[September 2026] Tech Job Market Trends Monthly

Welcome to the 9th issue of Tech Job Market Monthly! If you missed the previous months, you can check out the previous issues of Tech Job Market Monthly here.

So, a quick recap of how this works:

Each month, we sit down and check out the US job market for each major field in tech, so that you can get a mile-high view of how each industry is looking.

Why the US?

Mainly because it's the biggest market and because a lot of the other markets trail the US by a few months. This means it's fairly indicative of upcoming trends in other regions as well, although there may be specific geographic factors where you're based.

How do we come up with this information?

For now, we do this by evaluating data from 2 sources:

• LinkedIn, and

• Google trends

This way, we can see the number of open jobs available and compare that against previous months, as well as current search trends, to see if there are any spikes or dips in public interest.

One more thing to note is that LinkedIn by no means has all of the job postings that are available for any of these roles. There are many other job sites (broad and niche) with many more postings.

However, since LinkedIn has openings for all the major roles, it's very helpful for us to see directional changes month-over-month and see how many jobs are roughly available relative to others.

With all that out of the way, let's get into the data for September 2026.

Current Job Trends in the Tech Industry for September 2026

I know some of you just want the hard data, so I've made a handy dandy table here to show you the total # of job openings for each role and month-over-month ("MoM") change.

September’s table is a lot more mixed than August’s. Seven job searches are up and nine are down, although most of the changes are fairly small.

So what's going on this month?

The encouraging part is that Data Analyst, Data Engineer, and UX/UI Designer, the three roles I flagged last month, have all bounced back. Game Developer is the other big surprise, up 36.3% after barely moving in August.

Huzzah, right!?

However, nine roles did drop this month. Business Intelligence Analyst gave back all of August’s gains. The cybersecurity roles split again too, with Specialist rising while Analyst fell. So there are a few changes worth digging into, even though the table as a whole looks quieter than August’s.

With that out of the way, let's break down each role for this month in more detail.

1. Software Developer and Software Engineer

LinkedIn/Job Data (US) - September 2026:

• 36,784 Software Engineer (-5.4%/monthly)

• 47,770 Software Developer (-0.3%/monthly)

Google Keywords Trend graphs:

Software Engineer dropped 5.4% this month to 36,784, taking it back to around July’s level while Software Developer roles dropped just 0.3%. These two searches still show over 80,000 combined listings between them, so there’s no reason to freak out. This is just the usual month-to-month movement we’ve seen lately.

As I said last month, companies increasingly expect you to use AI coding tools like GitHub Copilot or Cursor day to day. That means more than trying them a couple of times. You need to get comfortable working with them as part of your normal process.

If you haven’t already, our Claude Code course is a good place to start:

New!

Claude Code Bootcamp: Design, Build, Test and Deploy with Claude

15 Hours •100 Lessons

Master Claude Code and Claude Design to plan, build, test, and deploy production-ready web apps. Learn how to give Claude the context, standards, and verification loops it needs to tackle serious software.

Jacinto Wong

Want to get started in these roles? Check out the career path below. It will help you get set up in both Software Development and Software Engineering roles:

2. AI and Machine Learning Engineer

LinkedIn/Job Data (US) - September 2026:

• 10,156 AI Engineer (+0.8%/monthly)

• 4,117 ML Engineer (-1%/monthly)

Google Keywords Trend graphs:

After last month’s 10.7% jump for both roles, September has been a lot quieter. AI Engineer edged up another 0.8% to 10,156, while ML Engineer slipped 1% to 4,117. So there’s no big leap this time, but both have held on to almost all of last month’s gains.

As I say every month, I still think these are both great areas to get into. When a company wants to put AI into a real product, it needs people who can make that happen, and AI and ML Engineers help build it, get it running, check that it’s working properly, and keep improving it as things change.

Want to get started in these roles? Check out the career paths below:

3. Data Scientist

LinkedIn/Job Data (US) - September 2026:

• 5,217 Data Scientist (-3%/monthly)

Google Keywords Trend graph:

Data Scientist roles dipped 3% this month, which pretty much undoes August’s increase and puts us back around July’s level. I wouldn’t read too much into one small drop. As I’ve said before, Data Scientist is one of the roles supporting the growth of AI, so this month’s number doesn’t change how I feel about it.

Add in the fact that the US Bureau of Labor Statistics just released its updated employment projections in August and put Data Scientist among the ten fastest-growing occupations through 2035, with 34.6% growth expected.

That doesn’t mean the job count will go up every month, of course, but it shows why I still think this is a career worth looking at. Companies need people who can turn their data into useful decisions, and that need extends well beyond the tech industry.

