Degree Contract Job Trends in the South West

Academic Degree
England > South West

The table below provides summary statistics for contract job vacancies advertised in the South West with a requirement for Degree qualifications. It includes a benchmarking guide to the contractor rates offered over the 6 months leading up to 18 September 2025, comparing them to the same period in the previous two years.

6 months to
18 Sep 2025
Same period 2024 Same period 2023
Rank 23 19 23
Rank change year-on-year -4 +4 +3
Contract jobs citing Degree 123 202 232
As % of all contract jobs advertised in the South West 6.23% 7.60% 7.22%
As % of the Qualifications category 11.73% 14.91% 13.14%
Number of daily rates quoted 85 103 124
10th Percentile £145 £151 £381
25th Percentile £213 £338 £463
Median daily rate (50th Percentile) £475 £503 £550
Median % change year-on-year -5.47% -8.64% +4.76%
75th Percentile £606 £649 £614
90th Percentile £649 £750 £709
England median daily rate £500 £510 £530
% change year-on-year -1.96% -3.77% -3.64%
Number of hourly rates quoted 18 35 44
10th Percentile £25.92 £60.75 £33.00
25th Percentile - £65.00 £47.36
Median hourly rate £33.50 £70.00 £56.49
Median % change year-on-year -52.14% +23.92% -5.85%
75th Percentile - £72.50 £83.40
90th Percentile £72.88 £75.00 -
England median hourly rate £38.50 £57.35 £49.14
% change year-on-year -32.87% +16.71% +9.20%

All Academic and Professional Certifications
South West

Degree falls under the Academic Qualifications and Professional Certifications category. For comparison with the information above, the following table provides summary statistics for all contract job vacancies requiring academic qualifications or professional certifications in the South West.

Contract vacancies requiring academic qualifications or professional certifications 1,049 1,355 1,766
As % of all contract IT jobs advertised in the South West 53.11% 50.96% 54.95%
Number of daily rates quoted 649 822 1,128
10th Percentile £219 £371 £400
25th Percentile £413 £463 £475
Median daily rate (50th Percentile) £550 £556 £575
Median % change year-on-year -0.99% -3.39% +4.55%
75th Percentile £648 £650 £675
90th Percentile £738 £733 £729
England median daily rate £525 £538 £550
% change year-on-year -2.33% -2.27% -
Number of hourly rates quoted 132 110 163
10th Percentile £18.51 £39.63 £33.00
25th Percentile £21.30 £60.75 £50.00
Median hourly rate £25.15 £70.00 £62.50
Median % change year-on-year -64.07% +12.00% +3.73%
75th Percentile £34.69 £74.33 £78.00
90th Percentile £73.63 £80.50 £83.40
England median hourly rate £25.15 £54.00 £54.53
% change year-on-year -53.43% -0.97% +21.18%

Degree
Job Vacancy Trend in the South West

Job postings citing Degree as a proportion of all IT jobs advertised in the South West.

Job vacancy trend for Degree in the South West

Degree
Daily Rate Trend in the South West

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

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

Degree
Daily Rate Histogram in the South West

Daily rate distribution for jobs citing Degree in the South West over the 6 months to 18 September 2025.

Daily rate histogram for Degree in the South West

Degree
Hourly Rate Trend in the South West

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

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

Degree
Hourly Rate Histogram in the South West

Hourly rate distribution of jobs citing Degree in the South West over the 6 months to 18 September 2025.

Hourly rate histogram for Degree in the South West

Degree
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 Degree within the South West region over the 6 months to 18 September 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
Bristol -7 46 £450 - 149
Wiltshire -7 22 £606 +1.04% 27
Devon +8 20 £160 - 65
Gloucestershire +16 15 £475 -14.10% 136
Somerset -8 11 £633 +41.34% 54
Dorset -2 4 £525 +50.00% 38
Cornwall -3 1 £500 +233.33% 4
Degree
England

