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 23 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
23 Sep 2026
Same period 2025 Same period 2024
Rank 4 4 6
Rank change year-on-year 0 +2 -1
Contract jobs citing Microsoft 1,026 564 617
As % of all contract jobs in the South East 15.49% 16.33% 13.81%
As % of the Vendors category 35.43% 31.88% 27.91%
Number of daily rates quoted 614 397 407
10th Percentile £203 £183 £200
25th Percentile £334 £220 £350
Median daily rate (50th Percentile) £475 £450 £463
Median % change year-on-year +5.56% -2.70% +0.87%
75th Percentile £588 £568 £588
90th Percentile £675 £624 £660
England median daily rate £490 £472 £500
% change year-on-year +3.87% -5.65% -
Number of hourly rates quoted 153 43 29
10th Percentile £13.43 £13.20 £11.78
25th Percentile £15.50 £14.20 £18.75
Median hourly rate £19.91 £17.60 £45.00
Median % change year-on-year +13.13% -60.89% +157.14%
75th Percentile £69.82 £32.05 £58.49
90th Percentile £96.00 £81.15 £61.35
England median hourly rate £19.00 £22.63 £16.23
% change year-on-year -16.04% +39.43% -27.87%

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 2,896 1,769 2,211
As % of all contract IT jobs advertised in the South East 43.72% 51.22% 49.47%
Number of daily rates quoted 1,779 1,189 1,343
10th Percentile £265 £205 £255
25th Percentile £425 £358 £406
Median daily rate (50th Percentile) £515 £500 £515
Median % change year-on-year +3.00% -2.91% +3.00%
75th Percentile £610 £600 £625
90th Percentile £700 £650 £700
England median daily rate £514 £507 £525
% change year-on-year +1.38% -3.43% -
Number of hourly rates quoted 253 102 105
10th Percentile £14.15 £14.20 £16.00
25th Percentile £16.35 £15.41 £27.00
Median hourly rate £38.25 £20.00 £57.35
Median % change year-on-year +91.25% -65.13% +9.24%
75th Percentile £70.00 £37.52 £61.60
90th Percentile £92.50 £80.65 £70.00
England median hourly rate £28.22 £25.15 £35.00
% change year-on-year +12.22% -28.14% -20.18%

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 23 September 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 23 September 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 23 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
Thames Valley 0 498 £500 +11.11% 516
Berkshire +1 282 £500 +6.53% 251
Hampshire -1 242 £500 -5.21% 280
Surrey +2 152 £455 +111.63% 186
Buckinghamshire -2 123 £515 +25.61% 154
Oxfordshire -1 93 £450 +89.47% 114
West Sussex -5 62 £378 +79.76% 78
Kent -1 36 £525 +100.00% 101
East Sussex +4 15 £220 -48.99% 65
Middlesex - 7 £450 - 19
Sussex -1 4 - - 21
Home Counties 0 2 £600 +9.09%
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
1 112 (10.92%) SharePoint
2 50 (4.87%) Microsoft Exchange
3 14 (1.36%) Confluence
4 6 (0.58%) IIS
5 3 (0.29%) Apache
5 3 (0.29%) ArcGIS
6 2 (0.19%) Apache Airflow
6 2 (0.19%) Apache Superset
6 2 (0.19%) OpenStack
7 1 (0.097%) nginx
7 1 (0.097%) Oracle Workflow
7 1 (0.097%) SharePoint 2010
7 1 (0.097%) SharePoint 2013
