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 14 August 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
14 Aug 2026
Same period 2025 Same period 2024
Rank 4 5 5
Rank change year-on-year +1 0 +3
Contract jobs citing Microsoft 441 277 438
As % of all contract jobs in the South West 12.20% 14.62% 15.70%
As % of the Vendors category 37.06% 34.93% 36.11%
Number of daily rates quoted 283 163 284
10th Percentile £225 £184 £180
25th Percentile £356 £235 £325
Median daily rate (50th Percentile) £470 £425 £500
Median % change year-on-year +10.59% -15.00% -
75th Percentile £575 £575 £600
90th Percentile £730 £674 £725
England median daily rate £490 £475 £495
% change year-on-year +3.16% -4.04% -1.00%
Number of hourly rates quoted 55 43 35
10th Percentile £13.65 £18.13 £13.69
25th Percentile £14.18 £18.51 £21.38
Median hourly rate £18.50 £18.87 £47.50
Median % change year-on-year -1.96% -60.27% +90.00%
75th Percentile £25.75 £28.38 £65.00
90th Percentile £64.50 £36.75 £77.00
England median hourly rate £21.50 £22.63 £16.23
% change year-on-year -4.99% +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 1,190 793 1,213
As % of all contract IT jobs advertised in the South West 32.92% 41.85% 43.48%
Number of daily rates quoted 714 458 777
10th Percentile £300 £219 £229
25th Percentile £400 £357 £425
Median daily rate (50th Percentile) £508 £525 £525
Median % change year-on-year -3.24% - -
75th Percentile £600 £625 £638
90th Percentile £714 £688 £700
England median daily rate £513 £510 £525
% change year-on-year +0.49% -2.86% -
Number of hourly rates quoted 158 104 145
10th Percentile £14.11 £13.67 £18.75
25th Percentile £17.37 £18.51 £44.00
Median hourly rate £33.75 £21.76 £67.02
Median % change year-on-year +55.14% -67.54% +18.64%
75th Percentile £58.75 £65.25 £70.00
90th Percentile £86.50 £70.00 £77.50
England median hourly rate £33.99 £25.15 £30.00
% change year-on-year +35.15% -16.17% -20.00%

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 14 August 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 14 August 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 14 August 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 -2 127 £500 +33.33% 127
Somerset -1 85 £450 +63.64% 69
Wiltshire +5 76 £550 - 48
Gloucestershire +1 74 £410 +17.14% 82
Devon -2 41 £398 -0.63% 43
Dorset -3 23 £515 +21.18% 41
Cornwall -4 2 £525 - 4
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 64 (14.51%) SharePoint
2 22 (4.99%) Microsoft Exchange
3 16 (3.63%) Confluence
4 4 (0.91%) CMS
4 4 (0.91%) Skype for Business
5 2 (0.45%) Apache
5 2 (0.45%) Oracle Workflow
5 2 (0.45%) Sitecore CMS
6 1 (0.23%) Apache Airflow
6 1 (0.23%) Apache Spark
6 1 (0.23%) Appian
6 1 (0.23%) ColdFusion
6 1 (0.23%) IIS
6 1 (0.23%) JBoss
6 1 (0.23%) Moodle