Want to get started in this role? Check out the career path below:

4. Cybersecurity Analyst and Cybersecurity Specialist

LinkedIn/Job Data (US) - September 2026:

• 3,543 Cybersecurity Specialist (+9.4%/monthly)

• 2,496 Cybersecurity Analyst (-3.3%/monthly)

Google Keywords Trend graph:

Interesting split again this month. Cybersecurity Specialist listings rose another 9.4% to 3,543, while Cybersecurity Analyst fell 3.3% to 2,496. That’s two strong months for Specialist, but Analyst has now dipped four months in a row.

Last month I wondered whether AI was helping smaller teams handle some of the routine analyst work. New research from IANS and Artico Search adds some useful context. They found that 81% of the security executives they surveyed expect AI to create demand for new roles and skills, while 69% don’t expect it to reduce their existing teams.

That fits with the idea that AI could handle more of the initial analysis while people take on work that needs specialist skills and judgment. It also fits the direction of our job numbers this month, although we can’t yet say that’s what’s causing the split.

So if you’re getting into cybersecurity, I’d still learn the fundamentals, then get comfortable with how AI is being used by both security teams and attackers. That’s why I keep recommending our AI for Ethical Hacking and Cybersecurity Bootcamp:

Intermediate

AI for Ethical Hacking & Cybersecurity Bootcamp

8.5 Hours •67 Lessons

Learn how AI is changing the cybersecurity world and how to harness its power for yourself. You’ll build practical tools, improve workflows, explore AI threats and defenses, and use AI in hands-on security scenarios.

Aleksa Tamburkovski

Not only is this important for both defense and red teaming, but it's definitely a skill that employers are going to look for more and more.

Want to get started in this role? Check out the career path below:

5. AI Developer and Prompt Engineer

LinkedIn/Job Data (US) - September 2026:

• 386 AI Developer (-3.3%/monthly)

• 37 Prompt Engineer (-15.9%/monthly)

Google Keywords Trend graphs:

AI Developer slipped 3.3% to 386 this month, so it’s held on to most of August’s big jump. Prompt Engineer fell 15.9% to 37, although that’s just seven fewer listings. With numbers this small, the percentage can look more dramatic than the change really is.

As I’ve been saying almost every month though, the number of jobs titled “Prompt Engineer” doesn’t tell you how valuable prompting is as a skill. (You probably know that unless you've just woken up from a 3 year coma).

Prompting is now increasingly part of other jobs, particularly in AI development, software, and data. So it’s absolutely worth learning to work well with AI, even if you never apply for a job with Prompt Engineer in the title.

Want to get started in these roles or pick up these skills? Check out the career path and courses below:

Beginner

Prompt Engineering Bootcamp (Working With AI & LLMs): Zero to Mastery

32 Hours •290 Lessons

Stop memorizing random prompts. Instead, learn how Large Language Models (LLMs) actually work and how to use them effectively. This course will take you from being a complete beginner to the forefront of the AI world.

Scott Kerr

6. UX and UI Designer

LinkedIn/Job Data (US) - September 2026:

• 758 UX/UI Designer (+14.8%/monthly)

Google Keywords Trend graph:

Good news for UX/UI Designer this month, as listings are back up 14.8% to 758.

August’s 17.3% drop looked worrying, but September has recovered most of it. We’re now just 40 listings short of where we were in July.

I wondered last month whether AI might be putting pressure on design hiring, but this rebound is a reminder that one month’s numbers can only tell us so much. We’re still below the highs we saw earlier in the year, so I’ll be watching to see where this goes next.

In the meantime, if you’re learning UX/UI, keep getting comfortable with AI tools, but don’t stop at making polished screens. Understanding what users need, testing your ideas, and explaining why you made a design decision are the skills I’d want to show in a portfolio.

Want to get started in this role? Check out the career path below:

7. DevOps Engineer

LinkedIn/Job Data (US) - September 2026:

• 3,100 DevOps Engineer (-2.6%/monthly)

Google Keywords Trend graph:

DevOps Engineer listings dipped 2.6% to 3,100 in September, putting us almost exactly where we were in July. After two months of increases, things have leveled off for now.

I still think it’s a role worth watching. As I mentioned last month, all the new AI products companies are building need infrastructure behind them. Someone has to get them running, keep them reliable, and deal with problems when they come up. September’s small dip doesn’t change that, though we’ll see whether listings pick up again over the next few months.

Want to get started in this role? Check out the career path below:

8. Data Engineer

LinkedIn/Job Data (US) - September 2026:

• 7,922 Data Engineer (+4.8%/monthly)

Google Keywords Trend graph:

Data Engineer listings rose 4.8% to 7,922 in September, more than making up for August’s 2.5% dip. That’s a nice turnaround after last month’s quieter result.

