Data Engineer jobs in 2026 — required skills, demand trends, and top hiring cities

As of 2026-10-01, Skillenai has indexed 6,262 job postings with the title “Data Engineer” over the past 90 days. The skill mentioned most often is Python, with demand share down 0.9% vs the prior 4 weeks.

Last updated · 90d ending 2026-10-01

Postings · last 90 days
6,262
Demand vs prior month
down 0.9% vs the prior 4 weeks
Most-required skill
Top hiring metro
Bengaluru

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Frequently asked questions about Data Engineer jobs

+How many Data Engineer jobs are being posted in 2026?

Skillenai has indexed 6,262 job postings with the title “Data Engineer” over the 90 days ending 2026-10-01.

+What skills do Data Engineer jobs require?

Across Data Engineer postings indexed by Skillenai over the 90 days ending 2026-10-01, the skills mentioned most often are Python, SQL, ETL, data modeling, AWS.

+Which cities are hiring the most Data Engineer?

As of 2026-10-01, Data Engineer postings indexed by Skillenai are concentrated in Bengaluru, New York City, London, San Francisco, Hyderabad.

+Is Data Engineer a good career path right now?

Skillenai indexes 6,262 Data Engineer postings over the 90 days ending 2026-10-01. The skill mentioned most often in Data Engineer postings is Python, so building it gives the strongest signal that an applicant matches the role.

+How can I track new Data Engineer job postings as they’re indexed?

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+What roles do people move into and out of Data Engineer?

The career-flow chart shows roles before and after observed employer changes across all locations. Counts are moves, not distinct people or promotion probabilities. Same-role moves to another employer are included. The incoming and outgoing sides are separate groups of observations, not a matched three-stage journey.

Weekly indexed Data Engineer postings — last 90 days

Salary distribution

Box = 25th–75th percentile · tick = median · whisker = 10th–90th · USD, annualized

Career paths through Data Engineer

Different-role employer moves. Each side is scaled independently.

Historical career profiles · all locations

9,280 employer moves kept the same role.

Roles before Data Engineer

Before Data EngineerSoftware Engineer → Data Engineer: 1,982 observed employer movesData Analyst → Data Engineer: 1,257 observed employer movesData Scientist → Data Engineer: 592 observed employer movesETL Developer → Data Engineer: 154 observed employer movesBig Data Engineer → Data Engineer: 149 observed employer movesSoftware Developer → Data Engineer: 132 observed employer movesTeaching Assistant → Data Engineer: 125 observed employer movesData EngineerSoftware Engineer: 1,982 movesSoftware Engineer1,982 movesData Analyst: 1,257 movesData Analyst1,257 movesData Scientist: 592 movesData Scientist592 movesETL Developer: 154 movesETL Developer154 movesBig Data Engineer: 149 movesBig Data Engineer149 movesSoftware Developer: 132 movesSoftware Developer132 movesTeaching Assistant: 125 movesTeaching Assistant125 moves

Roles after Data Engineer

After Data EngineerData Engineer → Software Engineer: 1,074 observed employer movesData Engineer → Data Analyst: 473 observed employer movesData Engineer → Data Scientist: 416 observed employer movesData Engineer → ML Engineer: 118 observed employer movesData Engineer → Big Data Engineer: 117 observed employer movesData Engineer → Teaching Assistant: 94 observed employer movesData Engineer → Data Architect: 89 observed employer movesData EngineerSoftware Engineer: 1,074 movesSoftware Engineer1,074 movesData Analyst: 473 movesData Analyst473 movesData Scientist: 416 movesData Scientist416 movesML Engineer: 118 movesML Engineer118 movesBig Data Engineer: 117 movesBig Data Engineer117 movesTeaching Assistant: 94 movesTeaching Assistant94 movesData Architect: 89 movesData Architect89 moves
How to read this chart · view counts

Each side is an independent set of observed employer moves, not the same people followed through three stages. Ribbon widths compare move counts within that side. Internal moves are not included.

Same role means a change of employer while keeping the same role. Counts are moves, not distinct people, promotions, or your chances of making a particular move.

Source: Skillenai talent graph, historical career profiles. Historical descriptions and coverage can change. Only the leading published connections are shown.

Observed connections and move counts
ConnectionMoves
Before: Data Engineer (different employer)9,280
Before: Software Engineer1,982
Before: Data Analyst1,257
Before: Data Scientist592
Before: ETL Developer154
Before: Big Data Engineer149
Before: Software Developer132
Before: Teaching Assistant125
After: Data Engineer (different employer)9,280
After: Software Engineer1,074
After: Data Analyst473
After: Data Scientist416
After: ML Engineer118
After: Big Data Engineer117
After: Teaching Assistant94
After: Data Architect89

Skills most often required for Data Engineer

NamePostingsShare
Python3,43554.9%
SQL3,41054.5%
ETL2,03832.5%
data modeling1,51224.1%
AWS1,41522.6%
Databricks1,40222.4%
Snowflake1,36321.8%
CI/CD1,29420.7%
ELT1,28120.5%
data pipelines1,24219.8%
DBT1,11217.8%
Airflow96415.4%
Spark95115.2%
data governance90014.4%
PySpark89414.3%

Top companies posting Data Engineer jobs

Employers ranked by indexed job postings in the last 90 days.

Top companies posting Data Engineer jobs
CompanyPostings · 90 days
Capital One96
PwC89
Sopra Steria72
Barclays67
Inetum60
WPP58
Devoteam54
Capco53
Cisco53
Accenture53

Job postings indexed over the past 90 days, grouped by resolved employer. Counts are postings, not hires. Companies without a published page appear without a link.

Top metros hiring Data Engineer

NamePostingsShare
Bengaluru1602.6%
New York City1342.1%
London1121.8%
San Francisco1001.6%
Hyderabad981.6%
Pune921.5%
Atlanta801.3%
Toronto641.0%
Washington641.0%

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How this was computed

Counts derive from the Skillenai jobs index over the 90 days ending 2026-10-01, matching postings whose canonical role is “Data Engineer”. Pages refresh weekly (or daily for the top-50 most-posted roles). Adjusted posting share: 2.6% to 2.6%. Demand share change is the relative percentage change between these adjusted shares. Each employer-and-ATS group has at least 10 postings in each 90-day window; its earlier posting count supplies the same weight in both windows. The panel includes 2,593 identified employers and covers 68% of earlier and 72% of latest indexed postings. Windows: 2026-06-02 to 2026-08-31 and 2026-06-30 to 2026-09-28 (UTC; end dates excluded). The windows overlap by 62 days. Dates reflect indexing, not the employer’s posting date. This measures posting mix, not total hiring or market-wide demand. Matching excludes entrants and exits; changes in crawl completeness within an employer or ATS can still affect the result.

role
Data Engineer
source
Skillenai jobs index, deduplicated daily
data_as_of
2026-10-01
window_days
90
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Compiled by Jared Rand · Data sourced from the Skillenai labor market index