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 27 May 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
27 May 2026
Same period 2025 Same period 2024
Rank 8 6 6
Rank change year-on-year -2 0 -1
Contract jobs citing Microsoft 691 448 802
As % of all contract jobs in the South East 11.51% 15.40% 14.48%
As % of the Vendors category 27.64% 29.02% 30.88%
Number of daily rates quoted 478 303 528
10th Percentile £202 £201 £195
25th Percentile £361 £291 £350
Median daily rate (50th Percentile) £475 £460 £465
Median % change year-on-year +3.26% -1.07% +2.76%
75th Percentile £575 £553 £582
90th Percentile £665 £612 £675
England median daily rate £500 £479 £486
% change year-on-year +4.41% -1.52% -2.75%
Number of hourly rates quoted 67 29 73
10th Percentile £12.58 £13.98 £11.71
25th Percentile £15.69 £14.20 £12.00
Median hourly rate £27.50 £14.30 £22.58
Median % change year-on-year +92.31% -36.67% +22.05%
75th Percentile £53.17 £23.75 £55.00
90th Percentile £104.70 £32.05 £61.49
England median hourly rate £20.43 £18.85 £15.00
% change year-on-year +8.38% +25.67% -28.96%

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 2,500 1,544 2,597
As % of all contract IT jobs advertised in the South East 41.63% 53.08% 46.89%
Number of daily rates quoted 1,715 1,038 1,560
10th Percentile £300 £220 £213
25th Percentile £413 £381 £400
Median daily rate (50th Percentile) £513 £500 £500
Median % change year-on-year +2.50% - -
75th Percentile £606 £600 £600
90th Percentile £700 £660 £688
England median daily rate £505 £525 £515
% change year-on-year -3.81% +1.94% -3.56%
Number of hourly rates quoted 164 81 184
10th Percentile £15.36 £14.20 £12.00
25th Percentile £21.35 £16.36 £16.25
Median hourly rate £47.50 £24.66 £47.50
Median % change year-on-year +92.62% -48.08% +5.56%
75th Percentile £84.06 £58.69 £61.30
90th Percentile £88.00 £71.25 £68.23
England median hourly rate £32.50 £25.40 £22.50
% change year-on-year +27.95% +12.89% -41.56%

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 27 May 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 27 May 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 27 May 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 -1 354 £490 +7.69% 248
Berkshire -7 173 £496 +3.93% 113
Hampshire -7 142 £544 +8.75% 115
Buckinghamshire -2 108 £500 -5.88% 78
Surrey +8 100 £438 -2.78% 71
Oxfordshire -1 73 £450 +80.00% 61
West Sussex -1 45 £468 +33.57% 37
Kent -3 26 £275 +4.76% 56
East Sussex -1 9 £538 -6.52% 18
Home Counties +2 4 - - 1
Sussex - 1 - - 4
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 79 (11.43%) SharePoint
2 67 (9.70%) Microsoft Exchange
3 11 (1.59%) Confluence
4 3 (0.43%) ArcGIS
4 3 (0.43%) MS Project Server
4 3 (0.43%) Smallworld
5 2 (0.29%) GeoServer
6 1 (0.14%) Apache
6 1 (0.14%) Apache Spark
6 1 (0.14%) BizTalk Server
6 1 (0.14%) IIS
6 1 (0.14%) nginx
6 1 (0.14%) SharePoint 2010
6 1 (0.14%) SharePoint 2013
