Technology & IT · Seattle, WA
Seattle has four times the national share of software developers, and in 2026 that bench includes engineers released by Amazon and Microsoft as well as people courted by expanding AI labs. Careerscape works the Puget Sound market remotely as a national agency, with recruiters who stick to one industry.
2026 in brief
The big employers kept cutting in 2026. Amazon announced 16,000 corporate job cuts company-wide on January 28, and Microsoft said in July that it would eliminate nearly 5,000 roles worldwide, with Washington notices covering Redmond positions.
By May, KUOW reported, Washington's tech layoffs were the second highest of any state.
The other side of the ledger is AI. OpenAI signed a large lease at City Center Plaza in downtown Bellevue, GeekWire reported in February, and Anthropic leased about 113,000 square feet at Dexter Yard in South Lake Union in July. JLL reported that Puget Sound AI office leasing was on pace for a record year. For a Seattle employer, experienced engineers are available, but the strongest of them are also talking to well-funded newcomers.
This page sticks to tech. For the wider metro economy and Washington's other hiring laws, see our Seattle staffing guide.
Where it clusters
The region's largest tech employers sit in three places within a short drive of each other, and the AI newcomers are choosing the same areas.
Anthropic's new space at Dexter Yard sits in the same neighborhood as Amazon's headquarters towers.
OpenAI's City Center Plaza tower holds one of the largest AI leases in the region, a short drive from Microsoft.
Microsoft's headquarters campus, and the address on many of its Washington layoff notices.
Hiring after layoffs
Laid-off engineers are a large part of the Seattle candidate pool in 2026, and the way they exit shapes when they can start. This is practical guidance, not legal advice.
Washington's mini-WARN law (SB 5525), in effect since July 27, 2025, requires employers with 50 or more full-time employees in the state to give 60 days' written notice before a mass layoff or site closure affecting 50 or more full-time workers. Many candidates can interview during that window but start only after it ends.
Under the Washington law, short notice can leave the former employer owing the value of benefits the worker would have received, which some employment lawyers read to include equity vesting. Expect candidates to protect that date, and plan your start date around it.
A big-company level name does not map neatly onto a 40-person team. Screen on the systems the candidate owned, the scale they ran and the decisions they made, not on the title.
Engineers leaving Microsoft or Amazon are often interviewing in Bellevue and South Lake Union at the same time. Treat the BLS medians above as a floor and decide early whether you can compete on equity, scope or remote days. National ranges are in our software engineer salary guide.
Contract and contract-to-hire lets an engineer start on Careerscape's payroll now while both sides judge fit, then convert to your payroll later.
Talent pipeline
Beyond the layoff pool, three sources feed the region's tech workforce. Our technology recruiting draws on all of them.
The University of Washington's Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering graduates bachelor's, master's and doctoral students every year, many of whom stay in the region.
Apprenti, affiliated with the Washington Technology Industry Association, runs registered IT apprenticeships in roles such as cloud operations, cybersecurity analyst, software developer and IT support, with pre-screened apprentices and related training.
Besides Amazon and Microsoft, other Puget Sound tech employers have filed Washington layoff notices since 2025. Many of these workers have cloud and large-scale systems experience.
CBRE's 2026 Scoring Tech Talent report kept Seattle at No. 2 among North American markets, a ranking built on the size and quality of the local tech workforce.
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FAQ
Easier to find, not always easier to close. Washington's tech layoffs were the second highest of any state in the year to spring 2026, and many of those workers have cloud and large-scale systems experience. But OpenAI and Anthropic both expanded their Seattle-area offices in 2026 and recruit from the same people, so strong candidates may hold more than one offer. Make pay, scope and start date clear in the first conversation.
The median annual wage for software developers in the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue metro was $167,280 in May 2025, according to BLS, compared with a U.S. median of $135,980. The middle half earned between $132,800 and $211,860. Pay for a specific role depends on level, stack and equity. Our software engineer salary guide has national ranges.
It can. Since July 27, 2025, Washington employers with 50 or more full-time employees in the state must give 60 days' written notice before a mass layoff or site closure affecting 50 or more full-time workers. Employees often stay on payroll through that period, so a candidate may be able to interview now but start weeks later. Ask for the separation date before you set an offer timeline.
No. Careerscape has no Seattle-area office. Our recruiters specialize by industry, so a Seattle software or security search goes to technology recruiters who work nationally and remotely. Candidate interviews happen by phone and video, and you review the shortlist, request interviews and leave feedback in a private Employer Portal.
None of the 11 tech occupations we track is below the national share here. Database administrators come closest, with 1,010 jobs and a location quotient of 1.07, followed by IT managers at 1.46. Network and systems administrators (1.31) are relatively plentiful but earn only about 5% more than the U.S. median, so pay bands for them can sit closer to national levels than software bands do.
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