Microsoft 365 Contract Job Trends in the North of England

Microsoft 365 (M365, Office 365, O365)
England > North of England

The table below provides summary statistics and contractor rates for jobs advertised in the North of England requiring Microsoft 365 skills. It covers contract job vacancies from the 6 months leading up to 13 August 2026, with comparisons to the same periods in the previous two years.

6 months to
13 Aug 2026
Same period 2025 Same period 2024
Rank 36 40 34
Rank change year-on-year +4 -6 -7
Contract jobs citing Microsoft 365 391 201 185
As % of all contract jobs in the North of England 5.29% 5.06% 4.49%
As % of the Cloud Services category 15.56% 15.09% 14.39%
Number of daily rates quoted 248 124 127
10th Percentile £143 £138 £157
25th Percentile £185 £185 £191
Median daily rate (50th Percentile) £255 £243 £300
Median % change year-on-year +5.15% -19.17% -
75th Percentile £500 £449 £494
90th Percentile £591 £551 £638
England median daily rate £400 £325 £400
% change year-on-year +23.08% -18.75% +6.67%
Number of hourly rates quoted 36 16 10
10th Percentile £16.75 £12.50 £12.00
25th Percentile £17.25 £12.74 £14.44
Median hourly rate £25.38 £13.00 £20.50
Median % change year-on-year +95.23% -36.59% +17.14%
75th Percentile £27.06 £30.63 £21.88
90th Percentile £178.75 - £23.05
England median hourly rate £17.93 £19.37 £20.00
% change year-on-year -7.44% -3.18% +5.26%

All Cloud Computing Skills
North of England

Microsoft 365 falls under the Cloud Services category. For comparison with the information above, the following table provides summary statistics for all contract job vacancies requiring cloud computing skills in the North of England.

Contract vacancies with a requirement for cloud computing skills 2,513 1,332 1,286
As % of all contract IT jobs advertised in the North of England 34.02% 33.50% 31.18%
Number of daily rates quoted 1,617 959 868
10th Percentile £300 £299 £288
25th Percentile £400 £380 £400
Median daily rate (50th Percentile) £500 £465 £475
Median % change year-on-year +7.53% -2.11% -6.86%
75th Percentile £588 £538 £575
90th Percentile £675 £627 £650
England median daily rate £525 £513 £525
% change year-on-year +2.44% -2.38% -4.55%
Number of hourly rates quoted 136 31 44
10th Percentile £17.50 £12.50 £14.09
25th Percentile £25.38 £12.82 -
Median hourly rate £65.00 £33.11 £16.06
Median % change year-on-year +96.32% +106.16% -40.96%
75th Percentile £70.00 £56.25 £33.38
90th Percentile £77.00 £88.75 £66.23
England median hourly rate £35.50 £26.00 £24.59
% change year-on-year +36.54% +5.73% -23.92%

Microsoft 365
Job Vacancy Trend in the North of England

Historical trend showing the proportion of contract IT job postings citing Microsoft 365 relative to all contract IT jobs advertised in the North of England.

Microsoft 365 job vacancy trend in the North of England

Microsoft 365
Daily Rate Trend in the North of England

Contractor daily rate distribution trend for jobs in the North of England citing Microsoft 365.

Contractor daily rate distribution trend for jobs in the North of England citing Microsoft 365

Microsoft 365
Daily Rate Histogram in the North of England

Daily rate distribution for jobs citing Microsoft 365 in the North of England over the 6 months to 13 August 2026.

Daily rate histogram for Microsoft 365 in the North of England

Microsoft 365
Hourly Rate Trend in the North of England

Contractor hourly rate distribution trend for jobs in the North of England citing Microsoft 365.

Contractor hourly rate distribution trend for jobs in the North of England citing Microsoft 365

Microsoft 365
Hourly Rate Histogram in the North of England

Hourly rate distribution of jobs citing Microsoft 365 in the North of England over the 6 months to 13 August 2026.

