What data engineer roles require at tech companies · 99 roles · 90 days to Oct 7, 2026

Updated Oct 7, 2026

99 data engineer roles counted in the window, one per company, title and level; 78 data postings open now, all titles and levels.

In short

SQL is required most often, in 74 of 99 (75%) data engineer roles at tech companies whose requirements we read in the 90 days to Oct 7, 2026, then Python (72) and Data Modeling (49). Among roles that state years, 37 of 49 ask for at least 5 years. We counted 99 roles from 92 employers.

SQL: 74 of 99 (75%); Required most often, of the roles we could read
5+ years: 37 of 49; Of roles stating years
Remote roles: 77 of 99 (78%); Of the roles we could read for it

What the postings ask for

Out of the 99 roles whose requirements we could read, of 99 in all. At most 10 per list, those asked for most.

Required
Skill	Roles asking
SQL	74 of 99 (75%)
Python	72 of 99 (73%)
Data Modeling	49 of 99 (49%)
Data Warehousing	39 of 99 (39%)
ETL	37 of 99 (37%)
CI/CD	35 of 99 (35%)
AWS	33 of 99 (33%)
Data Pipelines	28 of 99 (28%)
Git	27 of 99 (27%)
Snowflake	26 of 99 (26%)

Preferred
Skill	Roles asking
Data Quality	15 of 99 (15%)
Data Pipelines	12 of 99 (12%)
Machine Learning	12 of 99 (12%)
Data Warehousing	11 of 99 (11%)
Stream Processing	11 of 99 (11%)
GCP	10 of 99 (10%)
Monitoring	10 of 99 (10%)
AI	9 of 99 (9%)
Airflow	9 of 99 (9%)
Business Intelligence	9 of 99 (9%)

Experience

Of the 49 roles that state years

Each line counts roles asking for at least that many years, so the lines overlap.

1+ year: 49 of 49
2+ years: 49 of 49
3+ years: 47 of 49
5+ years: 37 of 49
8+ years: 8 of 49
10+ years: 3 of 49

Degree

Of the 64 roles we could read for it

Required: 9 of 64 (14%)
Required, or experience instead: 12 of 64 (19%)
Preferred: 1 of 64 (2%)
Not mentioned: 42 of 64 (66%)

Pay and remote work

Of the 99 roles we could read for it

Roles stating pay: 38 of 99 (38%)
Remote roles: 77 of 99 (78%)

Questions about data engineer roles

Do you need a degree to be a data engineer?

In the 90 days to Oct 7, 2026, 9 of 64 (14%) data engineer roles at tech companies required a degree. 12 accepted experience instead, 1 preferred a degree and 42 did not mention one.

What skills do data engineer roles require most often?

SQL, required in 74 of 99 (75%) data engineer roles at tech companies whose requirements we read in the 90 days to Oct 7, 2026, then Python (72), Data Modeling (49), Data Warehousing (39) and ETL (37).

Can data engineer roles be remote?

In the 90 days to Oct 7, 2026, remote work was allowed in 77 of 99 (78%) data engineer roles at tech companies.

What does "preferred" mean in a posting?

A preferred skill is one the posting lists as a plus rather than a must. We count required and preferred skills separately, so for each role a skill is in one list or the other, never both.

Companies with the most data engineer roles

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Check your fit

How we count: 99 roles from 92 employers in the 90 days to Oct 7, 2026, each role counted once however many boards post it. Methodology