6 1 (0.23%) Palantir Foundry
6 1 (0.23%) Totara
6 1 (0.23%) Umbraco
Applications
1 64 (14.51%) Microsoft Excel
2 59 (13.38%) Microsoft Office
3 27 (6.12%) Microsoft PowerPoint
4 19 (4.31%) Microsoft Project
5 9 (2.04%) MS Visio
6 8 (1.81%) Spreadsheet
7 2 (0.45%) InfoPath
8 1 (0.23%) Adobe Captivate
8 1 (0.23%) InDesign
Business Applications
1 10 (2.27%) NetSuite
2 8 (1.81%) Oracle Payables
2 8 (1.81%) Oracle Receivables
3 7 (1.59%) Dynamics CRM
4 3 (0.68%) Dynamics NAV
5 2 (0.45%) assyst
5 2 (0.45%) Dynamics AX
5 2 (0.45%) Magento
5 2 (0.45%) Salesforce CRM
5 2 (0.45%) SAP CRM
6 1 (0.23%) Oracle General Ledger
6 1 (0.23%) Remedy ITSM
6 1 (0.23%) SAP Hybris
6 1 (0.23%) SAP S/4HANA
Cloud Services
1 164 (37.19%) Azure
2 98 (22.22%) Microsoft 365
3 50 (11.34%) Power Platform
4 47 (10.66%) Entra ID
5 30 (6.80%) AWS
6 28 (6.35%) Azure DevOps
7 23 (5.22%) Dynamics 365
7 23 (5.22%) GitHub
8 15 (3.40%) Power Automate
9 14 (3.17%) PowerApps
9 14 (3.17%) SaaS
10 13 (2.95%) Azure Key Vault
11 12 (2.72%) Serverless
12 11 (2.49%) PaaS
13 9 (2.04%) Azure ExpressRoute
13 9 (2.04%) Azure Synapse Analytics
13 9 (2.04%) Cloud Computing
13 9 (2.04%) Microsoft Copilot
13 9 (2.04%) Microsoft Purview
14 8 (1.81%) Azure Monitor
Communications & Networking
1 18 (4.08%) WAN
2 16 (3.63%) DNS
2 16 (3.63%) Firewall
3 10 (2.27%) DHCP
3 10 (2.27%) Skype
3 10 (2.27%) TCP/IP
3 10 (2.27%) VPN
4 8 (1.81%) SAN
5 7 (1.59%) Ethernet
5 7 (1.59%) LAN
6 5 (1.13%) BGP
6 5 (1.13%) VoIP
6 5 (1.13%) Wi-Fi
7 3 (0.68%) VLAN
7 3 (0.68%) VSAN
8 2 (0.45%) NAS
8 2 (0.45%) SSL
9 1 (0.23%) HTTP
9 1 (0.23%) Kerberos
9 1 (0.23%) WAAS
Database & Business Intelligence
1 38 (8.62%) Power BI
2 24 (5.44%) SQL Server
3 13 (2.95%) Geospatial Data
3 13 (2.95%) PostgreSQL
4 11 (2.49%) Metadata
5 8 (1.81%) Azure SQL Database
5 8 (1.81%) GIS
6 6 (1.36%) Relational Database
7 5 (1.13%) Data Lake
7 5 (1.13%) Oracle Database
8 4 (0.91%) Data Warehouse
8 4 (0.91%) Spatial Data
9 3 (0.68%) NoSQL
9 3 (0.68%) Redis
9 3 (0.68%) Star Schema
9 3 (0.68%) Tableau
10 2 (0.45%) Delta Lake
10 2 (0.45%) Electronic Patient Records
10 2 (0.45%) MySQL
10 2 (0.45%) Power Query
Development Applications
1 36 (8.16%) JIRA
2 20 (4.54%) Git
3 12 (2.72%) MSI
4 10 (2.27%) Visual Studio
5 6 (1.36%) AdminStudio
5 6 (1.36%) Eclipse
5 6 (1.36%) GitLab
5 6 (1.36%) InstallShield
6 4 (0.91%) Visual Studio Code
7 1 (0.23%) Bitbucket
7 1 (0.23%) Claude Code
7 1 (0.23%) HP UFT
7 1 (0.23%) Rational DOORS
7 1 (0.23%) Selenium
7 1 (0.23%) webpack
General
1 176 (39.91%) Social Skills
2 60 (13.61%) Analytical Skills
3 53 (12.02%) Finance
4 50 (11.34%) Public Sector
5 39 (8.84%) Organisational Skills
6 34 (7.71%) Military
7 16 (3.63%) Legal
8 14 (3.17%) Documentation Skills
8 14 (3.17%) Inclusion and Diversity
8 14 (3.17%) Local Government
