Microsoft Contract Job Trends in the South East

Microsoft
England > South East

The table below provides summary statistics for contract job vacancies advertised in the South East 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 3 June 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
3 Jun 2026
Same period 2025 Same period 2024
Rank 7 6 6
Rank change year-on-year -1 0 -1
Contract jobs citing Microsoft 684 454 817
As % of all contract jobs in the South East 11.51% 15.51% 14.47%
As % of the Vendors category 27.87% 29.20% 30.77%
Number of daily rates quoted 463 310 530
10th Percentile £202 £206 £200
25th Percentile £364 £289 £350
Median daily rate (50th Percentile) £475 £463 £465
Median % change year-on-year +2.70% -0.54% +3.33%
75th Percentile £575 £555 £588
90th Percentile £650 £615 £675
England median daily rate £500 £476 £488
% change year-on-year +5.04% -2.36% -2.50%
Number of hourly rates quoted 73 30 75
10th Percentile £12.78 £14.09 £11.71
25th Percentile £16.00 £14.20 £12.00
Median hourly rate £27.50 £14.90 £23.22
Median % change year-on-year +84.56% -35.82% +25.49%
75th Percentile £53.75 £24.69 £58.49
90th Percentile £110.20 £32.08 £61.60
England median hourly rate £20.69 £18.87 £15.00
% change year-on-year +9.64% +25.80% -30.23%

All Vendors
South East

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 South East.

Contract vacancies with a requirement for knowledge or experience of vendor products and services 2,454 1,555 2,655
As % of all contract IT jobs advertised in the South East 41.28% 53.11% 47.02%
Number of daily rates quoted 1,648 1,048 1,580
10th Percentile £297 £220 £225
25th Percentile £413 £380 £400
Median daily rate (50th Percentile) £510 £500 £500
Median % change year-on-year +2.00% - -
75th Percentile £600 £600 £608
90th Percentile £697 £660 £688
England median daily rate £505 £520 £515
% change year-on-year -2.88% +0.97% -2.83%
Number of hourly rates quoted 171 84 189
10th Percentile £15.62 £14.20 £12.00
25th Percentile £21.13 £15.55 £17.00
Median hourly rate £47.50 £24.66 £50.00
Median % change year-on-year +92.62% -50.68% +8.11%
75th Percentile £84.38 £57.80 £61.30
90th Percentile £88.00 £70.88 £70.00
England median hourly rate £32.50 £27.13 £23.80
% change year-on-year +19.82% +13.97% -39.01%

Microsoft
Job Vacancy Trend in the South East

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

Microsoft job vacancy trend in the South East

Microsoft
Daily Rate Trend in the South East

Contractor daily rate distribution trend for jobs in the South East citing Microsoft.

Contractor daily rate distribution trend for jobs in the South East citing Microsoft

Microsoft
Daily Rate Histogram in the South East

Daily rate distribution for jobs citing Microsoft in the South East over the 6 months to 3 June 2026.

Daily rate histogram for Microsoft in the South East

Microsoft
Hourly Rate Trend in the South East

Contractor hourly rate distribution trend for jobs in the South East citing Microsoft.

Contractor hourly rate distribution trend for jobs in the South East citing Microsoft

Microsoft
Hourly Rate Histogram in the South East

Hourly rate distribution of jobs citing Microsoft in the South East over the 6 months to 3 June 2026.

Hourly rate histogram for Microsoft in the South East

Microsoft
Contract Job Locations in the South East

The table below looks at the demand and provides a guide to the median contractor rates quoted in IT jobs citing Microsoft within the South East region over the 6 months to 3 June 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
Thames Valley 0 350 £481 +6.19% 268
Berkshire -4 183 £490 +2.62% 114
Hampshire -9 137 £538 +7.50% 132
Surrey +8 103 £438 - 84
Buckinghamshire -5 97 £500 -1.72% 86
Oxfordshire -1 70 £450 +80.00% 74
West Sussex 0 47 £475 +44.82% 45
Kent -4 23 £275 +4.76% 76
East Sussex -3 9 £538 -6.52% 25
Home Counties +2 4 - - 1
Sussex - 1 - - 14
Microsoft
England