6 1 (0.14%) Tomcat
Applications
1 79 (11.43%) Microsoft Office
2 73 (10.56%) Microsoft Excel
3 30 (4.34%) Microsoft Project
4 27 (3.91%) Microsoft PowerPoint
5 11 (1.59%) MS Visio
6 3 (0.43%) SOLIDWORKS
7 1 (0.14%) Acrobat
7 1 (0.14%) Adobe Illustrator
7 1 (0.14%) Autodesk Inventor
7 1 (0.14%) InDesign
7 1 (0.14%) MicroStation
7 1 (0.14%) Photoshop
7 1 (0.14%) Spreadsheet
7 1 (0.14%) Trello
Business Applications
1 11 (1.59%) SAP S/4HANA
2 4 (0.58%) NEC Housing
2 4 (0.58%) SAP Business One
3 3 (0.43%) Dynamics CRM
4 1 (0.14%) iTrent
4 1 (0.14%) SAP PSCD
4 1 (0.14%) Sparx Enterprise Architect
4 1 (0.14%) Teamcenter
Cloud Services
1 269 (38.93%) Azure
2 186 (26.92%) Microsoft 365
3 127 (18.38%) Entra ID
4 84 (12.16%) Power Platform
5 58 (8.39%) AWS
6 40 (5.79%) Azure DevOps
7 31 (4.49%) Power Automate
8 30 (4.34%) Dynamics 365
9 27 (3.91%) OneDrive
10 26 (3.76%) SaaS
11 22 (3.18%) PowerApps
12 20 (2.89%) IaaS
13 18 (2.60%) Microsoft Copilot
13 18 (2.60%) Microsoft Purview
13 18 (2.60%) Serverless
14 17 (2.46%) Azure Functions
14 17 (2.46%) Azure Logic Apps
14 17 (2.46%) GitHub
15 16 (2.32%) Azure Monitor
16 13 (1.88%) Copilot Studio
Communications & Networking
1 60 (8.68%) DNS
2 42 (6.08%) DHCP
3 33 (4.78%) Wi-Fi
4 30 (4.34%) Firewall
5 24 (3.47%) VPN
6 22 (3.18%) LAN
7 17 (2.46%) WAN
8 12 (1.74%) Kerberos
9 10 (1.45%) SD-WAN
9 10 (1.45%) TCP/IP
10 9 (1.30%) MPLS
10 9 (1.30%) Unified Communications
11 8 (1.16%) Network Security
11 8 (1.16%) VLAN
12 7 (1.01%) SAN
13 6 (0.87%) IPsec
14 5 (0.72%) BGP
14 5 (0.72%) VSAN
14 5 (0.72%) Wireless
15 4 (0.58%) MQTT
Database & Business Intelligence
1 65 (9.41%) Power BI
2 32 (4.63%) SQL Server
3 15 (2.17%) Azure SQL Database
4 14 (2.03%) MySQL
5 10 (1.45%) PostgreSQL
6 8 (1.16%) Metadata
6 8 (1.16%) Relational Database
7 7 (1.01%) Data Lake
7 7 (1.01%) Data Warehouse
8 6 (0.87%) SQL Server Integration Services
9 5 (0.72%) SQL Server Reporting Services
10 4 (0.58%) Oracle Database
11 3 (0.43%) Amazon RDS
11 3 (0.43%) Data Mining
11 3 (0.43%) GIS
11 3 (0.43%) MS Access
11 3 (0.43%) Star Schema
12 2 (0.29%) Oracle Reports
12 2 (0.29%) Spatial Data
12 2 (0.29%) SQL Server Analysis Services
Development Applications
1 17 (2.46%) JIRA
2 12 (1.74%) Git
3 8 (1.16%) Android Studio
4 6 (0.87%) Browser DevTools
4 6 (0.87%) Eclipse
4 6 (0.87%) Xcode
5 4 (0.58%) MSI
6 3 (0.43%) Gradle
6 3 (0.43%) JUnit
6 3 (0.43%) Maven
6 3 (0.43%) Robot Framework
7 2 (0.29%) Bitbucket
7 2 (0.29%) Jenkins
7 2 (0.29%) Sonatype Nexus
7 2 (0.29%) Subversion
8 1 (0.14%) ERwin
8 1 (0.14%) NUnit
8 1 (0.14%) SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS)
8 1 (0.14%) Visual Studio
8 1 (0.14%) Visual Studio Code
General
1 194 (28.08%) Social Skills
2 67 (9.70%) Public Sector
3 65 (9.41%) Finance
4 58 (8.39%) Analytical Skills
5 44 (6.37%) Organisational Skills
6 22 (3.18%) Legal
7 18 (2.60%) Documentation Skills
8 15 (2.17%) Military
