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 16 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
16 Sep 2026
Same period 2025 Same period 2024
Rank 5 4 5
Rank change year-on-year -1 +1 +2
Contract jobs citing Microsoft 459 310 421
As % of all contract jobs in the South West 12.36% 15.71% 15.89%
As % of the Vendors category 37.38% 38.37% 35.44%
Number of daily rates quoted 274 191 264
10th Percentile £211 £200 £182
25th Percentile £355 £263 £338
Median daily rate (50th Percentile) £470 £425 £500
Median % change year-on-year +10.59% -15.00% -2.44%
75th Percentile £588 £575 £625
90th Percentile £729 £650 £734
England median daily rate £488 £475 £500
% change year-on-year +2.63% -5.00% -
Number of hourly rates quoted 65 45 20
10th Percentile £12.75 £18.13 £12.50
25th Percentile £14.00 £18.51 £15.50
Median hourly rate £17.50 £18.87 £65.00
Median % change year-on-year -7.26% -70.97% +152.43%
75th Percentile £25.75 £33.75 -
90th Percentile £46.24 £37.50 £85.00
England median hourly rate £19.34 £22.63 £16.23
% change year-on-year -14.54% +39.43% -26.23%

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 1,228 808 1,188
As % of all contract IT jobs advertised in the South West 33.07% 40.95% 44.83%
Number of daily rates quoted 724 464 715
10th Percentile £305 £215 £258
25th Percentile £413 £350 £425
Median daily rate (50th Percentile) £525 £500 £525
Median % change year-on-year +5.00% -4.76% -
75th Percentile £613 £619 £638
90th Percentile £721 £675 £700
England median daily rate £514 £501 £525
% change year-on-year +2.65% -4.62% -
Number of hourly rates quoted 179 103 97
10th Percentile £13.65 £13.56 £15.50
25th Percentile £16.62 £18.51 £61.25
Median hourly rate £32.50 £21.46 £70.00
Median % change year-on-year +51.44% -69.34% +23.92%
75th Percentile £56.43 £39.89 -
90th Percentile £76.75 £70.00 £74.18
England median hourly rate £30.00 £25.15 £33.25
% change year-on-year +19.28% -24.36% -22.22%

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 16 September 2026.

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 16 September 2026.

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 16 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
Bristol -3 140 £500 +11.11% 181
Somerset 0 87 £450 +63.64% 86
Wiltshire +4 76 £525 -6.87% 71
Gloucestershire +1 75 £425 +21.43% 165
Devon -1 43 £317 +15.36% 62
Dorset -4 24 £515 +47.14% 62
Cornwall -2 2 £525 +138.64% 7
Avon -2 1 - - 67
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 73 (15.90%) SharePoint
2 27 (5.88%) Microsoft Exchange
3 15 (3.27%) Confluence
4 5 (1.09%) CMS
5 3 (0.65%) Sitecore CMS
6 2 (0.44%) Apache
6 2 (0.44%) Skype for Business
7 1 (0.22%) Apache Airflow
7 1 (0.22%) Apache Spark
7 1 (0.22%) Appian
7 1 (0.22%) ColdFusion
7 1 (0.22%) JBoss