Degree
Co-occurring Skills and Capabilities in the South West 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 19 (15.45%) Confluence
2 15 (12.20%) Microsoft Exchange
3 8 (6.50%) SharePoint
4 5 (4.07%) Skype for Business
5 2 (1.63%) Apache
6 1 (0.81%) HCL Notes
Applications
1 36 (29.27%) Microsoft Office
2 8 (6.50%) Microsoft Project
2 8 (6.50%) MS Visio
3 4 (3.25%) Microsoft Excel
4 3 (2.44%) Microsoft PowerPoint
5 2 (1.63%) Windchill
6 1 (0.81%) Adobe Creative Suite
6 1 (0.81%) Camtasia
6 1 (0.81%) Chatbot
6 1 (0.81%) Simulink
6 1 (0.81%) Stateflow
Business Applications
1 6 (4.88%) SAP EWM
1 6 (4.88%) SAP WM
2 5 (4.07%) Primavera
3 2 (1.63%) Teamcenter
Cloud Services
1 12 (9.76%) Microsoft 365
2 9 (7.32%) Azure
3 7 (5.69%) Lucidchart
3 7 (5.69%) OCI
3 7 (5.69%) Power Platform
4 4 (3.25%) AWS
5 2 (1.63%) Azure Cosmos DB
5 2 (1.63%) Azure Data Factory
5 2 (1.63%) Azure Logic Apps
5 2 (1.63%) Azure Sentinel
5 2 (1.63%) Entra ID
6 1 (0.81%) Amazon ECS
6 1 (0.81%) Amazon S3
6 1 (0.81%) GCP
6 1 (0.81%) GitHub
6 1 (0.81%) Microsoft Purview
6 1 (0.81%) OneDrive
6 1 (0.81%) Serverless
6 1 (0.81%) Smartsheet
Communications & Networking
1 18 (14.63%) VPN
2 13 (10.57%) Unified Communications
3 12 (9.76%) DNS
4 8 (6.50%) BGP
5 7 (5.69%) IPsec
5 7 (5.69%) MPLS
6 6 (4.88%) Skype
7 5 (4.07%) DHCP
8 4 (3.25%) Broadband
9 1 (0.81%) OSPF
9 1 (0.81%) Software-Defined Networking
9 1 (0.81%) VLAN
9 1 (0.81%) VoIP
9 1 (0.81%) WAAS
Database & Business Intelligence
1 7 (5.69%) Power BI
2 4 (3.25%) SQL Server
3 2 (1.63%) Data Lake
3 2 (1.63%) Data Warehouse
3 2 (1.63%) PostgreSQL
3 2 (1.63%) RDBMS
3 2 (1.63%) Relational Database
4 1 (0.81%) Amazon Athena
4 1 (0.81%) Amazon RDS
4 1 (0.81%) Looker
4 1 (0.81%) Oracle Database
4 1 (0.81%) SQL Server Analysis Services
4 1 (0.81%) SQL Server Integration Services
4 1 (0.81%) SQL Server Reporting Services
4 1 (0.81%) Tableau
Development Applications
1 14 (11.38%) JIRA
2 4 (3.25%) Bitbucket
3 3 (2.44%) GitLab
3 3 (2.44%) Rational DOORS
4 2 (1.63%) Artifactory
4 2 (1.63%) Git
5 1 (0.81%) Jenkins
5 1 (0.81%) Rational Team Concert
General
1 71 (57.72%) Social Skills
2 32 (26.02%) Analytical Skills
3 16 (13.01%) Finance
3 16 (13.01%) Public Sector
4 12 (9.76%) Organisational Skills
5 9 (7.32%) Aerospace
5 9 (7.32%) Manufacturing
6 6 (4.88%) Presentation Skills
6 6 (4.88%) Telecoms
7 4 (3.25%) Electronics
7 4 (3.25%) Legal
8 3 (2.44%) Automotive
8 3 (2.44%) Marketing
8 3 (2.44%) Pharmaceutical
9 2 (1.63%) Law
10 1 (0.81%) Games
10 1 (0.81%) Local Government
10 1 (0.81%) Military
10 1 (0.81%) Multimedia
10 1 (0.81%) Retail
Job Titles
1 10 (8.13%) Information Security Advisor
1 10 (8.13%) Security Advisor
1 10 (8.13%) Support Engineer
2 9 (7.32%) Desktop Engineer
2 9 (7.32%) Lead
3 8 (6.50%) Consultant
3 8 (6.50%) Desktop Support
3 8 (6.50%) Desktop Support Engineer
4 7 (5.69%) Coordinator
4 7 (5.69%) Developer
4 7 (5.69%) Network Engineer
4 7 (5.69%) Technical Writer
5 6 (4.88%) Management Consultant
5 6 (4.88%) SAP Consultant
5 6 (4.88%) SAP WM Consultant
6 4 (3.25%) Analyst
6 4 (3.25%) Project Coordinator
6 4 (3.25%) Project Planner
6 4 (3.25%) Senior
6 4 (3.25%) Wintel Engineer
Libraries, Frameworks & Software Standards
1 7 (5.69%) NETCONF
1 7 (5.69%) RESTCONF
2 2 (1.63%) Apache NiFi
2 2 (1.63%) CSS
2 2 (1.63%) HTML
2 2 (1.63%) REST
3 1 (0.81%) .NET
3 1 (0.81%) Django
3 1 (0.81%) JDO
3 1 (0.81%) JFC
3 1 (0.81%) Node.js
3 1 (0.81%) PyTorch