9 14 (2.03%) Aerospace
10 10 (1.45%) Inclusion and Diversity
10 10 (1.45%) Telecoms
11 8 (1.16%) Retail
12 7 (1.01%) Local Government
13 6 (0.87%) Influencing Skills
13 6 (0.87%) Marketing
14 5 (0.72%) Aviation
14 5 (0.72%) Manufacturing
14 5 (0.72%) Presentation Skills
15 4 (0.58%) Advertising
15 4 (0.58%) General Ledger
Job Titles
1 88 (12.74%) Architect
2 67 (9.70%) IT Support
3 65 (9.41%) Analyst
4 59 (8.54%) Senior
5 53 (7.67%) Support Engineer
6 49 (7.09%) Infrastructure Engineer
7 44 (6.37%) IT Engineer
8 38 (5.50%) Lead
9 36 (5.21%) Consultant
9 36 (5.21%) IT Support Engineer
10 33 (4.78%) Developer
11 24 (3.47%) Azure Engineer
12 23 (3.33%) Solutions Architect
13 22 (3.18%) Project Manager
14 20 (2.89%) Administrator
14 20 (2.89%) IT Analyst
15 18 (2.60%) Technical Architect
16 17 (2.46%) Support Analyst
17 16 (2.32%) DevOps Engineer
17 16 (2.32%) Microsoft Engineer
Libraries, Frameworks & Software Standards
1 30 (4.34%) .NET
2 23 (3.33%) LDAP
3 19 (2.75%) OAuth
4 18 (2.60%) SAML
5 17 (2.46%) OpenID
6 15 (2.17%) REST
7 14 (2.03%) OAuth2
8 12 (1.74%) Web Services
9 11 (1.59%) Microsoft Graph
9 11 (1.59%) SailPoint
10 10 (1.45%) React
11 9 (1.30%) AngularJS
11 9 (1.30%) ARM Templates
11 9 (1.30%) CSS
12 8 (1.16%) JSON
12 8 (1.16%) XML
13 7 (1.01%) GraphQL
14 6 (0.87%) ADO
14 6 (0.87%) Ajax
15 5 (0.72%) Middleware
Miscellaneous
1 47 (6.80%) Onboarding
2 27 (3.91%) PKI
3 22 (3.18%) Cloud Native
3 22 (3.18%) Data Centre
4 21 (3.04%) Product Ownership
5 18 (2.60%) Legacy Systems
6 17 (2.46%) Hybrid Cloud
7 15 (2.17%) Public Cloud
7 15 (2.17%) Replication
8 13 (1.88%) Operational Technology
9 12 (1.74%) Driving Licence
10 11 (1.59%) Self-Motivation
11 10 (1.45%) Enterprise Software
12 9 (1.30%) Analytical Mindset
12 9 (1.30%) Cyber Defence
13 8 (1.16%) Mobile App
13 8 (1.16%) Security Posture
13 8 (1.16%) Virtual Team
14 7 (1.01%) Data Structures
15 6 (0.87%) CMDB
Operating Systems
1 198 (28.65%) Windows
2 61 (8.83%) Linux
3 60 (8.68%) Windows Server
4 27 (3.91%) Windows 10
5 20 (2.89%) Mac OS
6 15 (2.17%) Android
7 14 (2.03%) Apple iOS
7 14 (2.03%) Unix
8 10 (1.45%) Red Hat Enterprise Linux
9 9 (1.30%) Windows Server 2019
10 8 (1.16%) Windows 7
11 6 (0.87%) Windows Server 2012
11 6 (0.87%) Windows Server 2016
12 5 (0.72%) Ubuntu
13 4 (0.58%) CentOS
14 1 (0.14%) Debian
14 1 (0.14%) OpenVMS
14 1 (0.14%) VMS
14 1 (0.14%) Windows Server 2008
Processes & Methodologies
1 99 (14.33%) Problem-Solving
2 85 (12.30%) DevOps
3 81 (11.72%) Agile
3 81 (11.72%) ITIL
4 80 (11.58%) Customer Service
5 74 (10.71%) Migration
6 70 (10.13%) Business Intelligence
7 68 (9.84%) CI/CD
8 64 (9.26%) Cybersecurity
9 61 (8.83%) Stakeholder Management
10 56 (8.10%) Infrastructure Engineering
11 55 (7.96%) Analytics
12 53 (7.67%) Project Management
13 47 (6.80%) Project Delivery
14 46 (6.66%) Decision-Making
15 45 (6.51%) ITSM
16 42 (6.08%) Stakeholder Engagement
17 40 (5.79%) User Experience