7 1 (0.22%) Moodle
7 1 (0.22%) Oracle Workflow
7 1 (0.22%) Palantir Foundry
7 1 (0.22%) Totara
7 1 (0.22%) Umbraco
Applications
1 69 (15.03%) Microsoft Excel
2 65 (14.16%) Microsoft Office
3 27 (5.88%) Microsoft PowerPoint
4 18 (3.92%) Microsoft Project
5 7 (1.53%) MS Visio
6 6 (1.31%) Spreadsheet
Business Applications
1 10 (2.18%) NetSuite
2 8 (1.74%) Oracle Payables
2 8 (1.74%) Oracle Receivables
3 6 (1.31%) Dynamics CRM
4 3 (0.65%) Dynamics NAV
4 3 (0.65%) Magento
4 3 (0.65%) SAP CRM
4 3 (0.65%) SAP HR
4 3 (0.65%) SAP S/4HANA
5 2 (0.44%) assyst
5 2 (0.44%) Dynamics AX
5 2 (0.44%) Salesforce CRM
6 1 (0.22%) Oracle General Ledger
6 1 (0.22%) Primavera
6 1 (0.22%) Remedy ITSM
6 1 (0.22%) SAP Hybris
6 1 (0.22%) SAP MM
6 1 (0.22%) SAP PM
Cloud Services
1 161 (35.08%) Azure
2 107 (23.31%) Microsoft 365
3 52 (11.33%) Power Platform
4 51 (11.11%) Entra ID
5 33 (7.19%) Azure DevOps
6 31 (6.75%) AWS
7 23 (5.01%) Dynamics 365
8 18 (3.92%) GitHub
9 15 (3.27%) SaaS
10 14 (3.05%) PowerApps
11 13 (2.83%) Microsoft Copilot
11 13 (2.83%) Power Automate
12 12 (2.61%) Microsoft Purview
12 12 (2.61%) OneDrive
13 11 (2.40%) Azure AKS
14 10 (2.18%) Serverless
15 9 (1.96%) Azure ExpressRoute
15 9 (1.96%) Azure Key Vault
15 9 (1.96%) Cloud Computing
15 9 (1.96%) PaaS
Communications & Networking
1 22 (4.79%) DNS
2 20 (4.36%) WAN
3 16 (3.49%) DHCP
3 16 (3.49%) Firewall
4 11 (2.40%) LAN
4 11 (2.40%) Skype
4 11 (2.40%) VPN
5 8 (1.74%) SAN
5 8 (1.74%) TCP/IP
6 5 (1.09%) BGP
6 5 (1.09%) Ethernet
6 5 (1.09%) VoIP
7 4 (0.87%) Wi-Fi
7 4 (0.87%) Wireless
8 3 (0.65%) Cisco IOS
8 3 (0.65%) Kerberos
8 3 (0.65%) VLAN
9 2 (0.44%) NAS
9 2 (0.44%) SSL
9 2 (0.44%) VSAN
Database & Business Intelligence
1 38 (8.28%) Power BI
2 21 (4.58%) SQL Server
3 13 (2.83%) Geospatial Data
4 11 (2.40%) Metadata
5 10 (2.18%) PostgreSQL
6 7 (1.53%) Azure SQL Database
7 6 (1.31%) Relational Database
8 5 (1.09%) Data Lake
8 5 (1.09%) GIS
8 5 (1.09%) Oracle Database
9 3 (0.65%) NoSQL
9 3 (0.65%) Oracle Reports
9 3 (0.65%) Tableau
10 2 (0.44%) Data Warehouse
10 2 (0.44%) Delta Lake
10 2 (0.44%) EDRMS
10 2 (0.44%) MySQL
10 2 (0.44%) Spatial Data
10 2 (0.44%) SQL Server Integration Services
11 1 (0.22%) Dremio
Development Applications
1 34 (7.41%) JIRA
2 29 (6.32%) Git
3 11 (2.40%) MSI
4 8 (1.74%) Visual Studio
5 6 (1.31%) AdminStudio
5 6 (1.31%) GitLab
5 6 (1.31%) InstallShield
6 4 (0.87%) Eclipse
6 4 (0.87%) Visual Studio Code
7 2 (0.44%) Claude Code
8 1 (0.22%) Bitbucket
8 1 (0.22%) HP UFT
8 1 (0.22%) Jenkins
8 1 (0.22%) Rational DOORS
8 1 (0.22%) Selenium
General
1 186 (40.52%) Social Skills
2 56 (12.20%) Analytical Skills
2 56 (12.20%) Finance
3 51 (11.11%) Public Sector
4 46 (10.02%) Organisational Skills
5 33 (7.19%) Military
6 17 (3.70%) Documentation Skills