7 1 (0.097%) Tomcat
Applications
1 149 (14.52%) Microsoft Excel
2 135 (13.16%) Microsoft Office
3 70 (6.82%) Microsoft PowerPoint
4 47 (4.58%) Microsoft Project
5 15 (1.46%) MS Visio
6 4 (0.39%) Spreadsheet
7 2 (0.19%) Chatbot
8 1 (0.097%) Adobe Captivate
8 1 (0.097%) SOLIDWORKS
Business Applications
1 20 (1.95%) SAP S/4HANA
2 16 (1.56%) Dynamics CRM
3 5 (0.49%) SAP PSCD
4 4 (0.39%) Maximo
4 4 (0.39%) NEC Housing
4 4 (0.39%) Primavera
4 4 (0.39%) Remedy ITSM
4 4 (0.39%) SAP Business One
5 2 (0.19%) Dynamics NAV
5 2 (0.19%) Oracle EBS
6 1 (0.097%) Dynamics AX
6 1 (0.097%) iTrent
6 1 (0.097%) NetSuite
6 1 (0.097%) Oracle Assets
6 1 (0.097%) Oracle Cash Management
6 1 (0.097%) Oracle Payables
6 1 (0.097%) Oracle Receivables
6 1 (0.097%) Sparx Enterprise Architect
6 1 (0.097%) Teamcenter
Cloud Services
1 396 (38.60%) Azure
2 240 (23.39%) Microsoft 365
3 164 (15.98%) Entra ID
4 125 (12.18%) Power Platform
5 96 (9.36%) AWS
6 59 (5.75%) Azure DevOps
7 56 (5.46%) Dynamics 365
8 39 (3.80%) SaaS
9 37 (3.61%) GCP
10 34 (3.31%) Azure Monitor
11 32 (3.12%) Power Automate
12 29 (2.83%) IaaS
13 27 (2.63%) Azure Logic Apps
14 26 (2.53%) Microsoft Copilot
15 25 (2.44%) OneDrive
16 22 (2.14%) Microsoft Purview
17 21 (2.05%) Azure Sentinel
18 20 (1.95%) PowerApps
19 18 (1.75%) OpenShift
20 15 (1.46%) Serverless
Communications & Networking
1 79 (7.70%) DNS
2 60 (5.85%) Firewall
3 53 (5.17%) DHCP
4 50 (4.87%) VPN
5 45 (4.39%) TCP/IP
6 29 (2.83%) LAN
7 27 (2.63%) WAN
8 25 (2.44%) Wi-Fi
9 16 (1.56%) VLAN
10 15 (1.46%) Network Security
11 12 (1.17%) MPLS
11 12 (1.17%) SD-WAN
12 9 (0.88%) DNSSEC
13 8 (0.78%) SMTP
13 8 (0.78%) Wireless
14 7 (0.68%) BGP
14 7 (0.68%) Intranet
15 6 (0.58%) BIG-IP
15 6 (0.58%) Internet
15 6 (0.58%) SSH
Database & Business Intelligence
1 92 (8.97%) Power BI
2 33 (3.22%) SQL Server
3 13 (1.27%) Azure SQL Database
4 12 (1.17%) Data Warehouse
4 12 (1.17%) MySQL
4 12 (1.17%) PostgreSQL
5 11 (1.07%) Relational Database
6 10 (0.97%) Oracle Database
7 8 (0.78%) Metadata
8 7 (0.68%) NoSQL
9 5 (0.49%) Data Lake
10 4 (0.39%) Data Mining
10 4 (0.39%) MS Access
10 4 (0.39%) Tableau
11 3 (0.29%) GIS
11 3 (0.29%) Power Query
11 3 (0.29%) SQL Server Reporting Services
12 2 (0.19%) Couchbase
12 2 (0.19%) Geospatial Data
12 2 (0.19%) SQL Server Integration Services
Development Applications
1 31 (3.02%) JIRA
2 13 (1.27%) Git
3 12 (1.17%) MSI
4 8 (0.78%) Jenkins
5 7 (0.68%) GitLab
6 3 (0.29%) Android Studio
6 3 (0.29%) Browser DevTools
6 3 (0.29%) Eclipse
6 3 (0.29%) Sonatype Nexus
6 3 (0.29%) Xcode
7 2 (0.19%) REST Assured
7 2 (0.19%) SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS)
8 1 (0.097%) ERwin
8 1 (0.097%) JUnit
8 1 (0.097%) NUnit
8 1 (0.097%) Robot Framework
8 1 (0.097%) Visual Studio
General
1 374 (36.45%) Social Skills
2 157 (15.30%) Analytical Skills
3 114 (11.11%) Finance
4 98 (9.55%) Organisational Skills
5 83 (8.09%) Public Sector
6 55 (5.36%) Aerospace
7 40 (3.90%) Documentation Skills
8 27 (2.63%) Legal
