Bay Area Software Developer Job Postings
Monthly unique online job postings for Software Developers across the San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose metros. Source: California EDD / Lightcast HWOL.
8.2kpostings
Trend YoY growth is +2.5%, accelerating by 5.1 pp/year over the last 4Y. Latest: +13.1%, 10.6 pp above trend, a 0.35σ deviation. The latest YoY reading is depressed by 45.1 pp due to an tough comparison base from Feb 1. At current levels, YoY would rise to +32.0% by May '26 as comparisons ease.
Level
YoY %
y = −17.6% + 5.1 pp/yr · t
Deviation from trend
Forecast
Projected value by forecast vintage (postings)
Projected value (postings)
| Forecast made in | Dec '24 | Jan '25 | Feb '25 | Mar '25 | Apr '25 | May '25 | Jun '25 | Jul '25 | Aug '25 | Sep '25 | Oct '25 | Nov '25 | Dec '25 | Jan '26 | Feb '26 | Mar '26 | Apr '26 | May '26 | Jun '26 | Jul '26 | Aug '26 | Sep '26 | Oct '26 | Nov '26 | Dec '26 | Jan '27 | Feb '27 | Mar '27 | Apr '27 | MAPE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec '24 | 6.3k | 6.4k | 7.9k | 8.6k | 10.6k | 9.7k | 12.4k | 13.0k | 14.8k | 15.2k | 14.1k | 13.3k | 13.2k | 14.7k | 19.8k | 25.0k | 15.0k | 30.7k | 15.5k | 34.1k | 39.8k | 17.2k | 18.0k | 38.1k | 38.9k | 44.1k | 25.0k | 78.2k | 708% | |
| Jan '25 | 6.1k | 7.7k | 8.4k | 10.3k | 9.3k | 11.9k | 12.5k | 14.2k | 14.6k | 13.4k | 12.6k | 12.6k | 13.9k | 18.3k | 23.0k | 14.2k | 28.0k | 14.6k | 30.9k | 36.0k | 16.2k | 16.9k | 34.2k | 34.8k | 39.3k | 23.4k | 67.4k | 747% | ||
| Feb '25 | 6.6k | 8.4k | 10.3k | 9.4k | 12.0k | 12.6k | 14.3k | 14.6k | 13.5k | 12.7k | 12.7k | 14.0k | 18.4k | 23.2k | 14.3k | 28.3k | 14.7k | 31.2k | 36.4k | 16.3k | 17.0k | 34.6k | 35.2k | 39.8k | 23.6k | 68.4k | 905% | |||
| May '25 | 6.2k | 10.6k | 10.9k | 12.4k | 12.6k | 11.5k | 10.8k | 10.7k | 11.8k | 11.8k | 20.6k | 12.1k | 22.2k | 25.6k | 13.2k | 13.8k | 23.7k | 23.9k | 26.8k | 18.9k | 725% | |||||||||
| Jul '25 | 6.1k | 8.4k | 9.2k | 9.1k | 8.1k | 7.4k | 7.1k | 7.6k | 7.1k | 6.9k | 9.5k | 10.3k | 7.0k | 7.1k | 8.1k | 7.8k | 8.3k | 8.9k | 160% | |||||||||||
| Oct '25 | 6.3k | 6.7k | 5.9k | 5.5k | 5.7k | 4.9k | 4.4k | 4.0k | 3.9k | 3.4k | 3.0k | 3.0k | 4.0k | 179% | ||||||||||||||||
| Nov '25 | 6.4k | 6.3k | 5.9k | 6.2k | 5.4k | 5.0k | 4.7k | 4.6k | 4.4k | 4.0k | 4.0k | 5.1k | 163% | |||||||||||||||||
| Mar '26 | 8.2k | 6.6k | 6.5k | 6.7k | 6.8k | 8.7k | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Apr '26 | 6.6k | 6.5k | 6.7k | 6.8k | 8.7k |
YoY change forecast
