Microsoft Contracts in the North of England

Microsoft
England > North of England

The table below provides summary statistics for contract job vacancies advertised in the North of England 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 11 May 2025, 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
11 May 2025
Same period 2024 Same period 2023
Rank 7 4 8
Rank change year-on-year -3 +4 -3
Contract jobs citing Microsoft 502 654 813
As % of all contract jobs advertised in the North of England 15.15% 14.00% 14.30%
As % of the Vendors category 30.13% 32.98% 35.61%
Number of daily rates quoted 330 386 565
10th Percentile £186 £163 £183
25th Percentile £258 £268 £319
Median daily rate (50th Percentile) £413 £448 £475
Median % change year-on-year -7.81% -5.63% +18.75%
75th Percentile £518 £550 £563
90th Percentile £575 £650 £638
England median daily rate £475 £488 £500
% change year-on-year -2.56% -2.50% -
Number of hourly rates quoted 33 127 28
10th Percentile £13.00 £10.95 £15.65
25th Percentile £17.44 £11.10 £17.44
Median hourly rate £27.13 £15.00 £26.50
Median % change year-on-year +80.83% -43.40% +51.43%
75th Percentile £33.75 £18.19 £39.91
90th Percentile £42.31 £26.43 £50.55
England median hourly rate £18.63 £15.00 £21.00
% change year-on-year +24.20% -28.57% +13.51%

All Vendors
North of England

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 the North of England.

Contract vacancies with a requirement for knowledge or experience of vendor products and services 1,666 1,983 2,283
As % of all contract IT jobs advertised in the North of England 50.27% 42.44% 40.15%
Number of daily rates quoted 1,071 1,152 1,542
10th Percentile £230 £254 £235
25th Percentile £367 £391 £400
Median daily rate (50th Percentile) £475 £498 £500
Median % change year-on-year -4.52% -0.50% +8.11%
75th Percentile £565 £587 £594
90th Percentile £650 £675 £688
England median daily rate £525 £518 £535
% change year-on-year +1.35% -3.18% +1.90%
Number of hourly rates quoted 75 215 67
10th Percentile £16.58 £10.95 £16.01
25th Percentile £18.87 £12.53 £19.52
Median hourly rate £31.76 £15.17 £37.50
Median % change year-on-year +109.36% -59.55% +103.53%
75th Percentile £60.00 £24.15 £47.50
90th Percentile £86.00 £46.18 £53.13
England median hourly rate £26.45 £22.50 £38.50
% change year-on-year +17.56% -41.56% +79.99%

Microsoft
Job Vacancy Trend in the North of England

Job postings citing Microsoft as a proportion of all IT jobs advertised in the North of England.

Job vacancy trend for Microsoft in the North of England

Microsoft
Contractor Daily Rate Trend in the North of England

3-month moving average daily rate quoted in jobs citing Microsoft in the North of England.

Daily rate trend for Microsoft in the North of England

Microsoft
Daily Rate Histogram in the North of England

Daily rate distribution for jobs citing Microsoft in the North of England over the 6 months to 11 May 2025.

Daily rate histogram for Microsoft in the North of England

Microsoft
Contractor Hourly Rate Trend in the North of England

3-month moving average hourly rates quoted in jobs citing Microsoft in the North of England.

Hourly rate trend for Microsoft in the North of England

Microsoft
Hourly Rate Histogram in the North of England

Hourly rate distribution of jobs citing Microsoft in the North of England over the 6 months to 11 May 2025.

Hourly rate histogram for Microsoft in the North of England

Microsoft
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 within the North of England region over the 6 months to 11 May 2025. 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 -1 336 £425 -5.56% 678
Yorkshire -3 118 £400 +5.26% 416
North East -1 47 £340 -10.05% 163
Microsoft
England

Microsoft
Co-occurring Skills and Capabilities in the North of England by Category

The follow tables expand on the table above by listing co-occurrences grouped by category. The same employment type, locality and period is covered with up to 20 co-occurrences shown in each of the following categories:

Application Platforms
1 95 (18.92%) Microsoft Exchange
2 80 (15.94%) SharePoint
3 14 (2.79%) Skype for Business
4 8 (1.59%) Confluence
5 6 (1.20%) Mattermost
6 4 (0.80%) Exchange Server 2010
6 4 (0.80%) SAS
7 3 (0.60%) IIS
7 3 (0.60%) OpenEdge
7 3 (0.60%) WebSphere
8 2 (0.40%) JBoss
8 2 (0.40%) Tomcat
8 2 (0.40%) WebLogic
9 1 (0.20%) BizTalk Server
9 1 (0.20%) CICS
9 1 (0.20%) SharePoint Server
Applications
1 95 (18.92%) Microsoft Office
2 39 (7.77%) Microsoft Excel
3 23 (4.58%) Microsoft PowerPoint
4 15 (2.99%) MS Visio
5 10 (1.99%) Microsoft Project
6 9 (1.79%) Spreadsheet
7 1 (0.20%) Adobe Creative Suite
7 1 (0.20%) Chatbot
Business Applications
1 12 (2.39%) Dynamics CRM
2 7 (1.39%) Kondor
3 4 (0.80%) Remedy ITSM
4 3 (0.60%) Finacle
4 3 (0.60%) SAP ERP
5 2 (0.40%) assyst
5 2 (0.40%) NetSuite
5 2 (0.40%) Payment Gateway
5 2 (0.40%) SAP S/4HANA
5 2 (0.40%) Unit4 Business World
6 1 (0.20%) Oracle EBS
6 1 (0.20%) SAP CO
6 1 (0.20%) SAP FI
6 1 (0.20%) SAP FI/CO
6 1 (0.20%) Shopify
Cloud Services
1 180 (35.86%) Microsoft 365
2 166 (33.07%) Azure
3 101 (20.12%) Entra ID
4 47 (9.36%) Power Platform
5 22 (4.38%) OneDrive
6 21 (4.18%) Power Automate
7 20 (3.98%) AWS
7 20 (3.98%) PowerApps
8 19 (3.78%) Dynamics 365
9 18 (3.59%) IaaS
10 16 (3.19%) Microsoft Purview
10 16 (3.19%) SaaS
11 13 (2.59%) GCP
12 10 (1.99%) Azure Data Factory
13 9 (1.79%) Azure DevOps
14 8 (1.59%) PaaS
15 6 (1.20%) Azure Sentinel
16 4 (0.80%) Azure Synapse Analytics
16 4 (0.80%) Google Workspace
16 4 (0.80%) Serverless
Communications & Networking
1 42 (8.37%) DNS
2 41 (8.17%) VPN
3 37 (7.37%) DHCP
3 37 (7.37%) Firewall
4 28 (5.58%) LAN
5 23 (4.58%) Network Security
5 23 (4.58%) WAN
6 20 (3.98%) Skype
7 17 (3.39%) Wi-Fi
8 15 (2.99%) TCP/IP
9 11 (2.19%) Intrusion Detection
10 10 (1.99%) Unified Communications
11 9 (1.79%) VLAN
12 8 (1.59%) WebEx
13 7 (1.39%) Cisco Nexus
13 7 (1.39%) Remote Desktop
13 7 (1.39%) SAN
13 7 (1.39%) VoIP
14 6 (1.20%) SD-WAN
14 6 (1.20%) Softphone
Database & Business Intelligence
1 33 (6.57%) Power BI
2 30 (5.98%) SQL Server
3 8 (1.59%) Metadata
4 7 (1.39%) SQL Server Integration Services
5 6 (1.20%) Data Warehouse
6 5 (1.00%) Azure SQL Database
6 5 (1.00%) MongoDB
6 5 (1.00%) Tableau
7 4 (0.80%) Delta Lake
7 4 (0.80%) PostgreSQL
7 4 (0.80%) Relational Database
7 4 (0.80%) SQL Server Reporting Services
8 3 (0.60%) Big Data
8 3 (0.60%) Data Lake
8 3 (0.60%) DB2
8 3 (0.60%) Dremio
8 3 (0.60%) NoSQL
9 2 (0.40%) MySQL
9 2 (0.40%) Qlik Sense
9 2 (0.40%) Redis
Development Applications
1 18 (3.59%) JIRA
2 17 (3.39%) Git
3 8 (1.59%) Visual Studio
4 7 (1.39%) Selenium
5 5 (1.00%) Babel
5 5 (1.00%) Hudson
5 5 (1.00%) IntelliJ
5 5 (1.00%) Maven
5 5 (1.00%) Postman
5 5 (1.00%) webpack
6 4 (0.80%) GitLab
6 4 (0.80%) SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS)
7 3 (0.60%) ERwin
7 3 (0.60%) Visual Studio Code
8 2 (0.40%) Bitbucket
8 2 (0.40%) eggPlant
8 2 (0.40%) Jenkins
8 2 (0.40%) PowerDesigner
8 2 (0.40%) Sonatype Nexus
8 2 (0.40%) Subversion
General
1 188 (37.45%) Social Skills