Hourly rate histogram for Microsoft 365 in the North of England

Microsoft 365
Contract Job Locations in the North of England

The table below looks at the demand and provides a guide to the median contractor rates quoted in IT jobs citing Microsoft 365 within the North of England region over the 6 months to 13 August 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
North West +19 230 £250 -28.57% 124
Yorkshire -11 145 £325 +38.30% 100
North East -38 19 £250 +28.21% 40
Microsoft 365
England

Microsoft 365
Co-Occurring Skills & Capabilities in the North of England 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
1 135 (34.53%) SharePoint
2 83 (21.23%) Microsoft Exchange
3 8 (2.05%) SharePoint Server
4 5 (1.28%) Confluence
5 3 (0.77%) CMS
6 1 (0.26%) IIS
6 1 (0.26%) Mendix
6 1 (0.26%) SharePoint 2013
Applications
1 22 (5.63%) Microsoft Office
2 8 (2.05%) Microsoft Excel
3 3 (0.77%) Acrobat
3 3 (0.77%) Chatbot
4 1 (0.26%) Microsoft Project
Business Applications
1 9 (2.30%) Remedy ITSM
2 3 (0.77%) Dynamics CRM
3 1 (0.26%) Workday HCM
Cloud Services
1 148 (37.85%) Azure
2 105 (26.85%) Entra ID
3 59 (15.09%) OneDrive
4 58 (14.83%) Microsoft Copilot
4 58 (14.83%) Power Platform
5 34 (8.70%) PowerApps
6 33 (8.44%) Power Automate
7 18 (4.60%) AWS
8 17 (4.35%) Azure DevOps
9 15 (3.84%) Microsoft Purview
10 14 (3.58%) Dynamics 365
10 14 (3.58%) GCP
11 13 (3.32%) SaaS
12 11 (2.81%) GitHub
12 11 (2.81%) Google Workspace
13 10 (2.56%) GitHub Actions
14 9 (2.30%) Azure AI
15 7 (1.79%) Azure Logic Apps
15 7 (1.79%) Google Drive
16 6 (1.53%) PaaS
Communications & Networking
1 34 (8.70%) VPN
2 23 (5.88%) DNS
3 15 (3.84%) DHCP
3 15 (3.84%) LAN
4 13 (3.32%) Firewall
4 13 (3.32%) VLAN
5 12 (3.07%) Wi-Fi
6 10 (2.56%) VoIP
7 9 (2.30%) SAN
7 9 (2.30%) TCP/IP
7 9 (2.30%) WAN
8 8 (2.05%) Wireless
9 7 (1.79%) WLAN
10 5 (1.28%) Cisco ASA
10 5 (1.28%) NAS
10 5 (1.28%) Skype
11 4 (1.02%) BGP
11 4 (1.02%) Cisco Nexus
11 4 (1.02%) IPsec
11 4 (1.02%) OSPF
Database & Business Intelligence
1 20 (5.12%) Power BI
2 6 (1.53%) Amazon RDS
2 6 (1.53%) SQL Server
3 3 (0.77%) Metadata
4 2 (0.51%) Azure SQL Database
4 2 (0.51%) Data Lake
4 2 (0.51%) Data Warehouse
4 2 (0.51%) EDRMS
5 1 (0.26%) Power Query
Development Applications
1 18 (4.60%) JIRA
2 4 (1.02%) MSI
3 3 (0.77%) Browser DevTools
3 3 (0.77%) Fiddler
4 2 (0.51%) Jenkins
4 2 (0.51%) SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS)
4 2 (0.51%) Terragrunt
4 2 (0.51%) Zephyr
General
1 144 (36.83%) Social Skills
2 55 (14.07%) Public Sector
3 42 (10.74%) Analytical Skills
3 42 (10.74%) Legal
4 30 (7.67%) Finance
5 15 (3.84%) Organisational Skills
