Backend Engineer Jobs Reach 9.23 Million Yen Average Income in May 2026 Survey by Freelance Board
A May 2026 survey by Freelance Board revealed that freelance backend engineers earn an average annual income of 9.23 million yen, securing the top spot with a 26.09% share of all job listings. While remote work accounts for 81.2%, there is a noticeable shift towards partial in-office work.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: May 19, 2026 at 01:30
- 🔍 Collected: May 18, 2026 at 17:01
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: May 18, 2026 at 17:07 (5 min after Collected)
We are announcing the latest 'Survey Report on Backend Engineer Jobs' for freelance professionals in May 2026.
It was created from 133,542 actual freelance job postings published on Freelance Board.
■ Survey Summary
- Average annual income for backend engineer jobs is 9.23 million yen
- Remote jobs account for 81.2%
- Backend engineer jobs hold a 26.09% share of the total
■ Table of Contents
Average annual income ranking by occupation for backend engineers is 19th (9.23 million yen)
Job volume ranking by occupation for backend engineers is 1st (26.09% job ratio)
Remote work ratio of backend engineer jobs
Industries with many backend engineer jobs
Characteristics of backend engineers
Domains backend engineers can handle
Market value of backend engineers
Target of Survey
The estimated annual income is calculated based on the average monthly unit price of backend engineer job openings posted on Freelance Board (https://freelance-board.com/jobs/occupations-2).
- Target Period
February 1, 2024 to May 18, 2026
- Number of Targets:
133,542 jobs
* Request when quoting this data
When quoting in media, please include the source as follows.
Source: Freelance Board (https://freelance-board.com/jobs/occupations-2)
Average annual income ranking by occupation for backend engineers is 19th (9.23 million yen)
The average monthly unit price for backend engineer jobs is 769,000 yen, and the average annual income is 9.23 million yen, ranking 19th in the annual income ranking by IT occupations.
Backend engineers are professionals who support the backend of web services and applications. They mainly handle server-side development, API development, database design, and system maintenance and operation, which are necessary for stable service operation and feature additions.
Although it ranks 19th, it is a foundational occupation that supports system development, and consistent demand is expected in the future.
Job volume ranking by occupation for backend engineers is 1st (26.09% job ratio)
As of May 2026, backend engineer jobs account for 26.09% of the total market, ranking 1st in the occupational ranking, with an average monthly unit price of 769,000 yen.
The background to the high ratio of backend engineer jobs is that server-side development, API development, and database design and operation are continuously needed in many web services and business systems.
While consistent demand is expected in the future, the required skills may change due to the spread of cloud utilization and AI integration.
Remote work ratio of backend engineer jobs
(Reference: https://freelance-board.com/jobs/occupations-2)
As of May 2026, the remote work ratio for freelance jobs and job openings targeting backend engineers is 32.4% for full remote, 48.8% for partial remote, and 18.8% for on-site.
Combining full remote and partial remote reaches 81.2%, indicating that work styles incorporating remote work account for the majority.
Compared to the previous month, full remote decreased by 0.9%, and partial remote also decreased by 0.2%, while on-site increased by 1.2%. Because backend engineers are responsible for server-side development, API development, and database design, it is an occupation with many jobs that are easy to proceed with online.
Compared to the same month last year, full remote decreased by 11.8%, while partial remote increased by 7.0%, and on-site also increased by 4.8%. In backend engineer jobs, it is considered that there is a slight shift towards working styles that include partial office attendance rather than completely working from home.
Industries with many backend engineer jobs
(Job ratio: top 5 excerpt)
(Reference: https://freelance-board.com/jobs/occupations-2)
As of May 2026, backend engineer jobs are ranked 1st in Services at 7.72% (10,306 jobs), 2nd in WEB Services at 7.11% (9,501 jobs), 3rd in toB at 5.13% (6,852 jobs), 4th in SIer/Business Systems at 4.06% (5,425 jobs), and 5th in toC at 2.15% (2,867 jobs), with the top 5 industries accounting for approximately 26.17% of the total.