I’ve mentioned before how important data engineers are to AI. Before a company can build anything useful with its data, someone has to collect it, organize it, and make sure it’s reliable. That’s a big part of what data engineers do, and the work doesn’t stop once an AI model has been built.

That’s where MLOps comes in. It brings Data Engineering, Machine Learning, and DevOps together to get models into real products, monitor how they perform, and keep them working as the data changes. If that side of the job interests you, we’ve just launched an MLOps Bootcamp that walks through building those systems:

Intermediate

MLOps Bootcamp: Build Real-World AI Infrastructure

9 Hours •82 Lessons

Go beyond model training and learn how real AI systems operate in production. You'll connect AWS services into a closed-loop workflow that captures new data, evaluates better models and safely promotes improvements.

Patrik Szepesi

Want to get started in this role? Check out the career path below:

9. Data Analyst

LinkedIn/Job Data (US) - September 2026:

• 15,471 Data Analyst (+5.1%/monthly)

Google Keywords Trend graph:

Data Analyst listings rose 5.1% to 15,471 in September, ending a run of three monthly declines. That more than makes up for August’s 3.4% drop, which is good to see after I’d flagged this role as one to watch.

I still think AI will change some of the routine work analysts do. But companies need people who can look at the numbers, spot what’s wrong, and work out what those numbers mean for a decision. A chart isn’t much use if the data behind it is a mess.

That’s why data wrangling is such a useful skill to learn. It means cleaning up messy data, combining information from different places, and getting it into a form you can actually analyze. We’ve just launched a Data Wrangling with Python Bootcamp that teaches you how to do exactly that with real datasets:

Beginner

Data Wrangling Bootcamp: Turn Alien Data into AI

28 Hours •198 Lessons

Learn Data Wrangling from scratch with Python and Pandas. Tame and analyze messy real-world datasets (including data on UFOs!), automate transformations, and turn raw data into useful real-world results for the AI Age.

Travis Cuzick

Want to get started in this role? Check out the career path below:

10. Blockchain Developer

LinkedIn/Job Data (US) - September 2026:

• 713 Blockchain Developer (+7.9%/monthly)

Google Keywords Trend graph:

Blockchain Developer listings rose another 7.9% to 713 in September, following August’s 30.9% jump. That’s two strong months in a row. The total is still small compared with broader software roles, but the continued rise is interesting.

I mentioned last month that more companies seem to be finding practical uses for blockchain, and here’s a good example. SoFi and Mastercard announced this month that they’re using a dollar-backed digital token to settle card transactions on a blockchain. It’s one project, so I wouldn’t claim it explains the rise in job listings, but it does show the kind of work blockchain developers can do.

Want to get started in this role? Check out the career path below:

11. Business Intelligence Analyst

LinkedIn/Job Data (US) - September 2026:

• 1,176 Business Intelligence Analyst (-16.2%/monthly)

Google Keywords Trend graph:

Business Intelligence Analyst listings fell 16.2% to 1,176 this month. That wipes out August’s 19% increase and puts us almost exactly back at July’s level. It’s been a bumpy few months for this role.

That said, the reason I keep recommending it hasn’t changed. When money gets tight, companies want to know where it’s going, what’s working, and what they could be doing better. BI Analysts help them answer those questions. September’s drop is worth watching, but it doesn’t make that work any less useful.

Want to get started in this role? Check out the career path below:

12. Game Developer

LinkedIn/Job Data (US) - September 2026:

• 627 Game Developer (+36.3%/monthly)

Google Keywords Trend graph:

Finally, a proper jump for Game Developer! Listings rose 36.3% to 627 in September, adding 167 openings after barely moving in August. That also puts us well above July’s count of 454.

We’ve spent the last couple of issues talking about how tough things have been for the games industry, so it’s great to see the job numbers move up like this. If game development is the career you want, there are more openings to look at this month, and I’m keen to see whether that continues in October.

Want to get started in this role? Check out the career path below:

What's next?

So that's September 2026 wrapped up:

It was a mixed month, but there were some welcome surprises. All three roles I flagged in August bounced back, Game Developer had its strongest jump in a while, and AI and ML Engineer held on to almost all of last month’s gains. I’ll be keeping an eye on Business Intelligence Analyst after its August bounce disappeared, and on the continuing split between the two cybersecurity roles.

As always, I wouldn’t choose or rule out a career based on one month’s percentage. Use the numbers to see what’s happening, then dig into the work and the skills employers are asking for in the roles that interest you.

We'll be back next month with the October numbers, so subscribe below so you don't miss it!