9 23 (2.24%) Telecoms
10 21 (2.05%) Inclusion and Diversity
10 21 (2.05%) Marketing
11 18 (1.75%) Manufacturing
12 16 (1.56%) Influencing Skills
13 13 (1.27%) Military
14 11 (1.07%) Presentation Skills
15 10 (0.97%) Aviation
15 10 (0.97%) Retail
16 9 (0.88%) French Language
17 8 (0.78%) Local Government
18 7 (0.68%) Billing
Job Titles
1 129 (12.57%) Architect
2 95 (9.26%) Analyst
3 86 (8.38%) IT Support
4 78 (7.60%) Senior
5 65 (6.34%) Infrastructure Engineer
6 57 (5.56%) Lead
7 54 (5.26%) Developer
8 53 (5.17%) Administrator
9 50 (4.87%) Consultant
9 50 (4.87%) Support Engineer
10 49 (4.78%) Cloud Engineer
11 43 (4.19%) IT Engineer
12 41 (4.00%) Azure Engineer
13 33 (3.22%) Solutions Architect
14 30 (2.92%) IT Support Engineer
15 29 (2.83%) IT Analyst
16 25 (2.44%) Microsoft Engineer
17 24 (2.34%) Project Manager
17 24 (2.34%) Technical Architect
18 23 (2.24%) Support Analyst
Libraries, Frameworks & Software Standards
1 76 (7.41%) Terraform
2 38 (3.70%) .NET
3 37 (3.61%) OAuth
4 35 (3.41%) SAML
5 34 (3.31%) OpenID
6 26 (2.53%) REST
7 24 (2.34%) LDAP
7 24 (2.34%) OAuth2
7 24 (2.34%) Web Services
8 19 (1.85%) SailPoint
9 18 (1.75%) ARM Templates
10 17 (1.66%) Microsoft Graph
11 15 (1.46%) JSON
12 14 (1.36%) React
13 11 (1.07%) Middleware
13 11 (1.07%) RESTful
14 10 (0.97%) .NET Framework
15 8 (0.78%) 802.1X
15 8 (0.78%) Entity Framework
15 8 (0.78%) XML
Miscellaneous
1 107 (10.43%) Onboarding
2 51 (4.97%) Hybrid Cloud
3 37 (3.61%) Management Information System
4 35 (3.41%) PKI
5 34 (3.31%) Cloud Native
5 34 (3.31%) Data Centre
6 24 (2.34%) Security Posture
7 23 (2.24%) Enterprise Software
8 21 (2.05%) Public Cloud
9 20 (1.95%) Product Ownership
10 17 (1.66%) Driving Licence
11 16 (1.56%) Operational Technology
12 14 (1.36%) Enterprise Cloud
13 13 (1.27%) Distributed Denial-of-Service
13 13 (1.27%) Legacy Systems
14 12 (1.17%) Data Structures
15 11 (1.07%) Analytical Mindset
15 11 (1.07%) Private Cloud
16 10 (0.97%) Self-Motivation
17 9 (0.88%) Cyber Defence
Operating Systems
1 264 (25.73%) Windows
2 99 (9.65%) Windows Server
3 79 (7.70%) Linux
4 52 (5.07%) Windows 10
5 31 (3.02%) Apple iOS
6 21 (2.05%) Mac OS
7 15 (1.46%) Red Hat Enterprise Linux
7 15 (1.46%) Unix
8 13 (1.27%) Android
9 11 (1.07%) CentOS
9 11 (1.07%) Ubuntu
10 7 (0.68%) Windows 7
11 6 (0.58%) Windows Server 2019
12 3 (0.29%) Windows Server 2016
13 2 (0.19%) Windows Server 2012
14 1 (0.097%) VMS
14 1 (0.097%) Windows Server 2008
Processes & Methodologies
1 228 (22.22%) Problem-Solving
2 174 (16.96%) Stakeholder Management
3 140 (13.65%) Continuous Improvement
4 139 (13.55%) Agile
5 130 (12.67%) ITIL
6 120 (11.70%) DevOps
7 110 (10.72%) CI/CD
8 103 (10.04%) Analytics
8 103 (10.04%) Customer Service
9 101 (9.84%) Cybersecurity
9 101 (9.84%) ITSM
10 98 (9.55%) Business Intelligence
11 93 (9.06%) Stakeholder Engagement
12 88 (8.58%) Infrastructure Engineering
13 87 (8.48%) Migration
14 80 (7.80%) Decision-Making
15 75 (7.31%) Project Delivery