| Forecast made in | Dec '24 | Jan '25 | Feb '25 | Mar '25 | Apr '25 | May '25 | Jun '25 | Jul '25 | Aug '25 | Sep '25 | Oct '25 | Nov '25 | Dec '25 | Jan '26 | Feb '26 | Mar '26 | Apr '26 | May '26 | Jun '26 | Jul '26 | Aug '26 | Sep '26 | Oct '26 | Nov '26 | Dec '26 | Jan '27 | Feb '27 | Mar '27 | Apr '27 | MAPE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec '24 | +21.7% | +39.2% | +45.8% | +51.7% | +58.3% | +64.7% | +71.2% | +77.6% | +84.2% | +90.8% | +97.1% | +103.7% | +110.1% | +116.6% | +123.2% | +129.2% | +135.7% | +142.1% | +148.7% | +155.0% | +161.6% | +168.2% | +174.6% | +181.1% | +187.5% | +194.1% | +200.6% | +206.6% | +213.2% | 708% |
| Jan '25 | +35.6% | +42.3% | +47.7% | +53.6% | +59.4% | +65.3% | +71.0% | +77.0% | +82.9% | +88.7% | +94.6% | +100.3% | +106.3% | +112.2% | +117.5% | +123.5% | +129.2% | +135.1% | +140.9% | +146.8% | +152.7% | +158.5% | +164.4% | +170.2% | +176.1% | +182.0% | +187.4% | +193.3% | 747% | |
| Feb '25 | +42.1% | +48.0% | +54.0% | +59.8% | +65.8% | +71.6% | +77.6% | +83.7% | +89.5% | +95.5% | +101.3% | +107.3% | +113.3% | +118.7% | +124.7% | +130.6% | +136.6% | +142.4% | +148.4% | +154.4% | +160.2% | +166.2% | +172.0% | +178.0% | +184.1% | +189.5% | +195.5% | 905% | ||
| May '25 | +14.6% | +46.5% | +50.5% | +54.7% | +58.8% | +62.8% | +66.9% | +70.9% | +75.0% | +79.1% | +82.9% | +87.0% | +91.0% | +95.1% | +99.1% | +103.2% | +107.4% | +111.4% | +115.5% | +119.5% | +123.6% | +127.7% | +131.5% | +135.6% | 725% | |||||
| Jul '25 | +6.7% | +18.8% | +18.3% | +17.8% | +17.2% | +16.7% | +16.2% | +15.7% | +15.2% | +14.7% | +14.2% | +13.6% | +13.1% | +12.6% | +12.1% | +11.6% | +11.1% | +10.5% | +10.0% | +9.5% | +9.0% | +8.5% | 160% | |||||||
| Oct '25 | -6.4% | -3.7% | -6.7% | -9.7% | -12.7% | -15.4% | -18.4% | -21.3% | -24.4% | -27.3% | -30.3% | -33.3% | -36.2% | -39.2% | -42.2% | -45.2% | -48.2% | -50.9% | -53.9% | 179% | ||||||||||
| Nov '25 | +9.1% | -1.0% | -3.4% | -5.9% | -8.2% | -10.7% | -13.1% | -15.6% | -18.0% | -20.5% | -23.0% | -25.4% | -27.9% | -30.3% | -32.8% | -35.3% | -37.6% | -40.1% | 163% | |||||||||||
| Mar '26 | +13.1% | +7.0% | +6.9% | +6.9% | +6.8% | +6.7% | +6.7% | +6.6% | +6.5% | +6.5% | +6.4% | +6.3% | +6.3% | +6.2% | ||||||||||||||||
| Apr '26 | +7.0% | +6.9% | +6.9% | +6.8% | +6.7% | +6.7% | +6.6% | +6.5% | +6.5% | +6.4% | +6.3% | +6.3% | +6.2% |
Forecasts use ordinary least-squares linear regression fitted to the YoY change series over a rolling 1Y window. Each row shows a vintage — the forecast as it would have appeared at that point in time. Projected values apply the forecasted YoY change to the prior year's level, chaining forward where actuals are unavailable. MAPE measures forecast accuracy against realized values. These are mechanical trend extrapolations, not economic models.