18 39 (5.64%) Roadmaps
19 35 (5.07%) Change Control
Programming Languages
1 98 (14.18%) PowerShell
2 62 (8.97%) Python
2 62 (8.97%) SQL
3 26 (3.76%) T-SQL
4 20 (2.89%) C#
5 15 (2.17%) JavaScript
6 14 (2.03%) Bash
7 13 (1.88%) Java
8 10 (1.45%) Bicep
9 8 (1.16%) Data Analysis Expressions
10 7 (1.01%) Kusto Query Language
11 6 (0.87%) Perl
12 3 (0.43%) TypeScript
12 3 (0.43%) X++
13 2 (0.29%) Korn
14 1 (0.14%) Google Apps Script
14 1 (0.14%) PL/SQL
14 1 (0.14%) Shell Script
14 1 (0.14%) VBA
Qualifications
1 239 (34.59%) Security Cleared
2 169 (24.46%) SC Cleared
3 76 (11.00%) Degree
4 72 (10.42%) DV Cleared
5 24 (3.47%) Microsoft Certification
6 18 (2.60%) Azure Certification
7 15 (2.17%) CISSP
8 12 (1.74%) Computer Science Degree
8 12 (1.74%) GIAC
9 11 (1.59%) Cisco Certification
9 11 (1.59%) CISM
10 9 (1.30%) BPSS Clearance
10 9 (1.30%) DBS Check
11 6 (0.87%) PMI Certification
11 6 (0.87%) PMP
12 5 (0.72%) (ISC)2 CCSP
12 5 (0.72%) ACCA
12 5 (0.72%) CESG Certified Professional
12 5 (0.72%) CIMA
12 5 (0.72%) SANS
Quality Assurance & Compliance
1 33 (4.78%) NIST
2 26 (3.76%) ISO/IEC 27001
3 25 (3.62%) SLA
4 24 (3.47%) GDPR
5 22 (3.18%) NCSC
6 21 (3.04%) Cyber Essentials
7 19 (2.75%) PMO
8 17 (2.46%) Data Quality
9 14 (2.03%) QA
10 6 (0.87%) ISO 31000
10 6 (0.87%) NIST 800
11 5 (0.72%) Accessibility
12 4 (0.58%) PCI DSS
13 3 (0.43%) ISO/IEC 42001
14 2 (0.29%) ISO 9001
14 2 (0.29%) JSP 440
15 1 (0.14%) Actionable Recommendations
15 1 (0.14%) Cyber Essentials PLUS
15 1 (0.14%) Sarbanes-Oxley
System Software
1 212 (30.68%) Active Directory
2 65 (9.41%) VMware Infrastructure
3 24 (3.47%) Hyper-V
4 15 (2.17%) vSphere
5 13 (1.88%) Virtual Desktop
5 13 (1.88%) Virtual Machines
6 11 (1.59%) VMware ESXi
7 10 (1.45%) VMware NSX
8 9 (1.30%) Docker
9 5 (0.72%) Firmware
10 3 (0.43%) DFS Replication
11 2 (0.29%) UAG
12 1 (0.14%) BitLocker
12 1 (0.14%) Citrix Hypervisor
12 1 (0.14%) Dovecot
12 1 (0.14%) Oracle RAC
12 1 (0.14%) Postfix
12 1 (0.14%) XenApp
Systems Management
1 59 (8.54%) Microsoft Intune
2 31 (4.49%) Terraform
3 28 (4.05%) SCCM
4 22 (3.18%) Active Directory Federation Services
5 18 (2.60%) Single Sign-On
6 14 (2.03%) SCOM
7 11 (1.59%) Ansible
7 11 (1.59%) Kubernetes
7 11 (1.59%) vCenter Server
8 10 (1.45%) Jamf Pro
9 7 (1.01%) Avamar
10 5 (0.72%) WMI
11 4 (0.58%) QRadar
12 3 (0.43%) Nessus
12 3 (0.43%) SCSM
12 3 (0.43%) WSUS
13 2 (0.29%) Grafana
13 2 (0.29%) Oracle RMAN
13 2 (0.29%) Puppet
13 2 (0.29%) Systems Management Server (SMS)
Vendors
1 78 (11.29%) VMware
2 34 (4.92%) Cisco
3 30 (4.34%) SAP
4 22 (3.18%) ServiceNow
5 18 (2.60%) Meraki
6 15 (2.17%) Oracle
7 14 (2.03%) Databricks
8 13 (1.88%) Citrix
8 13 (1.88%) Dell
8 13 (1.88%) Thales
9 12 (1.74%) Splunk
10 10 (1.45%) Avaya
10 10 (1.45%) Google
11 9 (1.30%) Fortinet
11 9 (1.30%) Mitel
12 8 (1.16%) F5
12 8 (1.16%) Red Hat
12 8 (1.16%) SolarWinds
13 7 (1.01%) Juniper
13 7 (1.01%) Veeam