The background to Services and WEB Services occupying the top spots is the continuous demand in web service and application development. Because backend engineers handle server-side development, API development, database design, etc., toB systems and SIer/Business system jobs
It was created from 133,542 actual freelance job postings published on Freelance Board.
■ Survey Summary
- Average annual income for backend engineer jobs is 9.23 million yen
- Remote jobs account for 81.2%
- Backend engineer jobs hold a 26.09% share of the total
■ Table of Contents
Average annual income ranking by occupation for backend engineers is 19th (9.23 million yen)
Job volume ranking by occupation for backend engineers is 1st (26.09% job ratio)
Remote work ratio of backend engineer jobs
Industries with many backend engineer jobs
Characteristics of backend engineers
Domains backend engineers can handle
Market value of backend engineers
Target of Survey
The estimated annual income is calculated based on the average monthly unit price of backend engineer job openings posted on Freelance Board (https://freelance-board.com/jobs/occupations-2).
- Target Period
February 1, 2024 to May 18, 2026
- Number of Targets:
133,542 jobs
* Request when quoting this data
When quoting in media, please include the source as follows.
Source: Freelance Board (https://freelance-board.com/jobs/occupations-2)
Average annual income ranking by occupation for backend engineers is 19th (9.23 million yen)
The average monthly unit price for backend engineer jobs is 769,000 yen, and the average annual income is 9.23 million yen, ranking 19th in the annual income ranking by IT occupations.
Backend engineers are professionals who support the backend of web services and applications. They mainly handle server-side development, API development, database design, and system maintenance and operation, which are necessary for stable service operation and feature additions.
Although it ranks 19th, it is a foundational occupation that supports system development, and consistent demand is expected in the future.
Job volume ranking by occupation for backend engineers is 1st (26.09% job ratio)
As of May 2026, backend engineer jobs account for 26.09% of the total market, ranking 1st in the occupational ranking, with an average monthly unit price of 769,000 yen.
The background to the high ratio of backend engineer jobs is that server-side development, API development, and database design and operation are continuously needed in many web services and business systems.
While consistent demand is expected in the future, the required skills may change due to the spread of cloud utilization and AI integration.
Remote work ratio of backend engineer jobs
(Reference: https://freelance-board.com/jobs/occupations-2)
As of May 2026, the remote work ratio for freelance jobs and job openings targeting backend engineers is 32.4% for full remote, 48.8% for partial remote, and 18.8% for on-site.
Combining full remote and partial remote reaches 81.2%, indicating that work styles incorporating remote work account for the majority.
Compared to the previous month, full remote decreased by 0.9%, and partial remote also decreased by 0.2%, while on-site increased by 1.2%. Because backend engineers are responsible for server-side development, API development, and database design, it is an occupation with many jobs that are easy to proceed with online.
Compared to the same month last year, full remote decreased by 11.8%, while partial remote increased by 7.0%, and on-site also increased by 4.8%. In backend engineer jobs, it is considered that there is a slight shift towards working styles that include partial office attendance rather than completely working from home.
Industries with many backend engineer jobs
(Job ratio: top 5 excerpt)
(Reference: https://freelance-board.com/jobs/occupations-2)
As of May 2026, backend engineer jobs are ranked 1st in Services at 7.72% (10,306 jobs), 2nd in WEB Services at 7.11% (9,501 jobs), 3rd in toB at 5.13% (6,852 jobs), 4th in SIer/Business Systems at 4.06% (5,425 jobs), and 5th in toC at 2.15% (2,867 jobs), with the top 5 industries accounting for approximately 26.17% of the total.
The background to Services and WEB Services occupying the top spots is the continuous demand in web service and application development. Because backend engineers handle server-side development, API development, database design, etc., toB systems and SIer/Business system jobs
FAQ
What is the average monthly rate for freelance backend engineer jobs?
The average monthly rate is 769,000 yen, equating to an estimated annual income of 9.23 million yen.
What is the current state of remote work for backend engineers?
Remote work accounts for 81.2% (32.4% full remote, 48.8% partial remote), but full remote positions are decreasing year-over-year while hybrid and on-site roles are increasing.
What data is this survey based on?
The survey is based on 133,542 job postings published on Freelance Board between February 1, 2024, and May 18, 2026.