Microsoft Contract Job Trends in Manchester

Microsoft
North West > Manchester

The table below provides summary statistics for contract job vacancies advertised in Manchester requiring knowledge or experience of Microsoft products and/or services. It includes a benchmarking guide to contractor rates offered in vacancies that cited Microsoft over the 6 months leading up to 14 September 2026, comparing them to the same period in the previous two years.

The figures below represent the IT contractor job market in general and are not representative of contractor rates within the Microsoft Corporation.

6 months to
14 Sep 2026
Same period 2025 Same period 2024
Rank 8 3 14
Rank change year-on-year -5 +11 -10
Contract jobs citing Microsoft 247 184 123
As % of all contract jobs in Manchester 12.49% 18.25% 10.30%
As % of the Vendors category 32.50% 37.32% 26.45%
Number of daily rates quoted 157 125 88
10th Percentile £193 £213 £361
25th Percentile £359 £350 £413
Median daily rate (50th Percentile) £475 £450 £500
Median % change year-on-year +5.56% -10.00% +11.11%
75th Percentile £525 £535 £638
90th Percentile £604 £612 £675
North West median daily rate £450 £433 £450
% change year-on-year +4.05% -3.89% +2.86%
Number of hourly rates quoted 20 29 7
10th Percentile £19.00 £13.00 £18.40
25th Percentile £27.42 £19.07 £24.25
Median hourly rate £30.00 £22.32 £30.00
Median % change year-on-year +34.44% -25.62% +74.83%
75th Percentile £178.75 £31.40 £33.75
90th Percentile - - £40.50
North West median hourly rate £25.38 £22.32 £30.00
% change year-on-year +13.74% -25.62% +34.74%

All Vendors
Manchester

Microsoft falls under the Vendor Products and Services category. For comparison with the information above, the following table provides summary statistics for all contract job vacancies requiring knowledge or experience of all vendor products and services in Manchester.

Contract vacancies with a requirement for knowledge or experience of vendor products and services 760 493 465
As % of all contract IT jobs advertised in Manchester 38.44% 48.91% 38.94%
Number of daily rates quoted 431 314 278
10th Percentile £275 £310 £363
25th Percentile £400 £400 £417
Median daily rate (50th Percentile) £492 £475 £500
Median % change year-on-year +3.58% -5.00% -
75th Percentile £588 £600 £600
90th Percentile £663 £709 £675
North West median daily rate £500 £463 £500
% change year-on-year +8.11% -7.50% -
Number of hourly rates quoted 72 39 16
10th Percentile £21.08 £13.00 £16.43
25th Percentile £24.19 £19.07 £21.50
Median hourly rate £40.00 £22.32 £30.50
Median % change year-on-year +79.25% -26.84% +72.12%
75th Percentile £77.00 £31.40 £45.94
90th Percentile £87.50 £57.14 £80.00
North West median hourly rate £29.96 £22.63 £35.68
% change year-on-year +32.39% -36.58% +1.94%

Microsoft
Job Vacancy Trend in Manchester

Historical trend showing the proportion of contract IT job postings citing Microsoft relative to all contract IT jobs advertised in Manchester.

Microsoft job vacancy trend in Manchester

Microsoft
Daily Rate Trend in Manchester

Contractor daily rate distribution trend for jobs in Manchester citing Microsoft.

Contractor daily rate distribution trend for jobs in Manchester citing Microsoft

Microsoft
Daily Rate Histogram in Manchester

Daily rate distribution for jobs citing Microsoft in Manchester over the 6 months to 14 September 2026.

Daily rate histogram for Microsoft in Manchester

Microsoft
Hourly Rate Trend in Manchester

Contractor hourly rate distribution trend for jobs in Manchester citing Microsoft.

Contractor hourly rate distribution trend for jobs in Manchester citing Microsoft

Microsoft
Hourly Rate Histogram in Manchester

Hourly rate distribution of jobs citing Microsoft in Manchester over the 6 months to 14 September 2026.

Hourly rate histogram for Microsoft in Manchester

Microsoft
Contract Job Locations in Manchester

The table below looks at the demand and provides a guide to the median contractor rates quoted in IT jobs citing Microsoft within the Manchester region over the 6 months to 14 September 2026. The 'Rank Change' column provides an indication of the change in demand within each location based on the same 6 month period last year.