9 9 (2.04%) General Ledger
9 9 (2.04%) Retail
10 8 (1.81%) Aerospace
10 8 (1.81%) Presentation Skills
11 6 (1.36%) Manufacturing
11 6 (1.36%) Marketing
12 3 (0.68%) Aviation
12 3 (0.68%) Influencing Skills
13 2 (0.45%) Investment Banking
13 2 (0.45%) Police
Job Titles
1 62 (14.06%) Architect
2 47 (10.66%) Lead
3 40 (9.07%) Consultant
4 37 (8.39%) Developer
5 30 (6.80%) Senior
5 30 (6.80%) Support Engineer
6 27 (6.12%) Analyst
7 20 (4.54%) Administrator
8 19 (4.31%) IT Support
9 17 (3.85%) Project Officer
10 16 (3.63%) Infrastructure Engineer
10 16 (3.63%) Solutions Architect
11 15 (3.40%) IT Engineer
12 14 (3.17%) Data Engineer
12 14 (3.17%) Desktop Support
12 14 (3.17%) Technical Architect
13 12 (2.72%) Azure Consultant
13 12 (2.72%) DBA
13 12 (2.72%) Microsoft Consultant
14 11 (2.49%) Project Manager
Libraries, Frameworks & Software Standards
1 35 (7.94%) .NET
2 25 (5.67%) .NET Framework
3 24 (5.44%) REST
4 19 (4.31%) HTML
5 18 (4.08%) .NET Core
6 16 (3.63%) RESTful
7 14 (3.17%) CSS
7 14 (3.17%) GeoJSON
8 13 (2.95%) CSS3
8 13 (2.95%) HTML5
9 12 (2.72%) ATL
9 12 (2.72%) COM
9 12 (2.72%) MFC
10 11 (2.49%) WPF
11 9 (2.04%) Web Services
12 8 (1.81%) SailPoint
13 7 (1.59%) JDO
13 7 (1.59%) LDAP
14 6 (1.36%) JSON
14 6 (1.36%) Node.js
Miscellaneous
1 35 (7.94%) Onboarding
2 28 (6.35%) Cloud Native
3 19 (4.31%) Legacy Systems
4 18 (4.08%) Product Ownership
5 14 (3.17%) Virtual Team
6 13 (2.95%) Enterprise Software
6 13 (2.95%) Hybrid Cloud
6 13 (2.95%) Management Information System
7 11 (2.49%) Self-Motivation
8 10 (2.27%) Blackberry
9 7 (1.59%) EPoS
9 7 (1.59%) Wiki
10 6 (1.36%) Clustering
10 6 (1.36%) Data Centre
10 6 (1.36%) Data Structures
10 6 (1.36%) Driving Licence
10 6 (1.36%) Legacy Applications
10 6 (1.36%) Low-Code
11 5 (1.13%) Data Protection Act
11 5 (1.13%) Freedom of Information
Operating Systems
1 115 (26.08%) Windows
2 42 (9.52%) Windows 10
3 30 (6.80%) Android
4 21 (4.76%) Windows Server
5 20 (4.54%) Linux
6 13 (2.95%) Apple iOS
7 6 (1.36%) Red Hat Enterprise Linux
8 3 (0.68%) Mac OS
9 2 (0.45%) VMS
9 2 (0.45%) Windows Server 2016
9 2 (0.45%) Windows Server 2019
10 1 (0.23%) Windows 7
Processes & Methodologies
1 96 (21.77%) Problem-Solving
2 69 (15.65%) Continuous Improvement
3 67 (15.19%) Agile
4 66 (14.97%) Stakeholder Management
5 51 (11.56%) Project Delivery
6 50 (11.34%) CI/CD
6 50 (11.34%) DevOps
7 48 (10.88%) Migration
8 45 (10.20%) Stakeholder Engagement
9 41 (9.30%) ITIL
10 36 (8.16%) Customer Service
10 36 (8.16%) Decision-Making
10 36 (8.16%) Technical Leadership
11 35 (7.94%) PRINCE2
11 35 (7.94%) Project Management
12 32 (7.26%) Roadmaps
13 30 (6.80%) Analytics
13 30 (6.80%) Infrastructure as Code
13 30 (6.80%) Validation
14 28 (6.35%) Knowledge Transfer
Programming Languages
1 52 (11.79%) SQL