2 70 (13.94%) Finance
3 55 (10.96%) Public Sector
4 53 (10.56%) Analytical Skills
5 34 (6.77%) Banking
6 25 (4.98%) Inclusion and Diversity
7 24 (4.78%) Legal
8 21 (4.18%) Retail
9 20 (3.98%) Organisational Skills
9 20 (3.98%) Telecoms
10 14 (2.79%) Documentation Skills
11 11 (2.19%) Manufacturing
12 10 (1.99%) Military
13 9 (1.79%) Marketing
13 9 (1.79%) Pharmaceutical
14 7 (1.39%) French Language
14 7 (1.39%) Local Government
14 7 (1.39%) Presentation Skills
15 4 (0.80%) Law
16 3 (0.60%) Investment Banking
Job Titles
1 70 (13.94%) Analyst
2 65 (12.95%) Support Engineer
3 44 (8.76%) IT Support
4 39 (7.77%) Architect
5 31 (6.18%) Developer
6 28 (5.58%) IT Engineer
7 26 (5.18%) Senior
8 25 (4.98%) Infrastructure Engineer
9 24 (4.78%) Desktop Support
9 24 (4.78%) Microsoft 365 Engineer
9 24 (4.78%) Support Manager
10 23 (4.58%) 1st Line Support
11 22 (4.38%) Desktop Engineer
12 21 (4.18%) Desktop Support Engineer
13 18 (3.59%) Consultant
13 18 (3.59%) Support Analyst
14 17 (3.39%) 2nd Line Support
14 17 (3.39%) Project Manager
15 16 (3.19%) IT Manager
16 15 (2.99%) Service Analyst
Libraries, Frameworks & Software Standards
1 17 (3.39%) .NET
2 11 (2.19%) RESTful
3 10 (1.99%) CSS
3 10 (1.99%) HTML
4 9 (1.79%) REST
5 8 (1.59%) React
6 6 (1.20%) XMPP
7 5 (1.00%) HTML5
8 4 (0.80%) ADO
8 4 (0.80%) OAuth
9 3 (0.60%) ARM Templates
9 3 (0.60%) JSON
9 3 (0.60%) SOAP
9 3 (0.60%) Software Packaging
9 3 (0.60%) Web Services
10 2 (0.40%) ASP.NET
10 2 (0.40%) MDX
10 2 (0.40%) Oracle Fusion
10 2 (0.40%) Spring
10 2 (0.40%) XML
Miscellaneous
1 23 (4.58%) Management Information System
2 18 (3.59%) Smartphone
3 17 (3.39%) iPhone
4 16 (3.19%) Data Centre
5 12 (2.39%) Data Protection Act
5 12 (2.39%) Hybrid Cloud
6 10 (1.99%) Enterprise Software
7 8 (1.59%) NHS
7 8 (1.59%) Product Ownership
8 7 (1.39%) Onboarding
8 7 (1.39%) Security Posture
9 5 (1.00%) Driving Licence
9 5 (1.00%) Self-Motivation
10 4 (0.80%) Blackberry
10 4 (0.80%) Cloud Native
10 4 (0.80%) Handset
10 4 (0.80%) SWIFT Messaging Network
10 4 (0.80%) Video Conferencing
11 3 (0.60%) Fat Client
11 3 (0.60%) IVR
Operating Systems
1 166 (33.07%) Windows
2 59 (11.75%) Windows Server
3 50 (9.96%) Windows 10
4 29 (5.78%) Linux
4 29 (5.78%) Mac OS
5 17 (3.39%) Windows Server 2016
5 17 (3.39%) Windows Server 2019
6 12 (2.39%) Android
6 12 (2.39%) VMS
6 12 (2.39%) Windows Server 2012
7 10 (1.99%) Unix
8 9 (1.79%) Windows Server 2003
9 8 (1.59%) Windows 7
10 7 (1.39%) Windows XP
11 5 (1.00%) Apple iOS
11 5 (1.00%) Windows 8
11 5 (1.00%) Windows Server 2008
12 2 (0.40%) Red Hat Enterprise Linux
12 2 (0.40%) zOS
13 1 (0.20%) AIX
Processes & Methodologies
1 127 (25.30%) Problem-Solving
2 98 (19.52%) ITIL
3 72 (14.34%) Customer Service
4 61 (12.15%) Agile
4 61 (12.15%) ITSM
5 43 (8.57%) Migration
6 39 (7.77%) Infrastructure Engineering
7 37 (7.37%) Service Management
8 35 (6.97%) Cybersecurity
9 33 (6.57%) Incident Management
9 33 (6.57%) Stakeholder Management
10 32 (6.37%) DevOps
11 30 (5.98%) Business Intelligence
11 30 (5.98%) Collaborative Working
