their highest level since November 2023, with openings hitting 67,000 in Q1 2026 and software developer postings up 15% since mid-2025 according to Federal Reserve data. However, nearly 70% of US software development job postings on Indeed in Q1 2026 were for senior-level roles rather than mid- or entry-level. Indeed's analysis found senior engineers finding their footing while less-experienced engineers were not seeing the same recovery, attributing the pattern to companies needing people to direct AI tools and review the code they produce. AI and ML engineer postings rose 85% year over year with AI specialist salaries up 20 to 30%, while senior compensation remains below its 2021 peak: a $300,000 base offer in Q4 2021 would likely be $240,000 to $260,000 for a comparable role in summer 2026.
Software engineering openings reached 67,000 in Q1 2026, with developer postings up 15% since mid-2025 on Federal Reserve data. Indeed's read on the seniority skew is unambiguous: companies still need people to direct AI tools and review the code they produce, especially on complex work. AI and ML engineer postings rose 85% year over year.
What the listings pay
Two caveats keep this honest. Senior pay recovered but has not returned to peak, with a $300,000 base from Q4 2021 more likely to be $240,000 to $260,000 now. And the recovery skipping early-career engineers is the same pattern SignalFire measured, with new grad hiring down roughly 65%.
| # | Role | Advertised rate | Platform |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CUDA Engineering Expert | $300 to $300 an hour | Mercor |
| 2 | Senior Journalist / Writer | $245 to $280 an hour | micro1 |
| 3 | Senior Design Expert - Paid AI Design Research Study | $150 to $250 an hour | Mercor |
| 4 | Machine Learning Engineer Talent Network | $70 to $250 an hour | Mercor |
| 5 | UK-Based Data Engineering Experts | $140 to $200 an hour | Mercor |
| 6 | AI Software Engineering Domain Expert | $100 to $200 an hour | micro1 |
| 7 | AI/ML Engineer | $70 to $200 an hour | micro1 |
| 8 | Engineering / Platform Professionals | $80 to $160 an hour | Mercor |
| 9 | Open Source Applied Engineer Talent Network | $100 to $150 an hour | Mercor |
| 10 | Backend Engineer Talent Network | $70 to $150 an hour | Mercor |
Source: 129 live listings on this board that publish a rate, read directly from each posting on 2026-09-06. Listings without a published rate are excluded rather than estimated.
How this compares across the board
A rate only means something next to the alternatives. This is every category we track with at least five listings publishing a rate, ranked by median top-of-range, so you can see where this work sits rather than taking a single number on trust.
| Category | Listings | Median low | Median top | Highest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Legal | 95 | $100 | $140 | $400 |
| Medical | 68 | $77 | $120 | $400 |
| Consulting | 45 | $80 | $120 | $280 |
| Finance | 94 | $80 | $110 | $280 |
| Engineering | 114 | $70 | $100 | $300 |
| Research/PhD | 132 | $70 | $90 | $280 |
| Writing | 36 | $40 | $80 | $280 |
| Bilingual | 78 | $44 | $52 | $120 |
| Annotation | 25 | $12 | $24 | $120 |
Same source and date as above. Categories are matched on listing title, so a role can appear in more than one.
What it means for you
The skill being hired for is worth naming precisely, because it is also what contract evaluation work pays for: reviewing machine-generated code and directing tools rather than writing everything yourself. Across 129 live engineering listings on our board that publish a rate, the median top-of-range is $100 an hour, reaching $300.
What 'senior' means in this market
The seniority requirement is less about years and more about a specific capability: being able to judge output you did not produce, at speed, and take responsibility for the judgment.
That is why the postings skew senior even where the underlying work is not architecturally complex. Reviewing generated code carefully requires having built enough systems to know what breaks, which is not something a title confers.
It also explains the compensation pattern. Senior roles command a premium again after a brief compression, but not the 2021 premium, because the scarcity is in judgment rather than in headcount.
How contract evaluation work fits
The listings we track buy the same skill directly, without a hiring process. You are paid by the hour to read unfamiliar, often machine-generated code and explain precisely why it is wrong.
For engineers between roles this has a practical advantage over waiting: it screens on a sample task rather than a resume, and it produces recent, describable work in exactly the area employers say they are hiring for.
It does not replace a salaried role. Hours are project-based, there are no benefits, and volume is not guaranteed. But the overlap between what it pays for and what the market says it wants is unusually direct right now.
Who should apply
Two checks before you spend time on an application. Confirm the role accepts applicants from your country with the eligibility checker, since a meaningful share of listings carry location requirements. Then run the advertised rate through the take-home calculator, because this is contract work and the headline figure is before self-employment tax.
Applications complete on the hiring platform and usually take a few minutes, with a short skills assessment in place of an interview. Fill in every credential, language and professional background field on your profile. Those are what route you to the better paid listings, and most applicants leave them blank.
Frequently asked questions
Is software engineering hiring recovering?
Postings reached 67,000 in Q1 2026, the highest since early 2023, with developer postings up 15% since mid-2025 on Federal Reserve data.
Who is the recovery going to?
Nearly 70% of US software development postings on Indeed in Q1 2026 were senior-level. Indeed's analysis found less-experienced engineers not seeing the same recovery.
Why senior specifically?
Companies need people to direct AI tools and review the code they produce, particularly on complex projects. That requires judgment about output you did not write.
Has senior pay recovered?
Partially. A $300,000 base offer from Q4 2021 would likely be $240,000 to $260,000 for a comparable role in summer 2026.
What about AI and ML roles specifically?
AI and ML engineer postings rose 85% year over year, with AI specialist salaries up 20 to 30%.
What does contract code evaluation pay?
Across 129 live engineering listings publishing a rate, the median top-of-range is $100 an hour, reaching $300.
Does contract work help me get hired?
It produces recent describable work in the exact area employers say they are hiring for, and it screens on a sample task rather than a resume.
Sources
See every live role
The full board updates several times a week, with the advertised rate on each listing and closed roles removed.