Microsoft Contract Job Trends in the South West

Microsoft
England > South West

The table below provides summary statistics for contract job vacancies advertised in the South West 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 20 December 2025, 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
20 Dec 2025
Same period 2024 Same period 2023
Rank 4 5 8
Rank change year-on-year +1 +3 -3
Contract jobs citing Microsoft 356 333 382
As % of all contract jobs in the South West 15.26% 15.78% 12.94%
As % of the Vendors category 37.36% 34.51% 31.18%
Number of daily rates quoted 253 223 262
10th Percentile £210 £201 £185
25th Percentile £343 £284 £296
Median daily rate (50th Percentile) £500 £475 £519
Median % change year-on-year +5.26% -8.43% +3.75%
75th Percentile £594 £613 £638
90th Percentile £715 £770 £700
England median daily rate £475 £475 £500
% change year-on-year - -5.00% -
Number of hourly rates quoted 26 13 36
10th Percentile £15.60 £12.50 £18.14
25th Percentile £18.87 £15.50 £23.43
Median hourly rate £20.73 £27.13 £48.72
Median % change year-on-year -23.58% -44.32% -25.05%
75th Percentile £24.79 £65.00 -
90th Percentile £62.25 - £69.62
England median hourly rate £20.26 £22.39 £23.00
% change year-on-year -9.52% -2.67% +14.63%

All Vendors
South West

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 West.

Contract vacancies with a requirement for knowledge or experience of vendor products and services 953 965 1,225
As % of all contract IT jobs advertised in the South West 40.85% 45.73% 41.51%
Number of daily rates quoted 631 585 807
10th Percentile £250 £221 £225
25th Percentile £413 £410 £413
Median daily rate (50th Percentile) £525 £513 £550
Median % change year-on-year +2.44% -6.82% +4.76%
75th Percentile £621 £619 £638
90th Percentile £725 £725 £700
England median daily rate £508 £525 £525
% change year-on-year -3.33% - -2.78%
Number of hourly rates quoted 88 48 121
10th Percentile £11.90 £12.50 £19.25
25th Percentile £18.87 £32.56 £46.39
Median hourly rate £23.54 £65.00 £55.00
Median % change year-on-year -63.79% +18.18% -15.38%
75th Percentile £40.33 £70.31 £65.98
90th Percentile £69.73 £75.00 £76.25
England median hourly rate £23.75 £30.78 £45.88
% change year-on-year -22.84% -32.91% +77.76%

Microsoft
Job Vacancy Trend in the South West

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

Microsoft job vacancy trend in the South West

Microsoft
Daily Rate Trend in the South West

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

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

Microsoft
Daily Rate Histogram in the South West

Daily rate distribution for jobs citing Microsoft in the South West over the 6 months to 20 December 2025.

Daily rate histogram for Microsoft in the South West

Microsoft
Hourly Rate Trend in the South West

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

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

Microsoft
Hourly Rate Histogram in the South West

Hourly rate distribution of jobs citing Microsoft in the South West over the 6 months to 20 December 2025.

Hourly rate histogram for Microsoft in the South West

Microsoft
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 Microsoft within the South West region over the 6 months to 20 December 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
Wiltshire -4 99 £575 +4.55% 37
Bristol -4 87 £512 +13.67% 75
Gloucestershire +7 80 £425 -9.57% 37
Somerset +3 56 £388 -21.72% 37
Devon +10 17 £275 +42.86% 32
Dorset 0 12 £475 -2.56% 24
Microsoft
England