Microsoft
Co-Occurring Skills & Capabilities in the South East 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 78 (11.40%) SharePoint
2 67 (9.80%) Microsoft Exchange
3 15 (2.19%) Confluence
4 3 (0.44%) ArcGIS
4 3 (0.44%) MS Project Server
4 3 (0.44%) Smallworld
5 2 (0.29%) GeoServer
6 1 (0.15%) Apache
6 1 (0.15%) Apache Spark
6 1 (0.15%) BizTalk Server
6 1 (0.15%) IIS
6 1 (0.15%) nginx
6 1 (0.15%) SharePoint 2010
6 1 (0.15%) SharePoint 2013
6 1 (0.15%) Tomcat
Applications
1 73 (10.67%) Microsoft Excel
2 71 (10.38%) Microsoft Office
3 28 (4.09%) Microsoft PowerPoint
4 27 (3.95%) Microsoft Project
5 10 (1.46%) MS Visio
6 2 (0.29%) SOLIDWORKS
7 1 (0.15%) Acrobat
7 1 (0.15%) Adobe Illustrator
7 1 (0.15%) Autodesk Inventor
7 1 (0.15%) InDesign
7 1 (0.15%) MicroStation
7 1 (0.15%) Photoshop
7 1 (0.15%) Spreadsheet
7 1 (0.15%) Trello
Business Applications
1 12 (1.75%) SAP S/4HANA
2 4 (0.58%) NEC Housing
2 4 (0.58%) SAP Business One
3 2 (0.29%) Dynamics CRM
4 1 (0.15%) iTrent
4 1 (0.15%) SAP PSCD
4 1 (0.15%) Sparx Enterprise Architect
4 1 (0.15%) Teamcenter
Cloud Services
1 266 (38.89%) Azure
2 178 (26.02%) Microsoft 365
3 125 (18.27%) Entra ID
4 83 (12.13%) Power Platform
5 57 (8.33%) AWS
6 40 (5.85%) Azure DevOps
7 31 (4.53%) Dynamics 365
7 31 (4.53%) Power Automate
8 27 (3.95%) OneDrive
9 25 (3.65%) SaaS
10 21 (3.07%) Microsoft Purview
10 21 (3.07%) PowerApps
11 19 (2.78%) IaaS
12 18 (2.63%) Microsoft Copilot
13 17 (2.49%) Azure Logic Apps
13 17 (2.49%) GitHub
13 17 (2.49%) Serverless
14 16 (2.34%) Azure Functions
14 16 (2.34%) Azure Monitor
15 13 (1.90%) Copilot Studio
Communications & Networking
1 61 (8.92%) DNS
2 43 (6.29%) DHCP
3 32 (4.68%) Wi-Fi
4 29 (4.24%) Firewall
5 24 (3.51%) VPN
6 22 (3.22%) LAN
7 16 (2.34%) WAN
8 12 (1.75%) Kerberos
9 11 (1.61%) TCP/IP
10 10 (1.46%) SD-WAN
11 9 (1.32%) MPLS
11 9 (1.32%) Unified Communications
12 8 (1.17%) Network Security
13 7 (1.02%) VLAN
14 6 (0.88%) IPsec
14 6 (0.88%) SAN
15 5 (0.73%) BGP
15 5 (0.73%) VSAN
15 5 (0.73%) Wireless
16 4 (0.58%) MQTT
Database & Business Intelligence
1 65 (9.50%) Power BI
2 27 (3.95%) SQL Server
3 13 (1.90%) MySQL
4 11 (1.61%) Azure SQL Database
5 10 (1.46%) PostgreSQL
6 7 (1.02%) Relational Database
7 6 (0.88%) Data Lake
7 6 (0.88%) Data Warehouse
7 6 (0.88%) Metadata
7 6 (0.88%) SQL Server Integration Services
8 5 (0.73%) SQL Server Reporting Services
9 4 (0.58%) Oracle Database
10 3 (0.44%) Data Mining
10 3 (0.44%) GIS
10 3 (0.44%) MS Access
10 3 (0.44%) Star Schema
11 2 (0.29%) Amazon RDS
11 2 (0.29%) Oracle Reports
11 2 (0.29%) Spatial Data
11 2 (0.29%) SQL Server Analysis Services
Development Applications
1 21 (3.07%) JIRA
2 11 (1.61%) Git
3 7 (1.02%) Android Studio
4 5 (0.73%) Browser DevTools
4 5 (0.73%) Eclipse
4 5 (0.73%) Xcode
5 3 (0.44%) Gradle
5 3 (0.44%) JUnit
5 3 (0.44%) Maven
5 3 (0.44%) MSI
5 3 (0.44%) Robot Framework
6 2 (0.29%) Bitbucket
6 2 (0.29%) Jenkins
6 2 (0.29%) Sonatype Nexus
6 2 (0.29%) Subversion
7 1 (0.15%) ERwin
7 1 (0.15%) NUnit
7 1 (0.15%) SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS)