6 11 (2.81%) Law
7 10 (2.56%) Documentation Skills
7 10 (2.56%) Manufacturing
8 9 (2.30%) Local Government
9 7 (1.79%) Banking
9 7 (1.79%) Telecoms
10 5 (1.28%) Games
10 5 (1.28%) Inclusion and Diversity
11 4 (1.02%) Police
12 3 (0.77%) Pharmaceutical
12 3 (0.77%) Retail
13 2 (0.51%) Advertising
13 2 (0.51%) Influencing Skills
13 2 (0.51%) Presentation Skills
Job Titles
1 92 (23.53%) IT Support
2 63 (16.11%) Support Engineer
3 55 (14.07%) IT Engineer
4 54 (13.81%) IT Support Engineer
5 48 (12.28%) Analyst
6 29 (7.42%) 2nd Line Support
7 27 (6.91%) Architect
8 25 (6.39%) Microsoft 365 Engineer
9 24 (6.14%) 1st Line Support
9 24 (6.14%) Service Analyst
9 24 (6.14%) Service Desk Analyst
10 21 (5.37%) 2nd Line Engineer
11 20 (5.12%) IT Analyst
12 19 (4.86%) Senior
13 17 (4.35%) Solutions Architect
14 16 (4.09%) 2nd Line Support Engineer
14 16 (4.09%) Support Analyst
15 15 (3.84%) Designer
16 13 (3.32%) Administrator
16 13 (3.32%) IT Technician
Libraries, Frameworks & Software Standards
1 18 (4.60%) Microsoft Graph
2 8 (2.05%) OAuth
3 5 (1.28%) OpenID
3 5 (1.28%) REST
3 5 (1.28%) SAML
3 5 (1.28%) YAML
4 3 (0.77%) .NET
4 3 (0.77%) .NET Framework
4 3 (0.77%) FIDO
4 3 (0.77%) JSON
4 3 (0.77%) OAuth2
4 3 (0.77%) SOAP
4 3 (0.77%) Web Services
5 2 (0.51%) LDAP
5 2 (0.51%) ODBC
5 2 (0.51%) React
5 2 (0.51%) SPFx
5 2 (0.51%) XSLT
6 1 (0.26%) EDI
6 1 (0.26%) HTML5 Canvas
Miscellaneous
1 31 (7.93%) Onboarding
2 15 (3.84%) Enterprise Software
3 11 (2.81%) Data Centre
3 11 (2.81%) Driving Licence
3 11 (2.81%) Management Information System
4 10 (2.56%) Analytical Mindset
5 8 (2.05%) CMDB
6 7 (1.79%) Blackberry
6 7 (1.79%) Mobile App
6 7 (1.79%) Self-Motivation
7 5 (1.28%) Animation
7 5 (1.28%) Handset
7 5 (1.28%) PKI
8 4 (1.02%) NHS
8 4 (1.02%) Product Ownership
8 4 (1.02%) Video Conferencing
9 3 (0.77%) Enterprise Storage
9 3 (0.77%) Housing Association
9 3 (0.77%) Low-Code
9 3 (0.77%) Smartphone
Operating Systems
1 220 (56.27%) Windows
2 86 (21.99%) Windows 10
3 45 (11.51%) Windows Server
4 22 (5.63%) Android
5 17 (4.35%) Apple iOS
6 6 (1.53%) Linux
7 5 (1.28%) Mac OS
7 5 (1.28%) Windows Server 2019
8 2 (0.51%) Windows 7
8 2 (0.51%) Windows Server 2012
8 2 (0.51%) Windows Server 2016
9 1 (0.26%) Mac OS X
9 1 (0.26%) Unix
Processes & Methodologies
1 86 (21.99%) Customer Service
1 86 (21.99%) Problem-Solving
2 84 (21.48%) ITIL
3 44 (11.25%) Service Management
4 37 (9.46%) Continuous Improvement
5 36 (9.21%) ITSM
6 34 (8.70%) Migration
7 32 (8.18%) Stakeholder Engagement
8 31 (7.93%) Agile
9 28 (7.16%) DevOps
10 27 (6.91%) Incident Management
11 24 (6.14%) Computer Science
11 24 (6.14%) User Experience