7 16 (3.49%) Inclusion and Diversity
8 15 (3.27%) Aerospace
9 14 (3.05%) Legal
10 12 (2.61%) Retail
11 11 (2.40%) Local Government
12 9 (1.96%) General Ledger
13 8 (1.74%) Manufacturing
14 6 (1.31%) Presentation Skills
15 5 (1.09%) Influencing Skills
15 5 (1.09%) Marketing
16 4 (0.87%) Banking
17 3 (0.65%) Aviation
18 2 (0.44%) Police
Job Titles
1 60 (13.07%) Architect
2 50 (10.89%) Consultant
3 47 (10.24%) Lead
4 29 (6.32%) Senior
5 28 (6.10%) Developer
6 27 (5.88%) Analyst
7 26 (5.66%) Administrator
7 26 (5.66%) Support Engineer
8 23 (5.01%) IT Support
9 19 (4.14%) Solutions Architect
10 18 (3.92%) Microsoft Consultant
11 16 (3.49%) DevOps Engineer
12 15 (3.27%) IT Engineer
12 15 (3.27%) Project Officer
13 14 (3.05%) Technical Architect
14 13 (2.83%) Azure Engineer
15 12 (2.61%) Azure Consultant
15 12 (2.61%) Coordinator
15 12 (2.61%) Data Engineer
15 12 (2.61%) Infrastructure Engineer
Libraries, Frameworks & Software Standards
1 45 (9.80%) Terraform
2 33 (7.19%) .NET
3 23 (5.01%) .NET Framework
4 19 (4.14%) REST
5 18 (3.92%) .NET Core
5 18 (3.92%) HTML
6 16 (3.49%) RESTful
7 13 (2.83%) CSS
7 13 (2.83%) CSS3
7 13 (2.83%) GeoJSON
7 13 (2.83%) HTML5
8 11 (2.40%) ATL
8 11 (2.40%) COM
8 11 (2.40%) MFC
8 11 (2.40%) WPF
9 9 (1.96%) ARM Templates
9 9 (1.96%) LDAP
10 8 (1.74%) SailPoint
11 7 (1.53%) OAuth
11 7 (1.53%) SAML
Miscellaneous
1 37 (8.06%) Onboarding
2 29 (6.32%) Product Ownership
3 25 (5.45%) Cloud Native
4 20 (4.36%) Legacy Systems
5 16 (3.49%) Management Information System
5 16 (3.49%) Wiki
6 15 (3.27%) Enterprise Software
7 13 (2.83%) Hybrid Cloud
7 13 (2.83%) Virtual Team
8 11 (2.40%) Self-Motivation
9 9 (1.96%) AI Agents
9 9 (1.96%) EPoS
10 8 (1.74%) Driving Licence
11 7 (1.53%) Low-Code
11 7 (1.53%) PKI
12 6 (1.31%) Data Centre
12 6 (1.31%) Data Protection Act
12 6 (1.31%) Freedom of Information
12 6 (1.31%) Legacy Applications
13 5 (1.09%) Replication
Operating Systems
1 105 (22.88%) Windows
2 41 (8.93%) Windows 10
3 24 (5.23%) Windows Server
4 18 (3.92%) Android
5 17 (3.70%) Linux
6 6 (1.31%) Red Hat Enterprise Linux
7 5 (1.09%) Mac OS
8 3 (0.65%) Apple iOS
9 2 (0.44%) VMS
9 2 (0.44%) Windows Server 2019
10 1 (0.22%) Windows 7
Processes & Methodologies
1 89 (19.39%) Continuous Improvement
2 83 (18.08%) Problem-Solving
3 75 (16.34%) Agile
4 70 (15.25%) Stakeholder Management
5 56 (12.20%) DevOps
6 51 (11.11%) CI/CD
7 50 (10.89%) Project Delivery
7 50 (10.89%) Stakeholder Engagement
8 48 (10.46%) Migration
9 44 (9.59%) Customer Service
10 41 (8.93%) ITIL
11 40 (8.71%) Infrastructure as Code
11 40 (8.71%) Technical Leadership
12 39 (8.50%) Decision-Making
13 35 (7.63%) Roadmaps
14 34 (7.41%) Project Management
14 34 (7.41%) Validation
15 33 (7.19%) PRINCE2
16 29 (6.32%) Analytics
16 29 (6.32%) Deployment Automation