Microsoft
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 70 (19.66%) SharePoint
2 61 (17.13%) Microsoft Exchange
3 23 (6.46%) Skype for Business
4 6 (1.69%) Oracle Application Server
5 4 (1.12%) Confluence
5 4 (1.12%) SharePoint Server
6 3 (0.84%) IIS
7 1 (0.28%) Apache
7 1 (0.28%) CMS
7 1 (0.28%) nginx
7 1 (0.28%) Sitecore CMS
Applications
1 39 (10.96%) Microsoft Office
2 34 (9.55%) Microsoft Excel
3 11 (3.09%) Microsoft PowerPoint
4 9 (2.53%) Microsoft Project
5 7 (1.97%) Adobe Creative Suite
6 6 (1.69%) Adobe Captivate
7 5 (1.40%) MS Visio
8 3 (0.84%) Spreadsheet
9 2 (0.56%) Windchill
10 1 (0.28%) Adobe Illustrator
10 1 (0.28%) InDesign
Business Applications
1 4 (1.12%) Dynamics CRM
2 3 (0.84%) Maximo
2 3 (0.84%) Teamcenter
3 2 (0.56%) assyst
3 2 (0.56%) NetSuite
4 1 (0.28%) Primavera
4 1 (0.28%) Remedy ITSM
4 1 (0.28%) SAP S/4HANA
Cloud Services
1 107 (30.06%) Azure
2 100 (28.09%) Microsoft 365
3 42 (11.80%) Power Platform
4 38 (10.67%) Entra ID
5 35 (9.83%) AWS
6 19 (5.34%) Power Automate
7 17 (4.78%) Azure DevOps
8 16 (4.49%) Azure Sentinel
9 14 (3.93%) Dynamics 365
10 13 (3.65%) GCP
10 13 (3.65%) GitHub
10 13 (3.65%) PowerApps
11 11 (3.09%) Serverless
12 10 (2.81%) Azure Key Vault
12 10 (2.81%) Azure Monitor
12 10 (2.81%) OneDrive
13 9 (2.53%) GitHub Actions
13 9 (2.53%) Microsoft Purview
13 9 (2.53%) SaaS
14 8 (2.25%) Azure AKS
Communications & Networking
1 52 (14.61%) DNS
2 33 (9.27%) Skype
3 31 (8.71%) DHCP
4 30 (8.43%) Firewall
5 18 (5.06%) TCP/IP
5 18 (5.06%) VPN
6 11 (3.09%) Unified Communications
7 7 (1.97%) HTTP
8 6 (1.69%) Network Security
9 4 (1.12%) WAAS
10 3 (0.84%) Kerberos
10 3 (0.84%) VoIP
10 3 (0.84%) VSAN
11 2 (0.56%) iSCSI
11 2 (0.56%) LAN
11 2 (0.56%) SMTP
11 2 (0.56%) VLAN
11 2 (0.56%) Wi-Fi
11 2 (0.56%) Wireless
12 1 (0.28%) Internet
Database & Business Intelligence
1 32 (8.99%) Power BI
2 16 (4.49%) SQL Server
3 14 (3.93%) PostgreSQL
4 7 (1.97%) Data Warehouse
4 7 (1.97%) Redis
5 6 (1.69%) Oracle ODI
5 6 (1.69%) Oracle Reports
5 6 (1.69%) Relational Database
5 6 (1.69%) Star Schema
6 5 (1.40%) Metadata
7 2 (0.56%) Data Lake
7 2 (0.56%) Elasticsearch
7 2 (0.56%) Looker
7 2 (0.56%) MySQL
7 2 (0.56%) Tableau
8 1 (0.28%) Azure SQL Database
8 1 (0.28%) Delta Lake
8 1 (0.28%) SQL Server Analysis Services
8 1 (0.28%) SQL Server Integration Services
8 1 (0.28%) SQL Server Reporting Services
Development Applications
1 30 (8.43%) JIRA
2 14 (3.93%) Git
3 10 (2.81%) MSI
4 6 (1.69%) DBeaver
5 4 (1.12%) Jenkins
6 3 (0.84%) AdminStudio
6 3 (0.84%) Artifactory
6 3 (0.84%) InstallShield
7 2 (0.56%) GitLab
8 1 (0.28%) Bitbucket
8 1 (0.28%) Eclipse
8 1 (0.28%) Maven
8 1 (0.28%) SonarQube
8 1 (0.28%) Visual Studio
General
1 145 (40.73%) Social Skills
2 58 (16.29%) Analytical Skills
3 52 (14.61%) Public Sector
4 38 (10.67%) Finance
5 21 (5.90%) Documentation Skills
