Software job postings grew in Q2 2026 despite AI uncertainty, Indeed finds

Software development job postings grew in the second quarter of 2026, according to Indeed's latest hiring data, even as uncertainty about AI's effect on engineering headcount kept spreading through the industry.

Tech was one of five verticals Indeed tracked in its Q2 breakdown, alongside transportation, retail, B2B, and healthcare. Software stood out for what didn't happen: quit rates stayed low. Developers holding a job right now are staying in it, a pattern Indeed's analysts read as workers prioritizing security over lateral moves while employers work out how much engineering work AI tooling can absorb.

That's a different signal than the postings number alone suggests. A rising posting count paired with a falling quit rate usually means employers are adding headcount cautiously rather than backfilling attrition, and that employees aren't confident enough in the market to test it by leaving. For a developer weighing a jump right now, that combination matters more than the topline growth figure.

The other four verticals moved less consistently. Retail postings fell year over year even as wages rose faster than the market average, and healthcare, which had been outperforming most sectors, saw hiring contract across most categories with nursing wage growth slowing. B2B was the only other vertical with broad-based postings growth, led by banking, finance, manufacturing, and insurance.

None of this settles whether AI is shrinking software engineering headcount outright. What it shows is that, through Q2, employers were still adding software roles, and the people already in them weren't rushing for the exits.