Active Directory Contract Job Trends in the South West

Microsoft Active Directory
England > South West

The table below provides summary statistics and contractor rates for jobs advertised in the South West requiring Active Directory skills. It covers contract job vacancies from the 6 months leading up to 16 October 2025, with comparisons to the same periods in the previous two years.

6 months to
16 Oct 2025
Same period 2024 Same period 2023
Rank 27 30 26
Rank change year-on-year +3 -4 0
Contract jobs citing Active Directory 126 154 201
As % of all contract jobs in the South West 6.31% 6.13% 6.36%
As % of the System Software category 47.73% 38.60% 44.47%
Number of daily rates quoted 96 101 117
10th Percentile £200 £140 £161
25th Percentile £225 £225 £200
Median daily rate (50th Percentile) £345 £470 £488
Median % change year-on-year -26.60% -3.59% +9.92%
75th Percentile £550 £575 £600
90th Percentile £588 £638 £675
England median daily rate £425 £425 £400
% change year-on-year - +6.25% +10.73%
Number of hourly rates quoted 2 4 25
10th Percentile £57.90 - -
25th Percentile £58.50 £12.50 £13.25
Median hourly rate £64.00 £14.50 £15.90
Median % change year-on-year +341.38% -8.81% -27.73%
75th Percentile £70.50 £35.50 £21.50
90th Percentile £71.70 £69.70 £69.62
England median hourly rate £22.00 £23.10 £19.50
% change year-on-year -4.76% +18.46% +8.33%

All System Software Skills
South West

Active Directory falls under the System Software category. For comparison with the information above, the following table provides summary statistics for all contract job vacancies requiring system software skills in the South West.

Contract vacancies with a requirement for system software skills 264 399 452
As % of all contract IT jobs advertised in the South West 13.23% 15.87% 14.30%
Number of daily rates quoted 204 260 294
10th Percentile £215 £225 £198
25th Percentile £341 £460 £413
Median daily rate (50th Percentile) £525 £538 £548
Median % change year-on-year -2.33% -1.83% +6.83%
75th Percentile £638 £625 £625
90th Percentile £700 £691 £700
England median daily rate £500 £511 £500
% change year-on-year -2.17% +2.22% -4.76%
Number of hourly rates quoted 8 7 50
10th Percentile £60.13 £12.50 £13.25
25th Percentile £61.25 £14.00 £16.50
Median hourly rate £65.75 £58.00 £61.25
Median % change year-on-year +13.36% -5.31% +26.34%
75th Percentile £83.75 £85.00 £69.62
90th Percentile £95.00 £88.00 £78.00
England median hourly rate £34.00 £31.00 £47.50
% change year-on-year +9.68% -34.74% +111.11%

Active Directory
Job Vacancy Trend in the South West

Historical trend showing the proportion of contract IT job postings citing Active Directory relative to all contract IT jobs advertised in the South West.

Active Directory job vacancy trend in the South West

Active Directory
Daily Rate Trend in the South West

Contractor daily rate distribution trend for jobs in the South West citing Active Directory.

Contractor daily rate distribution trend for jobs in the South West citing Active Directory

Active Directory
Daily Rate Histogram in the South West

Daily rate distribution for jobs citing Active Directory in the South West over the 6 months to 16 October 2025.

Daily rate histogram for Active Directory in the South West

Active Directory
Hourly Rate Trend in the South West

Contractor hourly rate distribution trend for jobs in the South West citing Active Directory.

Contractor hourly rate distribution trend for jobs in the South West citing Active Directory

Active Directory
Contract Job Locations in the South West

The table below looks at the demand and provides a guide to the median contractor rates quoted in IT jobs citing Active Directory within the South West region over the 6 months to 16 October 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
Gloucestershire +19 33 £325 -30.85% 19
Somerset +8 28 £250 -35.48% 18
Bristol -12 26 £512 +13.67% 15
Wiltshire -10 25 £550 +12.82% 21
Devon -1 12 £275 -16.67% 7
Dorset +1 4 £205 -36.92% 13
Avon - 2 £275 - 8
Active Directory
England