6 14 (3.93%) Organisational Skills
7 11 (3.09%) Telecoms
8 10 (2.81%) Banking
9 8 (2.25%) Military
10 7 (1.97%) Inclusion and Diversity
10 7 (1.97%) Legal
10 7 (1.97%) Manufacturing
11 6 (1.69%) Electronics
11 6 (1.69%) Marketing
12 3 (0.84%) Aerospace
12 3 (0.84%) Aviation
12 3 (0.84%) Influencing Skills
13 2 (0.56%) Law
13 2 (0.56%) Retail
14 1 (0.28%) Advertising
Job Titles
1 38 (10.67%) Support Engineer
2 34 (9.55%) Developer
3 30 (8.43%) Analyst
4 24 (6.74%) Infrastructure Engineer
5 22 (6.18%) Architect
6 21 (5.90%) Administrator
7 17 (4.78%) Microsoft Engineer
8 16 (4.49%) Consultant
9 15 (4.21%) Desktop Engineer
10 14 (3.93%) Desktop Support
10 14 (3.93%) Desktop Support Engineer
11 11 (3.09%) IT Support
12 10 (2.81%) Azure Engineer
13 9 (2.53%) Designer
13 9 (2.53%) Platform Engineer
13 9 (2.53%) Senior
14 8 (2.25%) Backend Developer
14 8 (2.25%) Security Engineer
14 8 (2.25%) Solutions Architect
14 8 (2.25%) Wintel Engineer
Libraries, Frameworks & Software Standards
1 23 (6.46%) OAuth
2 22 (6.18%) SAML
3 20 (5.62%) OAuth2
3 20 (5.62%) OpenID
4 18 (5.06%) REST
5 11 (3.09%) SOAP
6 9 (2.53%) AngularJS
6 9 (2.53%) ARM Templates
6 9 (2.53%) React
7 8 (2.25%) XML
8 7 (1.97%) FastAPI
8 7 (1.97%) Flask
8 7 (1.97%) GraphQL
8 7 (1.97%) gRPC
8 7 (1.97%) WebSockets
9 6 (1.69%) CSS
9 6 (1.69%) HTML
9 6 (1.69%) JMS
9 6 (1.69%) Oracle GoldenGate
9 6 (1.69%) XSD
Miscellaneous
1 26 (7.30%) Onboarding
2 19 (5.34%) Cloud Native
3 18 (5.06%) PKI
4 12 (3.37%) Replication
5 11 (3.09%) Hybrid Cloud
6 10 (2.81%) Management Information System
6 10 (2.81%) Mobile App
7 9 (2.53%) Driving Licence
8 8 (2.25%) Private Cloud
8 8 (2.25%) Security Posture
9 7 (1.97%) Data Centre
10 6 (1.69%) Self-Motivation
11 5 (1.40%) Product Ownership
12 4 (1.12%) Cyber Defence
12 4 (1.12%) Cyber Threat
12 4 (1.12%) Enterprise Software
12 4 (1.12%) Low-Code
13 3 (0.84%) Analytical Mindset
13 3 (0.84%) iPad
13 3 (0.84%) iPhone
Operating Systems
1 148 (41.57%) Windows
2 66 (18.54%) Windows 10
3 51 (14.33%) Windows Server
4 30 (8.43%) Linux
5 11 (3.09%) Apple iOS
6 9 (2.53%) Android
7 8 (2.25%) Mac OS
7 8 (2.25%) Windows Server 2016
8 7 (1.97%) Windows 7
8 7 (1.97%) Windows Server 2012
8 7 (1.97%) Windows Server 2019
9 5 (1.40%) Windows Server 2008
10 3 (0.84%) CentOS
10 3 (0.84%) Red Hat Enterprise Linux
11 1 (0.28%) Windows 8
Processes & Methodologies
1 88 (24.72%) Problem-Solving
2 62 (17.42%) Agile
3 57 (16.01%) ITIL
4 41 (11.52%) Migration
5 35 (9.83%) Change Management
5 35 (9.83%) DevOps
6 34 (9.55%) Business Intelligence
7 33 (9.27%) Stakeholder Engagement
8 31 (8.71%) Infrastructure Engineering
9 30 (8.43%) Customer Service
10 29 (8.15%) Knowledge Transfer
11 28 (7.87%) RBAC
12 26 (7.30%) CI/CD
13 22 (6.18%) Project Management
13 22 (6.18%) Service Management
13 22 (6.18%) Stakeholder Management