16 73 (7.12%) Infrastructure as Code
16 73 (7.12%) Roadmaps
17 72 (7.02%) Technical Leadership
Programming Languages
1 161 (15.69%) PowerShell
2 93 (9.06%) Python
3 85 (8.28%) SQL
4 37 (3.61%) Bash
5 30 (2.92%) Bicep
6 25 (2.44%) JavaScript
7 20 (1.95%) C#
7 20 (1.95%) Java
8 19 (1.85%) T-SQL
9 14 (1.36%) Kusto Query Language
10 10 (0.97%) TypeScript
11 8 (0.78%) Data Analysis Expressions
11 8 (0.78%) X++
12 4 (0.39%) ABAP
13 3 (0.29%) Perl
14 2 (0.19%) VBA
15 1 (0.097%) C++
15 1 (0.097%) Groovy
Qualifications
1 377 (36.74%) Security Cleared
2 237 (23.10%) SC Cleared
3 147 (14.33%) DV Cleared
4 140 (13.65%) Degree
5 60 (5.85%) Microsoft Certification
6 50 (4.87%) Azure Certification
7 21 (2.05%) Cisco Certification
8 20 (1.95%) AWS Certification
8 20 (1.95%) DBS Check
9 16 (1.56%) BPSS Clearance
9 16 (1.56%) PMI Certification
10 15 (1.46%) CISSP
10 15 (1.46%) Computer Science Degree
11 14 (1.36%) PMP
12 13 (1.27%) VMware Certified Professional (VCP)
13 11 (1.07%) CISM
14 10 (0.97%) (ISC)2 CCSP
14 10 (0.97%) MCSA
15 9 (0.88%) MCSE
15 9 (0.88%) PRINCE2 Practitioner
Quality Assurance & Compliance
1 48 (4.68%) Data Quality
2 46 (4.48%) ISO/IEC 27001
3 42 (4.09%) NIST
3 42 (4.09%) PMO
4 36 (3.51%) GDPR
5 32 (3.12%) NCSC
6 27 (2.63%) SLA
7 22 (2.14%) QA
8 19 (1.85%) Cyber Essentials
9 13 (1.27%) GRC
10 10 (0.97%) ISO 31000
11 8 (0.78%) JSP 440
11 8 (0.78%) PCI DSS
12 6 (0.58%) ISO 9001
13 4 (0.39%) ISO 19650
13 4 (0.39%) ISO/IEC 27005
13 4 (0.39%) Sarbanes-Oxley
14 3 (0.29%) Disclosure Scotland
14 3 (0.29%) GMP
14 3 (0.29%) ISO/IEC 42001
System Software
1 213 (20.76%) Active Directory
2 73 (7.12%) VMware Infrastructure
3 30 (2.92%) Hyper-V
4 25 (2.44%) Virtual Machines
5 20 (1.95%) Docker
6 18 (1.75%) vSphere
7 17 (1.66%) Virtual Desktop
8 14 (1.36%) VMware ESXi
9 9 (0.88%) VMware NSX
10 5 (0.49%) Firmware
11 4 (0.39%) ISA Server
12 3 (0.29%) Microsoft Virtual Server
12 3 (0.29%) OpenAM
12 3 (0.29%) Virtual Servers
13 2 (0.19%) UAG
14 1 (0.097%) Dovecot
14 1 (0.097%) Postfix
14 1 (0.097%) vCloud
14 1 (0.097%) XenApp
Systems Management
1 70 (6.82%) Microsoft Intune
2 49 (4.78%) Kubernetes
3 34 (3.31%) SCCM
4 33 (3.22%) Ansible
5 26 (2.53%) SCOM
6 25 (2.44%) vCenter Server
7 14 (1.36%) Avamar
8 13 (1.27%) Active Directory Federation Services
8 13 (1.27%) WMI
9 12 (1.17%) Single Sign-On
10 10 (0.97%) Jamf Pro
11 9 (0.88%) QRadar
12 8 (0.78%) Grafana
13 6 (0.58%) FortiGate
14 5 (0.49%) Progress Chef
14 5 (0.49%) Puppet
15 4 (0.39%) CASB
15 4 (0.39%) Clonezilla
15 4 (0.39%) Prometheus
16 3 (0.29%) Istio
Vendors
1 91 (8.87%) VMware
2 66 (6.43%) ServiceNow
3 57 (5.56%) SAP
4 40 (3.90%) Google
5 37 (3.61%) Cisco
6 29 (2.83%) Oracle
7 22 (2.14%) Databricks
8 21 (2.05%) Dell
9 20 (1.95%) Splunk
10 14 (1.36%) CrowdStrike
10 14 (1.36%) F5
10 14 (1.36%) Meraki
10 14 (1.36%) SolarWinds
10 14 (1.36%) Thales
11 9 (0.88%) Infoblox
11 9 (0.88%) Palo Alto
11 9 (0.88%) Veeam
12 8 (0.78%) Citrix
12 8 (0.78%) Red Hat
12 8 (0.78%) Salesforce