Aerospace Contract Job Trends

Aerospace
UK

The table below looks at the prevalence of the term Aerospace in contract job vacancies. Included is a benchmarking guide to the contractor rates offered in vacancies that cited Aerospace over the 6 months leading up to 19 August 2026, comparing them to the same period in the previous two years.

6 months to
19 Aug 2026
Same period 2025 Same period 2024
Rank 189 317 282
Rank change year-on-year +128 -35 +73
Contract jobs citing Aerospace 794 251 331
As % of all contract jobs in the UK 1.48% 0.76% 0.85%
As % of the General category 2.69% 1.20% 1.48%
Number of daily rates quoted 116 75 65
10th Percentile £400 £367 £293
25th Percentile £472 £455 £375
Median daily rate (50th Percentile) £588 £550 £601
Median % change year-on-year +6.82% -8.41% +11.62%
75th Percentile £688 £649 £700
90th Percentile £728 £727 £745
UK excluding London median daily rate £561 £525 £600
% change year-on-year +6.90% -12.54% +12.99%
Number of hourly rates quoted 500 94 181
10th Percentile £26.83 £22.63 £35.00
25th Percentile £35.54 £40.94 £45.00
Median hourly rate £55.72 £50.24 £50.00
Median % change year-on-year +10.90% +0.49% -13.04%
75th Percentile £78.75 £67.00 £70.00
90th Percentile £88.00 £75.00 £75.00
UK excluding London median hourly rate £57.35 £50.24 £50.00
% change year-on-year +14.15% +0.49% -13.04%

All General Skills
UK

Aerospace falls under the General Skills category. For comparison with the information above, the following table provides summary statistics for all contract job vacancies requiring general skills.

Contract vacancies with a requirement for general skills 29,481 20,839 22,293
As % of all contract IT jobs advertised in the UK 55.04% 63.50% 57.36%
Number of daily rates quoted 17,497 12,935 13,967
10th Percentile £313 £275 £292
25th Percentile £415 £400 £413
Median daily rate (50th Percentile) £525 £500 £525
Median % change year-on-year +5.00% -4.76% -4.55%
75th Percentile £638 £626 £650
90th Percentile £738 £746 £775
UK excluding London median daily rate £500 £475 £500
% change year-on-year +5.26% -5.00% -
Number of hourly rates quoted 2,248 1,152 1,327
10th Percentile £13.98 £13.25 £14.06
25th Percentile £17.25 £16.25 £16.86
Median hourly rate £31.50 £25.15 £38.07
Median % change year-on-year +25.25% -33.94% +38.44%
75th Percentile £56.30 £50.75 £58.75
90th Percentile £79.13 £71.48 £70.25
UK excluding London median hourly rate £32.00 £22.14 £38.12
% change year-on-year +44.53% -41.92% +52.48%

Aerospace
Job Vacancy Trend

Historical trend showing the proportion of contract IT job postings citing Aerospace relative to all contract IT jobs advertised.

Aerospace job vacancy trend in the UK

Aerospace
Daily Rate Trend

Contractor daily rate distribution trend for jobs in the UK citing Aerospace.

Contractor daily rate distribution trend for jobs in the UK citing Aerospace

Aerospace
Daily Rate Histogram

Daily rate distribution for jobs citing Aerospace over the 6 months to 19 August 2026.

Daily rate histogram for Aerospace in the UK

Aerospace
Hourly Rate Trend

Contractor hourly rate distribution trend for jobs in the UK citing Aerospace.

Contractor hourly rate distribution trend for jobs in the UK citing Aerospace

Aerospace
Hourly Rate Histogram

Hourly rate distribution of jobs citing Aerospace over the 6 months to 19 August 2026.

Hourly rate histogram for Aerospace in the UK

Aerospace
Top 17 Contract Job Locations

The table below looks at the demand and provides a guide to the median contractor rates quoted in IT jobs citing Aerospace within the UK over the 6 months to 19 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
UK excluding London +100 738 £561 +6.90% 1,048
England +124 736 £600 +9.09% 1,014
South East +84 339 £620 +20.62% 329
South West +27 157 £495 -13.91% 225
Work from Home +37 143 £570 +8.57% 421
North of England -21 93 £725 +61.65% 116
East of England +9 85 £488 -31.58% 175
North West -17 69 £725 +61.11% 85
London -76 29 £675 +12.50% 105
Midlands -34 28 £500 +2.56% 103
East Midlands -2 19 £475 -36.67% 42
Scotland -2 19 - - 95
Yorkshire -32 13 - - 23
North East - 11 - - 13
Wales - 10 - - 17
West Midlands -63 8 - - 61
Northern Ireland +13 7 £380 - 13