12 23 (5.88%) AI
13 22 (5.63%) Analytics
13 22 (5.63%) Data Loss Prevention
14 19 (4.86%) Change Management
14 19 (4.86%) Data Protection
14 19 (4.86%) Digital Transformation Programme
15 18 (4.60%) Identity Access Management
Programming Languages
1 41 (10.49%) PowerShell
2 8 (2.05%) Python
3 7 (1.79%) SQL
4 4 (1.02%) C#
4 4 (1.02%) T-SQL
5 3 (0.77%) JavaScript
5 3 (0.77%) Kusto Query Language
6 2 (0.51%) Bicep
6 2 (0.51%) Shell Script
6 2 (0.51%) TypeScript
7 1 (0.26%) Bash
7 1 (0.26%) Google Apps Script
Qualifications
1 59 (15.09%) Degree
2 50 (12.79%) Security Cleared
3 36 (9.21%) SC Cleared
4 29 (7.42%) Microsoft Certification
5 23 (5.88%) Computer Science Degree
6 11 (2.81%) BPSS Clearance
7 10 (2.56%) A+ Certification
7 10 (2.56%) Network+ Certification
8 8 (2.05%) ITIL Foundation Certificate
9 7 (1.79%) DBS Check
10 6 (1.53%) DV Cleared
11 5 (1.28%) Cisco Certification
12 4 (1.02%) CCNP
12 4 (1.02%) Microsoft Certified Professional
13 3 (0.77%) Azure Certification
14 2 (0.51%) ITIL Certification
14 2 (0.51%) MCSE
14 2 (0.51%) Numerate Degree
14 2 (0.51%) PMI Certification
14 2 (0.51%) PMP
Quality Assurance & Compliance
1 16 (4.09%) SLA
2 8 (2.05%) GDPR
3 5 (1.28%) Accessibility
3 5 (1.28%) QA
3 5 (1.28%) WCAG
4 4 (1.02%) Cyber Essentials
5 3 (0.77%) Cyber Essentials PLUS
5 3 (0.77%) Data Quality
5 3 (0.77%) GRC
5 3 (0.77%) NIST
6 2 (0.51%) IASME
6 2 (0.51%) ISO/IEC 27001
7 1 (0.26%) Disclosure Scotland
7 1 (0.26%) FINRA
7 1 (0.26%) ISO/IEC 42001
7 1 (0.26%) MiFID
7 1 (0.26%) PMO
System Software
1 187 (47.83%) Active Directory
2 13 (3.32%) Hyper-V
2 13 (3.32%) VMware Infrastructure
3 12 (3.07%) Virtual Desktop
4 4 (1.02%) Virtual Machines
5 2 (0.51%) Docker
6 1 (0.26%) Microsoft Virtual Server
6 1 (0.26%) Terminal Services
6 1 (0.26%) Virtual Servers
6 1 (0.26%) vSphere
Systems Management
1 77 (19.69%) Microsoft Intune
2 20 (5.12%) SCCM
3 16 (4.09%) Jamf Pro
4 10 (2.56%) Single Sign-On
5 9 (2.30%) Terraform
6 4 (1.02%) WSUS
7 3 (0.77%) Systems Management Server (SMS)
8 2 (0.51%) Active Directory Federation Services
8 2 (0.51%) Kubernetes
9 1 (0.26%) CA Single Sign-On
9 1 (0.26%) Cisco CUCM
9 1 (0.26%) Tivoli
9 1 (0.26%) Tivoli Storage Manager
Vendors
1 290 (74.17%) Microsoft
2 64 (16.37%) ServiceNow
3 24 (6.14%) Cisco
4 21 (5.37%) iManage
5 17 (4.35%) Google
5 17 (4.35%) VMware
6 16 (4.09%) Bomgar
7 15 (3.84%) Citrix
8 13 (3.32%) Apple
8 13 (3.32%) Remedy
9 9 (2.30%) CyberArk
9 9 (2.30%) Sophos
10 7 (1.79%) BeyondTrust
10 7 (1.79%) Splunk
11 6 (1.53%) Ribbon
12 5 (1.28%) Adobe
12 5 (1.28%) Perforce
13 4 (1.02%) CheckPoint
13 4 (1.02%) Meraki
13 4 (1.02%) SAP