7 1 (0.15%) Visual Studio
7 1 (0.15%) Visual Studio Code
General
1 193 (28.22%) Social Skills
2 63 (9.21%) Public Sector
3 62 (9.06%) Finance
4 58 (8.48%) Analytical Skills
5 42 (6.14%) Organisational Skills
6 26 (3.80%) Legal
7 16 (2.34%) Aerospace
7 16 (2.34%) Documentation Skills
8 15 (2.19%) Military
9 11 (1.61%) Inclusion and Diversity
10 10 (1.46%) Telecoms
11 8 (1.17%) Retail
12 7 (1.02%) Local Government
13 6 (0.88%) Marketing
14 5 (0.73%) Aviation
14 5 (0.73%) Influencing Skills
14 5 (0.73%) Manufacturing
14 5 (0.73%) Presentation Skills
15 4 (0.58%) Advertising
15 4 (0.58%) Police
Job Titles
1 81 (11.84%) Architect
2 70 (10.23%) IT Support
3 63 (9.21%) Analyst
4 56 (8.19%) Senior
5 51 (7.46%) Support Engineer
6 49 (7.16%) Infrastructure Engineer
7 44 (6.43%) IT Engineer
8 41 (5.99%) Lead
9 38 (5.56%) Consultant
10 36 (5.26%) IT Support Engineer
11 32 (4.68%) Developer
12 24 (3.51%) Azure Engineer
13 22 (3.22%) Solutions Architect
14 21 (3.07%) Project Manager
15 20 (2.92%) Administrator
15 20 (2.92%) IT Analyst
16 19 (2.78%) Microsoft Engineer
17 18 (2.63%) Support Analyst
18 17 (2.49%) 3rd Line Engineer
19 16 (2.34%) DevOps Engineer
Libraries, Frameworks & Software Standards
1 28 (4.09%) .NET
2 24 (3.51%) LDAP
3 20 (2.92%) OAuth
4 19 (2.78%) SAML
5 18 (2.63%) OpenID
6 15 (2.19%) REST
7 14 (2.05%) OAuth2
7 14 (2.05%) Web Services
8 11 (1.61%) Microsoft Graph
8 11 (1.61%) SailPoint
9 9 (1.32%) ARM Templates
9 9 (1.32%) JSON
9 9 (1.32%) React
10 8 (1.17%) AngularJS
10 8 (1.17%) CSS
10 8 (1.17%) XML
11 6 (0.88%) ADO
11 6 (0.88%) GraphQL
11 6 (0.88%) Software Packaging
12 5 (0.73%) Ajax
Miscellaneous
1 46 (6.73%) Onboarding
2 27 (3.95%) PKI
3 24 (3.51%) Data Centre
3 24 (3.51%) Product Ownership
4 20 (2.92%) Cloud Native
5 18 (2.63%) Legacy Systems
6 17 (2.49%) Hybrid Cloud
7 15 (2.19%) Public Cloud
7 15 (2.19%) Replication
8 13 (1.90%) Operational Technology
9 11 (1.61%) Driving Licence
10 10 (1.46%) Enterprise Software
10 10 (1.46%) Self-Motivation
11 9 (1.32%) Cyber Defence
12 8 (1.17%) Analytical Mindset
12 8 (1.17%) Security Posture
12 8 (1.17%) Virtual Team
13 7 (1.02%) CMDB
13 7 (1.02%) Mobile App
14 6 (0.88%) Data Structures
Operating Systems
1 197 (28.80%) Windows
2 60 (8.77%) Windows Server
3 58 (8.48%) Linux
4 27 (3.95%) Windows 10
5 22 (3.22%) Mac OS
6 17 (2.49%) Apple iOS
7 14 (2.05%) Android
8 13 (1.90%) Unix
9 10 (1.46%) Red Hat Enterprise Linux
10 9 (1.32%) Windows Server 2019
11 8 (1.17%) Windows 7
12 7 (1.02%) Windows Server 2016
13 6 (0.88%) Windows Server 2012
14 4 (0.58%) CentOS
14 4 (0.58%) Ubuntu
15 1 (0.15%) OpenVMS
15 1 (0.15%) VMS
15 1 (0.15%) Windows Server 2008
Processes & Methodologies
1 102 (14.91%) Problem-Solving
2 85 (12.43%) DevOps
3 82 (11.99%) Agile
4 79 (11.55%) Customer Service
5 77 (11.26%) ITIL
6 72 (10.53%) Migration
7 69 (10.09%) Business Intelligence
8 67 (9.80%) CI/CD
9 61 (8.92%) Cybersecurity
10 60 (8.77%) Stakeholder Management
11 56 (8.19%) Infrastructure Engineering
12 54 (7.89%) Analytics
13 49 (7.16%) Project Management