Active Directory
Co-Occurring Skills & Capabilities in the South West 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 39 (30.95%) Microsoft Exchange
2 34 (26.98%) SharePoint
3 8 (6.35%) Skype for Business
4 4 (3.17%) Confluence
4 4 (3.17%) IIS
4 4 (3.17%) SharePoint Server
5 1 (0.79%) nginx
Applications
1 22 (17.46%) Microsoft Office
2 3 (2.38%) Microsoft Excel
3 2 (1.59%) Windchill
Business Applications
1 2 (1.59%) Teamcenter
2 1 (0.79%) assyst
2 1 (0.79%) Dynamics CRM
2 1 (0.79%) Remedy ITSM
Cloud Services
1 47 (37.30%) Microsoft 365
2 44 (34.92%) Azure
3 23 (18.25%) Entra ID
4 10 (7.94%) AWS
5 9 (7.14%) OneDrive
6 6 (4.76%) Power Platform
6 6 (4.76%) ShareGate
7 4 (3.17%) GCP
7 4 (3.17%) SaaS
8 3 (2.38%) Azure DevOps
9 2 (1.59%) Azure AKS
9 2 (1.59%) Azure Cosmos DB
9 2 (1.59%) Azure Sentinel
9 2 (1.59%) Microsoft Purview
10 1 (0.79%) AWS CloudFormation
10 1 (0.79%) Azure Key Vault
10 1 (0.79%) Dynamics 365
10 1 (0.79%) IaaS
Communications & Networking
1 32 (25.40%) DNS
2 18 (14.29%) VPN
3 17 (13.49%) DHCP
4 13 (10.32%) Skype
5 10 (7.94%) VoIP
6 7 (5.56%) Firewall
6 7 (5.56%) WAN
7 6 (4.76%) LAN
8 5 (3.97%) Unified Communications
8 5 (3.97%) Wi-Fi
9 3 (2.38%) Kerberos
9 3 (2.38%) NetScaler
9 3 (2.38%) TCP/IP
9 3 (2.38%) VLAN
10 2 (1.59%) SMTP
11 1 (0.79%) Cisco IOS
11 1 (0.79%) NAS
11 1 (0.79%) Network Security
11 1 (0.79%) SAN
11 1 (0.79%) WebEx
Database & Business Intelligence
1 12 (9.52%) SQL Server
2 6 (4.76%) Power BI
3 3 (2.38%) Metadata
4 2 (1.59%) Elasticsearch
4 2 (1.59%) Looker
4 2 (1.59%) MySQL
4 2 (1.59%) Relational Database
4 2 (1.59%) Tableau
Development Applications
1 9 (7.14%) MSI
2 8 (6.35%) JIRA
3 5 (3.97%) AdminStudio
3 5 (3.97%) InstallShield
General
1 54 (42.86%) Social Skills
2 19 (15.08%) Public Sector
3 15 (11.90%) Analytical Skills
4 11 (8.73%) Documentation Skills
4 11 (8.73%) Finance
5 4 (3.17%) Legal
6 3 (2.38%) Manufacturing
6 3 (2.38%) Military
7 2 (1.59%) Aerospace
7 2 (1.59%) Billing
7 2 (1.59%) Law
7 2 (1.59%) Organisational Skills
8 1 (0.79%) Electronics
8 1 (0.79%) Marketing
8 1 (0.79%) Telecoms
Job Titles
1 27 (21.43%) Support Engineer
2 13 (10.32%) Desktop Engineer
2 13 (10.32%) Desktop Support
2 13 (10.32%) Desktop Support Engineer
3 12 (9.52%) Deployment Engineer
4 11 (8.73%) Analyst
5 9 (7.14%) Applications Engineer
5 9 (7.14%) Platform Engineer
6 8 (6.35%) Consultant
7 7 (5.56%) Field Engineer
7 7 (5.56%) Infrastructure Engineer
7 7 (5.56%) IT Support
7 7 (5.56%) Technical Support
8 6 (4.76%) IT Engineer
8 6 (4.76%) Technical Engineer
8 6 (4.76%) Technical Support Engineer
8 6 (4.76%) Wintel Engineer
9 5 (3.97%) Architect
9 5 (3.97%) SC Cleared Deployment Engineer
9 5 (3.97%) SC Cleared Desktop Support
Libraries, Frameworks & Software Standards
1 7 (5.56%) OAuth
1 7 (5.56%) OpenID
1 7 (5.56%) SAML
2 6 (4.76%) LDAP
3 4 (3.17%) OAuth2
4 3 (2.38%) Express.js
4 3 (2.38%) React
4 3 (2.38%) SailPoint
5 2 (1.59%) Next.js
5 2 (1.59%) Node.js
5 2 (1.59%) RESTful
5 2 (1.59%) Software Packaging
6 1 (0.79%) .NET
6 1 (0.79%) AngularJS
6 1 (0.79%) Middleware
6 1 (0.79%) SOAP
6 1 (0.79%) WCF
6 1 (0.79%) Web Services
6 1 (0.79%) WPF
6 1 (0.79%) XMPP
Miscellaneous
1 14 (11.11%) PKI
2 8 (6.35%) Enterprise Software
3 7 (5.56%) Driving Licence
4 5 (3.97%) Legacy Applications
4 5 (3.97%) Onboarding
5 3 (2.38%) iPad
5 3 (2.38%) iPhone
5 3 (2.38%) Self-Motivation
6 2 (1.59%) Blackberry
6 2 (1.59%) Cloud Native
6 2 (1.59%) Hybrid Cloud
6 2 (1.59%) Legacy Systems