3 1 (0.81%) React
3 1 (0.81%) SailPoint
3 1 (0.81%) TensorFlow
Miscellaneous
1 20 (16.26%) Management Information System
2 12 (9.76%) PKI
3 11 (8.94%) Security Posture
4 8 (6.50%) Educational Technology
5 4 (3.25%) Fibre Optics
5 4 (3.25%) Operational Technology
5 4 (3.25%) Private Cloud
5 4 (3.25%) Self-Motivation
6 3 (2.44%) Data Centre
6 3 (2.44%) e-Learning
7 2 (1.63%) Algorithms
7 2 (1.63%) Digital Media
8 1 (0.81%) Analytical Mindset
8 1 (0.81%) Cloud Native
8 1 (0.81%) Cloud Security Posture
8 1 (0.81%) Cyber Defence
8 1 (0.81%) Cyber Threat
8 1 (0.81%) Data Structures
8 1 (0.81%) Hackathon
8 1 (0.81%) Reinsurance
Operating Systems
1 11 (8.94%) Windows
2 5 (4.07%) Windows Server
3 3 (2.44%) Windows 10
4 1 (0.81%) Windows Server 2016
Processes & Methodologies
1 46 (37.40%) Computer Science
2 31 (25.20%) Problem-Solving
3 24 (19.51%) Collaborative Working
4 23 (18.70%) Critical Thinking
5 18 (14.63%) Agile
6 17 (13.82%) ITIL
7 15 (12.20%) Risk Management
7 15 (12.20%) Service Management
8 14 (11.38%) Project Management
9 13 (10.57%) ERP
9 13 (10.57%) System Testing
10 12 (9.76%) Waterfall
11 11 (8.94%) Decision-Making
11 11 (8.94%) Information Security
12 10 (8.13%) Facilities Management
12 10 (8.13%) Information Security Governance
12 10 (8.13%) Internal Audit
12 10 (8.13%) Validation
13 9 (7.32%) Business Intelligence
13 9 (7.32%) Software Engineering
Programming Languages
1 16 (13.01%) Python
2 9 (7.32%) PowerShell
2 9 (7.32%) SQL
3 4 (3.25%) Ada
3 4 (3.25%) JavaScript
4 1 (0.81%) C
4 1 (0.81%) C#
4 1 (0.81%) Fortran
4 1 (0.81%) Java
4 1 (0.81%) Kusto Query Language
4 1 (0.81%) MATLAB
4 1 (0.81%) T-SQL
4 1 (0.81%) TypeScript
Qualifications
1 52 (42.28%) Security Cleared
2 46 (37.40%) SC Cleared
3 21 (17.07%) Computer Science Degree
4 20 (16.26%) Master's Degree
5 12 (9.76%) BPSS Clearance
5 12 (9.76%) CCNP
5 12 (9.76%) Cisco Certification
6 11 (8.94%) DV Cleared
7 10 (8.13%) ISO 27001 Lead Implementer
8 7 (5.69%) ITIL Foundation Certificate
8 7 (5.69%) Microsoft Certification
9 6 (4.88%) SAP Certification
10 5 (4.07%) MCSE
11 4 (3.25%) Azure Certification
11 4 (3.25%) CCNA
11 4 (3.25%) ITIL Certification
12 3 (2.44%) CESG Certified Professional
12 3 (2.44%) CISA
12 3 (2.44%) CISSP
12 3 (2.44%) HND
Quality Assurance & Compliance
1 22 (17.89%) ISO/IEC 27001
2 10 (8.13%) Def Stans
2 10 (8.13%) GRC
3 7 (5.69%) Sarbanes-Oxley
4 4 (3.25%) P3O
5 3 (2.44%) JSP 440
5 3 (2.44%) NCSC
5 3 (2.44%) NIST
5 3 (2.44%) PMO
5 3 (2.44%) RMADS
6 2 (1.63%) QA
7 1 (0.81%) Data Quality
7 1 (0.81%) GDPR
7 1 (0.81%) HAZOP
7 1 (0.81%) HIPAA
7 1 (0.81%) ISO 22301
7 1 (0.81%) PMBOK
System Software
1 16 (13.01%) Active Directory
2 12 (9.76%) VMware Infrastructure
3 7 (5.69%) VMware ESXi
4 5 (4.07%) Microsoft Virtual Server
4 5 (4.07%) Virtual Servers
5 2 (1.63%) Hyper-V
Systems Management
1 10 (8.13%) Ansible
2 7 (5.69%) Microsoft Intune
3 6 (4.88%) SCCM
4 5 (4.07%) WSUS
5 4 (3.25%) Terraform
6 1 (0.81%) Dell DRAC
6 1 (0.81%) Kubernetes
6 1 (0.81%) OPNET
6 1 (0.81%) Puppet
Vendors
1 23 (18.70%) Microsoft
2 12 (9.76%) Cisco
2 12 (9.76%) VMware
3 10 (8.13%) Atlassian
4 8 (6.50%) Oracle
4 8 (6.50%) SAP
4 8 (6.50%) ServiceNow
5 7 (5.69%) Citrix
5 7 (5.69%) SolarWinds
6 5 (4.07%) Veeam
7 4 (3.25%) Splunk
8 2 (1.63%) Databricks
8 2 (1.63%) Dell
8 2 (1.63%) Red Hat
9 1 (0.81%) HP
9 1 (0.81%) IBM
9 1 (0.81%) Lotus
9 1 (0.81%) MathWorks
9 1 (0.81%) NetIQ
9 1 (0.81%) Salesforce