Location Rank Change
on Same Period
Last Year
Matching
Contract
IT Job Ads
Median
Daily Rate
Past 6 Months
Median Daily Rate
% Change
on Same Period
Last Year
Live
Jobs
Bolton -5 7 £160 -59.62% 15
Oldham +3 3 - - 15
Rochdale - 2 - - 4
Salford +2 1 £168 -58.13% 13
Bury - 1 - - 4
Microsoft
North West

Microsoft
Co-Occurring Skills & Capabilities in Manchester by Category

The following tables expand on the one above by listing co-occurrences grouped by category. They cover the same employment type, locality and period, with up to 20 co-occurrences shown in each category:

Application Platforms
1 42 (17.00%) SharePoint
2 25 (10.12%) Microsoft Exchange
3 13 (5.26%) SharePoint Server
4 4 (1.62%) Confluence
5 2 (0.81%) CMS
6 1 (0.40%) IIS
6 1 (0.40%) SharePoint 2013
6 1 (0.40%) WebSphere
Applications
1 29 (11.74%) Microsoft Office
2 25 (10.12%) Microsoft Excel
3 11 (4.45%) Microsoft PowerPoint
3 11 (4.45%) Microsoft Project
4 4 (1.62%) MS Visio
5 3 (1.21%) AutoCAD
6 2 (0.81%) Chatbot
6 2 (0.81%) Navisworks
6 2 (0.81%) ProjectWise
6 2 (0.81%) Revit
7 1 (0.40%) MicroStation
Business Applications
1 5 (2.02%) Dynamics CRM
2 4 (1.62%) Primavera
2 4 (1.62%) SAP MM
2 4 (1.62%) SAP S/4HANA
3 2 (0.81%) Dynamics AX
3 2 (0.81%) Elite 3E
3 2 (0.81%) Integrated Workplace Management System
4 1 (0.40%) Adobe Campaign
4 1 (0.40%) Cloudability
4 1 (0.40%) Oracle Payables
4 1 (0.40%) Unit4 Business World
Cloud Services
1 108 (43.72%) Azure
2 99 (40.08%) Microsoft 365
3 63 (25.51%) Power Platform
4 41 (16.60%) Entra ID
5 36 (14.57%) Microsoft Copilot
6 29 (11.74%) Power Automate
7 26 (10.53%) PowerApps
8 21 (8.50%) AWS
8 21 (8.50%) OneDrive
9 20 (8.10%) Azure DevOps
10 14 (5.67%) Azure AI
10 14 (5.67%) Dynamics 365
11 12 (4.86%) GCP
12 11 (4.45%) Azure Monitor
13 6 (2.43%) Azure Data Factory
14 5 (2.02%) OpenShift
15 4 (1.62%) Copilot Studio
16 3 (1.21%) Azure Synapse Analytics
16 3 (1.21%) Microsoft Purview
16 3 (1.21%) Salesforce Service Cloud
Communications & Networking
1 11 (4.45%) SSL
2 9 (3.64%) VPN
3 7 (2.83%) DNS
3 7 (2.83%) Firewall
4 6 (2.43%) VLAN
5 5 (2.02%) SAN
6 4 (1.62%) DHCP
6 4 (1.62%) NAS
6 4 (1.62%) Skype
7 3 (1.21%) LAN
7 3 (1.21%) Network Security
7 3 (1.21%) TCP/IP
8 2 (0.81%) BGP
8 2 (0.81%) PABX
8 2 (0.81%) SMTP
8 2 (0.81%) VoIP
8 2 (0.81%) VSAN
8 2 (0.81%) WAN
9 1 (0.40%) Ethernet VPN
9 1 (0.40%) VXLAN
Database & Business Intelligence
1 36 (14.57%) Power BI
2 26 (10.53%) SQL Server
3 15 (6.07%) SQL Server Integration Services
4 13 (5.26%) MySQL
5 5 (2.02%) Metadata
6 4 (1.62%) Data Lake
6 4 (1.62%) Data Warehouse
6 4 (1.62%) Power Query
7 3 (1.21%) Relational Database
8 2 (0.81%) Azure SQL Database
8 2 (0.81%) SQL Server Analysis Services
8 2 (0.81%) SQL Server Reporting Services
9 1 (0.40%) Azure SQL Data Warehouse
9 1 (0.40%) Delta Lake
9 1 (0.40%) MongoDB
9 1 (0.40%) PostgreSQL
9 1 (0.40%) Star Schema