Programming Languages
1 48 (10.46%) SQL
2 39 (8.50%) PowerShell
3 31 (6.75%) C#
4 30 (6.54%) Python
5 25 (5.45%) Bicep
6 23 (5.01%) JavaScript
7 14 (3.05%) Bash
8 11 (2.40%) Java
8 11 (2.40%) TypeScript
9 6 (1.31%) Data Analysis Expressions
10 5 (1.09%) BeanShell
10 5 (1.09%) C++
11 2 (0.44%) VB
12 1 (0.22%) Ada
12 1 (0.22%) Ada 95
12 1 (0.22%) C
12 1 (0.22%) Kusto Query Language
12 1 (0.22%) Shell Script
12 1 (0.22%) VBA
12 1 (0.22%) VBScript
Qualifications
1 194 (42.27%) Security Cleared
2 135 (29.41%) SC Cleared
3 59 (12.85%) DV Cleared
4 33 (7.19%) Degree
5 16 (3.49%) BPSS Clearance
5 16 (3.49%) Microsoft Certification
6 11 (2.40%) Azure Certification
7 10 (2.18%) PRINCE2 Practitioner
8 8 (1.74%) ACCA
8 8 (1.74%) CIMA
8 8 (1.74%) PMP
9 5 (1.09%) Cisco Certification
9 5 (1.09%) DBS Check
9 5 (1.09%) Microsoft Certified Professional
10 4 (0.87%) CIPD
10 4 (0.87%) CISSP
10 4 (0.87%) TOGAF Certification
11 3 (0.65%) (ISC)2 CCSP
11 3 (0.65%) ACSP
11 3 (0.65%) MCSE
Quality Assurance & Compliance
1 27 (5.88%) Data Quality
2 18 (3.92%) Accessibility
3 17 (3.70%) GDPR
4 16 (3.49%) NCSC
4 16 (3.49%) SLA
5 15 (3.27%) QA
6 13 (2.83%) PMO
7 11 (2.40%) WCAG
8 5 (1.09%) ISO 9000
9 4 (0.87%) Actionable Recommendations
10 3 (0.65%) Cyber Essentials
10 3 (0.65%) Disclosure Scotland
10 3 (0.65%) ISO/IEC 27001
10 3 (0.65%) NIST
11 2 (0.44%) Cyber Essentials PLUS
12 1 (0.22%) Def Stans
12 1 (0.22%) HMG Security Policy Framework
12 1 (0.22%) ISO 22301
12 1 (0.22%) MIL-STD-1553
12 1 (0.22%) NIST 800
System Software
1 82 (17.86%) Active Directory
2 28 (6.10%) Docker
3 18 (3.92%) Virtual Desktop
4 12 (2.61%) Hyper-V
4 12 (2.61%) VMware Infrastructure
5 6 (1.31%) Virtual Machines
6 4 (0.87%) vSphere
7 2 (0.44%) BitLocker
8 1 (0.22%) Firmware
8 1 (0.22%) Microsoft Virtual Server
8 1 (0.22%) Virtual Servers
8 1 (0.22%) VMware NSX
8 1 (0.22%) zsh
Systems Management
1 29 (6.32%) Kubernetes
2 28 (6.10%) Microsoft Intune
3 27 (5.88%) SCCM
4 8 (1.74%) Ansible
4 8 (1.74%) WSUS
5 5 (1.09%) Failover Clustering
5 5 (1.09%) FortiGate
5 5 (1.09%) Oracle Enterprise Manager
6 4 (0.87%) Active Directory Federation Services
6 4 (0.87%) Single Sign-On
7 3 (0.65%) Grafana
7 3 (0.65%) OPNET
7 3 (0.65%) VxRail
8 2 (0.44%) Argo
8 2 (0.44%) SCOM
9 1 (0.22%) FreeIPA
9 1 (0.22%) Podman
9 1 (0.22%) Prometheus
9 1 (0.22%) PTC Integrity
9 1 (0.22%) SELinux
Vendors
1 27 (5.88%) Oracle
2 17 (3.70%) SAP
3 16 (3.49%) ServiceNow
3 16 (3.49%) VMware
4 15 (3.27%) Apple
4 15 (3.27%) Cisco
5 11 (2.40%) Databricks
5 11 (2.40%) Google
5 11 (2.40%) HP
6 9 (1.96%) Red Hat
7 7 (1.53%) McAfee
8 6 (1.31%) BiZZdesign
9 5 (1.09%) CyberArk
9 5 (1.09%) Informatica
9 5 (1.09%) InterSystems
9 5 (1.09%) NetApp
9 5 (1.09%) Zscaler
10 4 (0.87%) Atlassian
10 4 (0.87%) MuleSoft
10 4 (0.87%) Workday