12 29 (5.78%) Analytics
13 27 (5.38%) Information Security
14 26 (5.18%) Project Delivery
14 26 (5.18%) Project Management
14 26 (5.18%) Service Delivery
15 24 (4.78%) Change Management
Programming Languages
1 58 (11.55%) PowerShell
2 39 (7.77%) SQL
3 15 (2.99%) Python
4 11 (2.19%) Java
4 11 (2.19%) JavaScript
5 10 (1.99%) C#
6 8 (1.59%) T-SQL
7 6 (1.20%) VBScript
8 5 (1.00%) VB
9 4 (0.80%) TypeScript
10 3 (0.60%) Bash
10 3 (0.60%) Kusto Query Language
10 3 (0.60%) VBA
11 2 (0.40%) C++
11 2 (0.40%) Data Analysis Expressions
11 2 (0.40%) JCL
11 2 (0.40%) PL/SQL
12 1 (0.20%) CLIST
12 1 (0.20%) R
12 1 (0.20%) REXX
Qualifications
1 72 (14.34%) Security Cleared
2 64 (12.75%) SC Cleared
3 62 (12.35%) Microsoft Certification
4 59 (11.75%) Degree
5 24 (4.78%) Azure Certification
6 17 (3.39%) Cisco Certification
7 12 (2.39%) Computer Science Degree
8 10 (1.99%) A+ Certification
8 10 (1.99%) CCNA
9 9 (1.79%) AWS Certification
10 8 (1.59%) DBS Check
10 8 (1.59%) ITIL Foundation Certificate
10 8 (1.59%) MCP
11 7 (1.39%) ACSP
11 7 (1.39%) ACTC
11 7 (1.39%) AWS Certified Solutions Architect
11 7 (1.39%) ITIL Certification
12 6 (1.20%) MCSE
13 4 (0.80%) VMware Certified Professional (VCP)
14 3 (0.60%) HNC
Quality Assurance & Compliance
1 19 (3.78%) QA
2 15 (2.99%) SLA
3 12 (2.39%) Data Quality
4 11 (2.19%) ISO/IEC 27001
5 9 (1.79%) PMO
6 7 (1.39%) GDPR
7 6 (1.20%) Accessibility
8 5 (1.00%) PCI DSS
9 3 (0.60%) Sarbanes-Oxley
9 3 (0.60%) SOC 2
10 2 (0.40%) ISO 20022
10 2 (0.40%) ISO 8583
10 2 (0.40%) PSD2
10 2 (0.40%) SEPA
11 1 (0.20%) Basel III
11 1 (0.20%) Cyber Essentials
11 1 (0.20%) GRC
11 1 (0.20%) MiFID
11 1 (0.20%) NCSC
11 1 (0.20%) NIST
System Software
1 185 (36.85%) Active Directory
2 34 (6.77%) VMware Infrastructure
3 15 (2.99%) vSphere
4 12 (2.39%) Virtual Machines
5 11 (2.19%) VMware ESXi
6 9 (1.79%) BitLocker
7 5 (1.00%) Hyper-V
7 5 (1.00%) Virtual Desktop
8 3 (0.60%) Docker
8 3 (0.60%) Microsoft Virtual Server
8 3 (0.60%) Virtual Servers
9 2 (0.40%) VMware NSX
10 1 (0.20%) Microsoft App-V
10 1 (0.20%) Terminal Services
10 1 (0.20%) Time Sharing Option
Systems Management
1 64 (12.75%) Microsoft Intune
2 33 (6.57%) SCCM
3 25 (4.98%) Jamf Pro
4 22 (4.38%) Single Sign-On
5 20 (3.98%) WSUS
6 13 (2.59%) vCenter Server
7 7 (1.39%) SCOM
8 5 (1.00%) Terraform
9 4 (0.80%) Ansible
9 4 (0.80%) AppManager
9 4 (0.80%) Dell DRAC
10 3 (0.60%) Active Directory Federation Services
10 3 (0.60%) Backup Exec
10 3 (0.60%) Kubernetes
10 3 (0.60%) Microsoft Clustering
10 3 (0.60%) NetApp OnCommand
10 3 (0.60%) vMotion
11 2 (0.40%) Docker Swarm
11 2 (0.40%) Grafana
11 2 (0.40%) Sysdig
Vendors
1 60 (11.95%) ServiceNow
2 59 (11.75%) VMware
3 35 (6.97%) Cisco
4 31 (6.18%) Apple
5 24 (4.78%) Citrix
6 20 (3.98%) Google
7 16 (3.19%) Veeam
8 14 (2.79%) Oracle
9 10 (1.99%) HP
9 10 (1.99%) Splunk
10 9 (1.79%) Dell
11 8 (1.59%) CyberArk
11 8 (1.59%) Red Hat
12 7 (1.39%) Databricks
12 7 (1.39%) SAP
13 6 (1.20%) Meraki
13 6 (1.20%) Zscaler
14 5 (1.00%) Bomgar
14 5 (1.00%) Canon
14 5 (1.00%) CheckPoint