14 20 (5.62%) Cloud Security
14 20 (5.62%) Continuous Improvement
15 19 (5.34%) Project Delivery
15 19 (5.34%) Root Cause Analysis
Programming Languages
1 82 (23.03%) PowerShell
2 46 (12.92%) SQL
3 32 (8.99%) Python
4 16 (4.49%) JavaScript
5 14 (3.93%) Bicep
6 7 (1.97%) Go
7 6 (1.69%) C#
7 6 (1.69%) Java
7 6 (1.69%) TypeScript
8 5 (1.40%) VBScript
9 3 (0.84%) Perl
10 2 (0.56%) Bash
10 2 (0.56%) PHP
10 2 (0.56%) T-SQL
11 1 (0.28%) C++
11 1 (0.28%) Data Analysis Expressions
11 1 (0.28%) Kusto Query Language
Qualifications
1 187 (52.53%) Security Cleared
2 131 (36.80%) SC Cleared
3 67 (18.82%) DV Cleared
4 55 (15.45%) Microsoft Certification
5 25 (7.02%) Degree
6 14 (3.93%) Azure Certification
7 12 (3.37%) A+ Certification
7 12 (3.37%) MCSE
8 11 (3.09%) ITIL Certification
9 8 (2.25%) Cisco Certification
10 7 (1.97%) CCNP
10 7 (1.97%) CISSP
10 7 (1.97%) MCSA
11 6 (1.69%) CISM
12 5 (1.40%) CCNA
12 5 (1.40%) Master's Degree
13 4 (1.12%) APMP
13 4 (1.12%) BPSS Clearance
14 3 (0.84%) ACCA
14 3 (0.84%) ISO 27001 Lead Implementer
Quality Assurance & Compliance
1 21 (5.90%) ISO/IEC 27001
2 19 (5.34%) GDPR
3 11 (3.09%) PMO
3 11 (3.09%) QA
4 10 (2.81%) Data Quality
4 10 (2.81%) NIST
5 8 (2.25%) Accessibility
5 8 (2.25%) NCSC
6 5 (1.40%) SLA
7 3 (0.84%) Cyber Essentials
7 3 (0.84%) Cyber Essentials PLUS
7 3 (0.84%) GAAP
7 3 (0.84%) IFRS
7 3 (0.84%) NIST 800
8 2 (0.56%) PSD2
8 2 (0.56%) Sarbanes-Oxley
8 2 (0.56%) SOC 2
9 1 (0.28%) GRC
9 1 (0.28%) WCAG
System Software
1 120 (33.71%) Active Directory
2 32 (8.99%) VMware Infrastructure
3 14 (3.93%) Virtual Machines
4 13 (3.65%) Hyper-V
5 12 (3.37%) Docker
6 6 (1.69%) VMware ESXi
7 5 (1.40%) Microsoft Virtual Server
7 5 (1.40%) Virtual Servers
7 5 (1.40%) VMware NSX
8 4 (1.12%) Microsoft App-V
8 4 (1.12%) Virtual Desktop
9 1 (0.28%) KVM
9 1 (0.28%) Slurm Workload Manager
9 1 (0.28%) UAG
Systems Management
1 36 (10.11%) Microsoft Intune
2 34 (9.55%) SCCM
3 30 (8.43%) Active Directory Federation Services
4 27 (7.58%) Single Sign-On
5 18 (5.06%) Kubernetes
5 18 (5.06%) Terraform
6 15 (4.21%) vCenter Server
7 14 (3.93%) WSUS
8 7 (1.97%) Grafana
8 7 (1.97%) Norton AntiVirus
8 7 (1.97%) Prometheus
9 3 (0.84%) Ansible
9 3 (0.84%) OPNET
10 2 (0.56%) Kibana
10 2 (0.56%) Microsoft Clustering
10 2 (0.56%) NetApp OnCommand
10 2 (0.56%) NetBackup
10 2 (0.56%) Symantec Endpoint Protection
10 2 (0.56%) vMotion
10 2 (0.56%) WhatsUp Gold
Vendors
1 38 (10.67%) VMware
2 25 (7.02%) Cisco
3 15 (4.21%) SAP
4 14 (3.93%) ServiceNow
5 12 (3.37%) SolarWinds
5 12 (3.37%) Veeam
6 10 (2.81%) McAfee
6 10 (2.81%) Oracle
7 9 (2.53%) Blue Prism
8 8 (2.25%) Adobe
9 7 (1.97%) Red Hat
9 7 (1.97%) Symantec
10 5 (1.40%) Google
10 5 (1.40%) Splunk
11 4 (1.12%) ForgeRock
11 4 (1.12%) Fortinet
11 4 (1.12%) HP
11 4 (1.12%) Ping Identity
11 4 (1.12%) Starlink
12 3 (0.84%) Dell