6 2 (1.59%) Operational Technology
7 1 (0.79%) CMDB
7 1 (0.79%) Cyber Threat
7 1 (0.79%) Data Protection Act
7 1 (0.79%) FMCG
7 1 (0.79%) Management Information System
7 1 (0.79%) NHS
7 1 (0.79%) Security Posture
Operating Systems
1 86 (68.25%) Windows
2 49 (38.89%) Windows 10
3 26 (20.63%) Windows Server
4 17 (13.49%) Linux
5 9 (7.14%) Windows Server 2012
6 8 (6.35%) Android
7 7 (5.56%) Apple iOS
8 6 (4.76%) Mac OS
9 4 (3.17%) Windows Server 2016
10 2 (1.59%) Red Hat Enterprise Linux
10 2 (1.59%) Windows Server 2019
11 1 (0.79%) CentOS
11 1 (0.79%) Ubuntu
11 1 (0.79%) Windows Server 2008
Processes & Methodologies
1 39 (30.95%) ITIL
2 24 (19.05%) Customer Service
3 23 (18.25%) Problem-Solving
4 20 (15.87%) Agile
4 20 (15.87%) Migration
5 18 (14.29%) Root Cause Analysis
6 15 (11.90%) Service Management
7 13 (10.32%) DevOps
7 13 (10.32%) Service Delivery
8 12 (9.52%) Change Management
9 10 (7.94%) ITSM
9 10 (7.94%) RBAC
9 10 (7.94%) Stakeholder Engagement
10 9 (7.14%) Application Packaging
10 9 (7.14%) Knowledge Transfer
10 9 (7.14%) Platform Engineering
11 8 (6.35%) Critical Thinking
11 8 (6.35%) Decision-Making
11 8 (6.35%) Runbook
11 8 (6.35%) Stakeholder Management
Programming Languages
1 34 (26.98%) PowerShell
2 11 (8.73%) SQL
3 8 (6.35%) VBScript
4 5 (3.97%) Python
5 3 (2.38%) Bicep
6 2 (1.59%) JavaScript
6 2 (1.59%) TypeScript
7 1 (0.79%) C#
7 1 (0.79%) T-SQL
Qualifications
1 72 (57.14%) Security Cleared
2 56 (44.44%) SC Cleared
3 23 (18.25%) Microsoft Certification
4 14 (11.11%) Degree
5 10 (7.94%) DV Cleared
5 10 (7.94%) ITIL Certification
6 9 (7.14%) MCSE
7 8 (6.35%) A+ Certification
8 7 (5.56%) MCSA
9 6 (4.76%) ITIL Foundation Certificate
10 5 (3.97%) CCNA
10 5 (3.97%) CCNP
10 5 (3.97%) Cisco Certification
10 5 (3.97%) Master's Degree
11 2 (1.59%) CISM
11 2 (1.59%) CISSP
11 2 (1.59%) VMware Certified Professional (VCP)
12 1 (0.79%) Azure Certification
12 1 (0.79%) MCITP
12 1 (0.79%) MCTS
Quality Assurance & Compliance
1 15 (11.90%) ISO/IEC 27001
2 12 (9.52%) GDPR
3 10 (7.94%) SLA
4 3 (2.38%) Sarbanes-Oxley
5 2 (1.59%) NIST
5 2 (1.59%) PSD2
5 2 (1.59%) SOC 2
6 1 (0.79%) Government Security Classifications
6 1 (0.79%) HIPAA
6 1 (0.79%) NCSC
System Software
1 32 (25.40%) VMware Infrastructure
2 11 (8.73%) Virtual Machines
3 8 (6.35%) Microsoft App-V
4 7 (5.56%) Hyper-V
5 6 (4.76%) VMware ESXi
6 5 (3.97%) Microsoft Virtual Server
6 5 (3.97%) Virtual Servers
6 5 (3.97%) VMware NSX
7 4 (3.17%) Virtual Desktop
8 3 (2.38%) XenDesktop
9 2 (1.59%) Docker
Systems Management
1 29 (23.02%) SCCM
2 26 (20.63%) Microsoft Intune
3 12 (9.52%) vCenter Server
3 12 (9.52%) WSUS
4 11 (8.73%) Single Sign-On
5 10 (7.94%) Active Directory Federation Services
6 3 (2.38%) Kubernetes
6 3 (2.38%) Terraform
7 2 (1.59%) Ansible
7 2 (1.59%) AppManager
7 2 (1.59%) Kibana
7 2 (1.59%) Microsoft Clustering
7 2 (1.59%) NetApp OnCommand
7 2 (1.59%) NetBackup
7 2 (1.59%) PingFederate
7 2 (1.59%) vMotion
7 2 (1.59%) VxRail
8 1 (0.79%) CA Single Sign-On
8 1 (0.79%) HP ALM
8 1 (0.79%) Nessus
Vendors
1 95 (75.40%) Microsoft
2 36 (28.57%) VMware
3 20 (15.87%) Cisco
4 15 (11.90%) ServiceNow
5 11 (8.73%) Citrix
6 10 (7.94%) SolarWinds
6 10 (7.94%) Veeam
7 5 (3.97%) Ivanti
7 5 (3.97%) Remedy
7 5 (3.97%) Splunk
8 4 (3.17%) ForgeRock
8 4 (3.17%) Ping Identity
9 3 (2.38%) McAfee
9 3 (2.38%) Okta
9 3 (2.38%) Starlink
10 2 (1.59%) Commvault
10 2 (1.59%) Micro Focus
10 2 (1.59%) NetIQ
10 2 (1.59%) Salesforce
10 2 (1.59%) Veritas