Development Applications
1 9 (3.64%) JIRA
2 5 (2.02%) Git
3 4 (1.62%) Jenkins
4 3 (1.21%) GitLab
5 2 (0.81%) MSI
5 2 (0.81%) SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS)
6 1 (0.40%) MSTest
6 1 (0.40%) NUnit
6 1 (0.40%) Sonatype Nexus
General
1 79 (31.98%) Social Skills
2 53 (21.46%) Finance
3 35 (14.17%) Analytical Skills
4 16 (6.48%) Public Sector
5 14 (5.67%) Manufacturing
6 13 (5.26%) Banking
7 12 (4.86%) Documentation Skills
8 7 (2.83%) Organisational Skills
8 7 (2.83%) Telecoms
9 6 (2.43%) Legal
10 5 (2.02%) Games
10 5 (2.02%) Retail
11 4 (1.62%) Marketing
11 4 (1.62%) Military
12 3 (1.21%) Influencing Skills
13 2 (0.81%) Agriculture
13 2 (0.81%) Aviation
13 2 (0.81%) Presentation Skills
14 1 (0.40%) Billing
14 1 (0.40%) Law
Job Titles
1 28 (11.34%) IT Support
2 25 (10.12%) Support Engineer
3 23 (9.31%) Analyst
4 20 (8.10%) Developer
5 18 (7.29%) IT Engineer
5 18 (7.29%) IT Support Engineer
6 17 (6.88%) DBA
6 17 (6.88%) SQL DBA
7 16 (6.48%) Architect
8 13 (5.26%) Lead
9 12 (4.86%) Designer
10 11 (4.45%) Administrator
10 11 (4.45%) Content Designer
11 10 (4.05%) IT Analyst
11 10 (4.05%) Senior
11 10 (4.05%) Support Analyst
12 8 (3.24%) Consultant
12 8 (3.24%) Microsoft 365 Engineer
12 8 (3.24%) SharePoint Developer
12 8 (3.24%) Solutions Architect
Libraries, Frameworks & Software Standards
1 10 (4.05%) Terraform
2 9 (3.64%) SAML
3 4 (1.62%) .NET
3 4 (1.62%) REST
3 4 (1.62%) Software Packaging
4 3 (1.21%) A2A Protocol
4 3 (1.21%) JSON
4 3 (1.21%) Microsoft Graph
4 3 (1.21%) Model Context Protocol
4 3 (1.21%) React
5 2 (0.81%) Flash
5 2 (0.81%) Kafka
5 2 (0.81%) Next.js
5 2 (0.81%) Node.js
5 2 (0.81%) ODBC
5 2 (0.81%) PySpark
5 2 (0.81%) SailPoint
5 2 (0.81%) Spring
5 2 (0.81%) Spring Boot
6 1 (0.40%) WPF
Miscellaneous
1 25 (10.12%) Onboarding
2 13 (5.26%) Replication
3 12 (4.86%) Clustering
4 7 (2.83%) Cloud Native
4 7 (2.83%) Management Information System
5 6 (2.43%) CMDB
5 6 (2.43%) Data Centre
5 6 (2.43%) Data Protection Act
5 6 (2.43%) Handset
5 6 (2.43%) Legacy Systems
6 5 (2.02%) Animation
6 5 (2.02%) Blackberry
6 5 (2.02%) Enterprise Software
6 5 (2.02%) Product Ownership
7 4 (1.62%) Hybrid Cloud
7 4 (1.62%) PKI
8 3 (1.21%) Life Science
9 2 (0.81%) Enterprise Cloud
9 2 (0.81%) Private Cloud
9 2 (0.81%) Public Cloud
Operating Systems
1 60 (24.29%) Windows
2 26 (10.53%) Windows 10
3 24 (9.72%) Windows Server
4 8 (3.24%) Linux
5 5 (2.02%) Android
5 5 (2.02%) Unix
6 4 (1.62%) VMS
7 3 (1.21%) Apple iOS
7 3 (1.21%) Red Hat Enterprise Linux
8 2 (0.81%) Windows Server 2012
9 1 (0.40%) AIX
9 1 (0.40%) HPUX
9 1 (0.40%) Oracle Linux
9 1 (0.40%) Solaris
9 1 (0.40%) SUSE
9 1 (0.40%) Windows Server 2016
9 1 (0.40%) Windows Server 2019
Processes & Methodologies
1 59 (23.89%) ITIL
2 41 (16.60%) Problem-Solving
2 41 (16.60%) Stakeholder Management
3 35 (14.17%) Business Intelligence
3 35 (14.17%) DevOps