14 48 (7.02%) ITSM
15 47 (6.87%) Project Delivery
16 46 (6.73%) Decision-Making
17 44 (6.43%) Roadmaps
18 42 (6.14%) Stakeholder Engagement
18 42 (6.14%) User Experience
19 40 (5.85%) Continuous Improvement
Programming Languages
1 98 (14.33%) PowerShell
2 59 (8.63%) Python
2 59 (8.63%) SQL
3 29 (4.24%) T-SQL
4 20 (2.92%) C#
5 14 (2.05%) JavaScript
6 13 (1.90%) Bash
6 13 (1.90%) Java
7 10 (1.46%) Bicep
8 8 (1.17%) Data Analysis Expressions
9 7 (1.02%) Kusto Query Language
10 5 (0.73%) Perl
11 4 (0.58%) X++
12 3 (0.44%) TypeScript
13 2 (0.29%) Korn
14 1 (0.15%) Google Apps Script
14 1 (0.15%) PL/SQL
14 1 (0.15%) Shell Script
14 1 (0.15%) VBA
Qualifications
1 236 (34.50%) Security Cleared
2 167 (24.42%) SC Cleared
3 75 (10.96%) Degree
4 69 (10.09%) DV Cleared
5 23 (3.36%) Microsoft Certification
6 20 (2.92%) Azure Certification
7 14 (2.05%) CISSP
8 11 (1.61%) Cisco Certification
8 11 (1.61%) Computer Science Degree
8 11 (1.61%) GIAC
9 10 (1.46%) CISM
10 9 (1.32%) BPSS Clearance
10 9 (1.32%) DBS Check
11 6 (0.88%) AWS Certification
11 6 (0.88%) PMI Certification
11 6 (0.88%) PMP
12 5 (0.73%) ACCA
12 5 (0.73%) CIMA
12 5 (0.73%) CRISC
12 5 (0.73%) SANS
Quality Assurance & Compliance
1 31 (4.53%) NIST
2 27 (3.95%) SLA
3 25 (3.65%) GDPR
3 25 (3.65%) ISO/IEC 27001
4 23 (3.36%) NCSC
5 20 (2.92%) Cyber Essentials
6 18 (2.63%) PMO
7 17 (2.49%) Data Quality
8 12 (1.75%) QA
9 6 (0.88%) ISO 31000
9 6 (0.88%) NIST 800
10 4 (0.58%) Accessibility
10 4 (0.58%) PCI DSS
11 3 (0.44%) ISO/IEC 42001
12 1 (0.15%) Actionable Recommendations
12 1 (0.15%) Cyber Essentials PLUS
12 1 (0.15%) ISO 9001
12 1 (0.15%) JSP 440
12 1 (0.15%) Sarbanes-Oxley
System Software
1 205 (29.97%) Active Directory
2 66 (9.65%) VMware Infrastructure
3 25 (3.65%) Hyper-V
4 16 (2.34%) vSphere
5 13 (1.90%) Virtual Machines
6 11 (1.61%) VMware ESXi
7 10 (1.46%) VMware NSX
8 9 (1.32%) Virtual Desktop
9 8 (1.17%) Docker
10 5 (0.73%) Firmware
11 3 (0.44%) DFS Replication
12 2 (0.29%) UAG
13 1 (0.15%) BitLocker
13 1 (0.15%) Citrix Hypervisor
13 1 (0.15%) Dovecot
13 1 (0.15%) Oracle RAC
13 1 (0.15%) Postfix
13 1 (0.15%) XenApp
Systems Management
1 60 (8.77%) Microsoft Intune
2 30 (4.39%) Terraform
3 25 (3.65%) SCCM
4 23 (3.36%) Active Directory Federation Services
5 17 (2.49%) Single Sign-On
6 14 (2.05%) SCOM
7 12 (1.75%) vCenter Server
8 11 (1.61%) Jamf Pro
8 11 (1.61%) Kubernetes
9 10 (1.46%) Ansible
10 8 (1.17%) Avamar
11 4 (0.58%) QRadar
11 4 (0.58%) WMI
12 3 (0.44%) Clonezilla
12 3 (0.44%) Nessus
12 3 (0.44%) SCSM
13 2 (0.29%) Oracle RMAN
13 2 (0.29%) Systems Management Server (SMS)
13 2 (0.29%) WSUS
14 1 (0.15%) Oracle Enterprise Manager
Vendors
1 78 (11.40%) VMware
2 33 (4.82%) Cisco
3 30 (4.39%) SAP
4 24 (3.51%) ServiceNow
5 18 (2.63%) Meraki
6 14 (2.05%) Databricks
6 14 (2.05%) Dell
6 14 (2.05%) Oracle
7 13 (1.90%) Citrix
7 13 (1.90%) Thales
8 11 (1.61%) Splunk
9 10 (1.46%) Avaya
10 9 (1.32%) Fortinet
10 9 (1.32%) Google
10 9 (1.32%) Mitel
11 8 (1.17%) SolarWinds
12 7 (1.02%) F5
12 7 (1.02%) Juniper
12 7 (1.02%) Red Hat
12 7 (1.02%) Veeam