2 38 (8.62%) Python
3 34 (7.71%) C#
4 29 (6.58%) JavaScript
4 29 (6.58%) PowerShell
5 16 (3.63%) Bicep
6 13 (2.95%) Java
7 12 (2.72%) TypeScript
8 8 (1.81%) C++
9 7 (1.59%) Data Analysis Expressions
10 5 (1.13%) Bash
10 5 (1.13%) BeanShell
11 3 (0.68%) Go
12 2 (0.45%) VB
13 1 (0.23%) Ada
13 1 (0.23%) Ada 95
13 1 (0.23%) Kusto Query Language
13 1 (0.23%) PHP
13 1 (0.23%) Shell Script
13 1 (0.23%) VBA
Qualifications
1 193 (43.76%) Security Cleared
2 140 (31.75%) SC Cleared
3 54 (12.24%) DV Cleared
4 37 (8.39%) Degree
5 16 (3.63%) Microsoft Certification
6 15 (3.40%) BPSS Clearance
7 12 (2.72%) Azure Certification
8 10 (2.27%) PRINCE2 Practitioner
9 9 (2.04%) PMP
10 8 (1.81%) ACCA
10 8 (1.81%) CIMA
11 5 (1.13%) Cisco Certification
11 5 (1.13%) DBS Check
12 3 (0.68%) (ISC)2 CCSP
12 3 (0.68%) ACSP
12 3 (0.68%) CISSP
12 3 (0.68%) TOGAF Certification
13 2 (0.45%) A+ Certification
13 2 (0.45%) ITIL Certification
13 2 (0.45%) Microsoft Certified Professional
Quality Assurance & Compliance
1 21 (4.76%) Data Quality
2 17 (3.85%) Accessibility
3 16 (3.63%) QA
4 15 (3.40%) SLA
5 14 (3.17%) PMO
6 13 (2.95%) NCSC
7 11 (2.49%) GDPR
7 11 (2.49%) WCAG
8 5 (1.13%) ISO 9000
9 3 (0.68%) Actionable Recommendations
9 3 (0.68%) Disclosure Scotland
10 2 (0.45%) Cyber Essentials
10 2 (0.45%) Cyber Essentials PLUS
10 2 (0.45%) HL7
10 2 (0.45%) ISO/IEC 27001
10 2 (0.45%) SNOMED CT
11 1 (0.23%) GRC
11 1 (0.23%) ISO 22301
11 1 (0.23%) MIL-STD-1553
11 1 (0.23%) NIST
System Software
1 77 (17.46%) Active Directory
2 22 (4.99%) Docker
3 17 (3.85%) Virtual Desktop
4 15 (3.40%) Hyper-V
5 13 (2.95%) VMware Infrastructure
6 7 (1.59%) Virtual Machines
7 4 (0.91%) VMware NSX
7 4 (0.91%) vSphere
8 2 (0.45%) BitLocker
9 1 (0.23%) Microsoft Virtual Server
9 1 (0.23%) Virtual Servers
9 1 (0.23%) VMware ESXi
9 1 (0.23%) VMware Workstation
9 1 (0.23%) zsh
Systems Management
1 40 (9.07%) Microsoft Intune
2 36 (8.16%) Terraform
3 23 (5.22%) Kubernetes
4 22 (4.99%) SCCM
5 7 (1.59%) Ansible
6 6 (1.36%) Single Sign-On
7 5 (1.13%) Failover Clustering
7 5 (1.13%) FortiGate
7 5 (1.13%) Grafana
7 5 (1.13%) Oracle Enterprise Manager
7 5 (1.13%) WSUS
8 3 (0.68%) Prometheus
8 3 (0.68%) VxRail
9 2 (0.45%) Active Directory Federation Services
9 2 (0.45%) Argo
9 2 (0.45%) McAfee ePO
10 1 (0.23%) FreeIPA
10 1 (0.23%) Podman
10 1 (0.23%) PTC Integrity
10 1 (0.23%) SELinux
Vendors
1 28 (6.35%) VMware
2 25 (5.67%) Oracle
3 15 (3.40%) Apple
3 15 (3.40%) ServiceNow
4 12 (2.72%) Cisco
4 12 (2.72%) SAP
5 11 (2.49%) Citrix
5 11 (2.49%) Google
5 11 (2.49%) HP
5 11 (2.49%) McAfee
6 10 (2.27%) Databricks
6 10 (2.27%) MobileIron
7 9 (2.04%) Red Hat
8 7 (1.59%) Starlink
9 6 (1.36%) BiZZdesign
10 5 (1.13%) CyberArk
10 5 (1.13%) Informatica
10 5 (1.13%) InterSystems
10 5 (1.13%) NetApp
10 5 (1.13%) Zscaler