4 30 (12.15%) Agile
5 29 (11.74%) Customer Service
6 26 (10.53%) Roadmaps
7 25 (10.12%) CI/CD
8 22 (8.91%) Analytics
8 22 (8.91%) Performance Tuning
9 21 (8.50%) Continuous Improvement
10 19 (7.69%) Data Modelling
10 19 (7.69%) Migration
10 19 (7.69%) Service Management
10 19 (7.69%) Stakeholder Engagement
11 17 (6.88%) AI
11 17 (6.88%) Technical Leadership
12 15 (6.07%) Infrastructure as Code
12 15 (6.07%) Knowledge Transfer
Programming Languages
1 44 (17.81%) SQL
2 36 (14.57%) PowerShell
3 20 (8.10%) Python
4 18 (7.29%) T-SQL
5 7 (2.83%) C#
6 5 (2.02%) JavaScript
7 4 (1.62%) Bash
7 4 (1.62%) Java
8 3 (1.21%) Bicep
8 3 (1.21%) VBScript
9 2 (0.81%) Data Analysis Expressions
9 2 (0.81%) Kusto Query Language
9 2 (0.81%) Search Processing Language
10 1 (0.40%) Go
10 1 (0.40%) TypeScript
Qualifications
1 52 (21.05%) Degree
2 46 (18.62%) Security Cleared
3 37 (14.98%) SC Cleared
4 35 (14.17%) BPSS Clearance
5 24 (9.72%) Microsoft Certification
6 13 (5.26%) Azure Certification
7 11 (4.45%) Computer Science Degree
8 10 (4.05%) ITIL Foundation Certificate
9 8 (3.24%) A+ Certification
10 7 (2.83%) Network+ Certification
11 4 (1.62%) DBS Check
12 3 (1.21%) Cisco Certification
12 3 (1.21%) CISSP
12 3 (1.21%) Microsoft Certified Professional
13 2 (0.81%) CCNA
13 2 (0.81%) GCFA
13 2 (0.81%) GCIH
13 2 (0.81%) Numerate Degree
13 2 (0.81%) PMI Certification
13 2 (0.81%) PMP
Quality Assurance & Compliance
1 20 (8.10%) Data Quality
2 10 (4.05%) GDPR
3 8 (3.24%) SLA
4 6 (2.43%) PMO
5 5 (2.02%) Accessibility
5 5 (2.02%) WCAG
6 4 (1.62%) GRC
6 4 (1.62%) Sarbanes-Oxley
7 3 (1.21%) NIST
7 3 (1.21%) QA
8 2 (0.81%) Actionable Recommendations
8 2 (0.81%) ISO 19650
8 2 (0.81%) PCI DSS
9 1 (0.40%) Disclosure Scotland
System Software
1 66 (26.72%) Active Directory
2 11 (4.45%) Docker
3 10 (4.05%) Virtual Machines
4 9 (3.64%) VMware Infrastructure
5 4 (1.62%) Hyper-V
6 3 (1.21%) Virtual Desktop
7 2 (0.81%) GPFS
7 2 (0.81%) NFS
7 2 (0.81%) Oracle RAC
7 2 (0.81%) VMware ESXi
7 2 (0.81%) vSphere
8 1 (0.40%) BitLocker
8 1 (0.40%) Microsoft App-V
8 1 (0.40%) VMware NSX
Systems Management
1 29 (11.74%) Microsoft Intune
2 12 (4.86%) Single Sign-On
3 11 (4.45%) Kubernetes
3 11 (4.45%) SCOM
4 7 (2.83%) Ansible
4 7 (2.83%) SCCM
5 4 (1.62%) Progress Chef
6 3 (1.21%) Grafana
7 2 (0.81%) CASB
7 2 (0.81%) Data Guard
7 2 (0.81%) Failover Clustering
7 2 (0.81%) vRealize
7 2 (0.81%) VxRail
8 1 (0.40%) AirWatch
8 1 (0.40%) Puppet
8 1 (0.40%) WSUS
Vendors
1 27 (10.93%) ServiceNow
2 19 (7.69%) BeyondTrust
3 15 (6.07%) SAP
4 9 (3.64%) Google
4 9 (3.64%) VMware
5 8 (3.24%) Databricks
5 8 (3.24%) Oracle
6 7 (2.83%) Splunk
7 6 (2.43%) Red Hat
8 5 (2.02%) Cisco
8 5 (2.02%) CyberArk
8 5 (2.02%) Perforce
9 4 (1.62%) Adobe
9 4 (1.62%) IBM
9 4 (1.62%) Okta
9 4 (1.62%) UiPath
10 3 (1.21%) Salesforce
11 2 (0.81%) Apple
11 2 (0.81%) Autodesk
11 2 (0.81%) Clearswift