Is the job market for software devs starting to improve?

by rizs12 on 3/9/2025, 4:44:43 PM with 22 comments
Are y'all receiving more messages from recruiters? I'm hearing anecdotes here and there so it'd be good to hear your experiences.

  • by dserban on 3/10/2025, 4:28:45 PM

    Don't rely on gut feeling or anecdotal evidence, there's good data you can look at.

    Over a few years, I came to rely on proxy indicators that I found to be reliably in sync with the strength / weakness of the job market for software engineers.

    One of these indicators is the business spending index (it has an official name, something about purchasing managers' sentiment index or similar). CNBC tends to show it a lot these days, you can't miss it.

    Another one is "US Auto Loans Delinquent by 90 or More Days (I:USALD90)" which is a very good "finger to the wind" for how the overall economy is doing, since everyone needs a car.

    Neither of these indicators are looking good these days.

  • by anovikov on 3/9/2025, 4:52:37 PM

    So far sadly it seems to be in deep shit. Worst i can remember and keeps getting worse. The top point in my perception was reached in late 2022 and it keeps getting worse and worse ever since.

  • by ironmagma on 3/12/2025, 11:57:59 PM

    You can see HN posting trend lines here: https://hnhiring.com/trends

  • by billconan on 3/12/2025, 3:50:08 PM

    I have received no recruiter messages after Jan.

    I self submitted a few positions, two rejections, others didn't reply.

    I'm interviewing with 2 companies, both companies found me. One of them is not responsive after the first round, I feel that they are having a hiring freeze. (Because I know one of its competitor is having a hiring freeze).

  • by VirusNewbie on 3/10/2025, 4:54:39 PM

    Anecdotally, yes. I've gotten about 7+ in the last couple weeks.

    This is the most frequent I've seen since early 2022. These are for fairly senior roles.

  • by summizeralert on 3/10/2025, 5:24:36 AM

    Tech giants like Meta and Amazon restarted large-scale hiring in Q4 2023-Q1 2024, with software engineer roles increasing by ~18% YoY (LinkedIn data). However:

    Entry-level positions face fierce competition (average response rate <20%). Senior roles (5+ years) command salaries exceeding $150K, especially for AI/machine learning and full-stack experts.

  • by Ocerge on 3/12/2025, 4:50:10 PM

    YMMV, but I've noticed an uptick in recruiter messages, probably get 2-3 a week since the new year. But I have no idea about the market as a whole, and I'm sure it's still terrible for new grads.

  • by giantg2 on 3/12/2025, 12:49:47 AM

    Not really. Not seeing any external improvement in my area. Internally, I'm seeing some improvement, but only for very specific and higher level roles. Still way more applicants than roles. Still lots of people leaving the company with only some of the roles being backfilled.

  • by Hashex129542 on 3/11/2025, 8:50:07 AM

    2022. End. I don't receive any messages!

  • by pawelduda on 3/10/2025, 3:13:03 PM

    I think it's back to 2019 pre-covid

  • by pagealert on 3/10/2025, 5:41:33 AM

    especially for AI/machine learning and full-stack experts.