Tech & Talent Salary Guides 2026

Our salary guides combine live search mandates, candidate compensation data and the market intelligence our consultants gather through daily conversations with employers and candidates across the United Kingdom, United States, Switzerland and Germany. Every salary range is reviewed by the SODA consultants who recruit those roles day to day, giving employers and candidates a realistic view of current market rates rather than a static historical average.

Our guides are reviewed regularly to reflect changes in hiring activity, candidate availability and compensation expectations. SODA’s specialist consultants continuously track the markets they recruit within, so we can update our benchmarking as conditions shift across different roles, disciplines and locations.

Employers can use our salary guides to benchmark compensation, review salary bands and check whether their packages remain competitive. The data supports workforce planning, recruitment budgeting, offer management and retention strategy, and helps hiring managers understand how seniority, location and specialism affect salary expectations.

Our guides cover specialist and leadership roles across software engineering, product, platform, data, cyber security, sales, marketing and go-to-market functions, as well as day-rate benchmarks for contract and interim hires. Each guide reflects the roles and hiring priorities most relevant to that location.

SODA publishes salary guides covering the United Kingdom, United States, Switzerland and Germany, plus a dedicated set of Contract guides for day-rate benchmarking across the UK and EU. Each guide reflects the local hiring market and compensation expectations for that location, rather than a blended international average.

Yes. SODA can put together tailored market intelligence for a specific role, team or hiring challenge, covering competitor analysis, talent availability, compensation benchmarking, hiring and attrition trends, candidate movement between organisations, and the skills most in demand. This gives hiring teams a clearer picture of the market before opening a search or setting a budget.

Salary benchmarking helps employers build compensation strategies that actually attract and retain the talent they need. Comparing salaries against current market rates supports realistic salary bands, stronger offer acceptance rates and lower turnover, which matters most in disciplines like engineering, data and cyber security where demand consistently outstrips supply.

Salaries are shaped by experience, seniority, location, technical specialism and market demand. Professionals with in-demand skills, such as platform engineering, data, cyber security or senior go-to-market leadership, often command higher salaries where candidate availability is limited. Bonus structures, equity and benefits also matter, so total compensation is often just as important as base salary.

Yes. SODA specialises in technology and talent recruitment across the UK, United States, Switzerland and Germany, supporting permanent recruitment, contract hiring and retained search. Our consultants combine specialist market knowledge with salary benchmarking to help you define a competitive offer and secure the right hire.

SODA specialises in technology and talent recruitment, so our benchmarking is built from live hiring activity and the day-to-day market intelligence our consultants gather, not just historic datasets. That means our guides reflect current hiring demand and salary expectations, helping employers and candidates make informed decisions in a fast-moving market.

Benchmarking isn’t only useful when hiring, it also helps you keep the people you already have. Regularly checking salaries against the market lets you spot pay gaps early and make informed adjustments before they become a reason someone leaves. Paired with clear progression and strong benefits, that keeps your compensation competitive across the technology and go-to-market functions SODA recruits for.