Aerospace
Co-Occurring Skills & Capabilities 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 4 (0.50%) SharePoint
2 3 (0.38%) Apache Spark
3 2 (0.25%) Microsoft Exchange
3 2 (0.25%) ThingWorx
4 1 (0.13%) Apache
4 1 (0.13%) Apache Airflow
4 1 (0.13%) Apache Superset
4 1 (0.13%) Confluence
4 1 (0.13%) Jupyter
4 1 (0.13%) Kinematics
4 1 (0.13%) Palantir Foundry
4 1 (0.13%) Red Hat Fuse
4 1 (0.13%) Tomcat
Applications
1 19 (2.39%) Simulink
2 16 (2.02%) Microsoft Excel
3 15 (1.89%) CATIA
4 14 (1.76%) Microsoft Project
5 7 (0.88%) Windchill
6 5 (0.63%) Microsoft Office
7 4 (0.50%) Stateflow
8 2 (0.25%) Adobe Illustrator
8 2 (0.25%) Microsoft PowerPoint
8 2 (0.25%) Photoshop
9 1 (0.13%) Adobe XD
9 1 (0.13%) FrameMaker
9 1 (0.13%) MS Visio
9 1 (0.13%) OrCAD
9 1 (0.13%) Siemens NX
Business Applications
1 23 (2.90%) SAP S/4HANA
2 7 (0.88%) Teamcenter
3 6 (0.76%) Primavera
4 5 (0.63%) SAP GRC
4 5 (0.63%) SAP Payroll
5 4 (0.50%) SAP EHS
6 3 (0.38%) SAP FI
6 3 (0.38%) SAP PP
6 3 (0.38%) SAP QM
7 2 (0.25%) DELMIA
7 2 (0.25%) ENOVIA
7 2 (0.25%) SAP CO
7 2 (0.25%) SAP ERP
7 2 (0.25%) SAP FI/CO
7 2 (0.25%) SAP HR
8 1 (0.13%) Remedy ITSM
8 1 (0.13%) SAP CCM
8 1 (0.13%) SAP FI-GL
8 1 (0.13%) SAP HCM
8 1 (0.13%) SAP PM
Cloud Services
1 75 (9.45%) Azure
2 32 (4.03%) AWS
3 25 (3.15%) Azure DevOps
4 22 (2.77%) GCP
5 14 (1.76%) Power Platform
6 13 (1.64%) Dynamics 365
6 13 (1.64%) GitHub
7 10 (1.26%) OpenShift
8 8 (1.01%) Entra ID
9 7 (0.88%) Power Automate
10 6 (0.76%) Azure Functions
10 6 (0.76%) Azure Logic Apps
10 6 (0.76%) Cloud Computing
10 6 (0.76%) GitHub Actions
10 6 (0.76%) PowerApps
10 6 (0.76%) Serverless
11 4 (0.50%) Google Workspace
11 4 (0.50%) SaaS
12 3 (0.38%) Figma
12 3 (0.38%) Smartsheet
Communications & Networking
1 18 (2.27%) Wireless
2 13 (1.64%) Ethernet
3 12 (1.51%) Software-Defined Radio
4 10 (1.26%) DNS
5 9 (1.13%) DHCP
5 9 (1.13%) Firewall
6 5 (0.63%) TCP/IP
6 5 (0.63%) VPN
7 2 (0.25%) FTP
7 2 (0.25%) HTTPS
7 2 (0.25%) Kerberos
7 2 (0.25%) Network Security
7 2 (0.25%) Software-Defined Networking
8 1 (0.13%) 3GPP
8 1 (0.13%) Reverse Proxy
8 1 (0.13%) RS-232
8 1 (0.13%) RS-422
8 1 (0.13%) S/MIME
8 1 (0.13%) SpaceWire
8 1 (0.13%) X.509
Database & Business Intelligence
1 11 (1.39%) NoSQL
1 11 (1.39%) Power BI
2 3 (0.38%) Big Data
2 3 (0.38%) Data Warehouse
2 3 (0.38%) Hadoop
2 3 (0.38%) Metadata
3 2 (0.25%) MS Access
3 2 (0.25%) PostgreSQL
3 2 (0.25%) SAP HANA
3 2 (0.25%) SQL Server
3 2 (0.25%) Tableau
4 1 (0.13%) Azure SQL Database
4 1 (0.13%) BusinessObjects
4 1 (0.13%) Data Lake
4 1 (0.13%) Power Query
4 1 (0.13%) Relational Database
4 1 (0.13%) SQLite
Development Applications
1 60 (7.56%) Rational DOORS
2 19 (2.39%) Git
3 10 (1.26%) GitLab
4 9 (1.13%) Jenkins
5 8 (1.01%) JIRA
6 4 (0.50%) Rational Rhapsody
7 2 (0.25%) SonarQube
7 2 (0.25%) Visual Studio
8 1 (0.13%) Artifactory
8 1 (0.13%) Atlassian Bamboo
8 1 (0.13%) eggPlant
8 1 (0.13%) Hudson
8 1 (0.13%) LabVIEW
8 1 (0.13%) PetaLinux
8 1 (0.13%) Postman
8 1 (0.13%) Visual Studio Code
General
1 214 (26.95%) Manufacturing
2 112 (14.11%) Social Skills
3 63 (7.93%) Finance
4 44 (5.54%) Analytical Skills
5 41 (5.16%) Aviation
6 26 (3.27%) Automotive
6 26 (3.27%) Electronics
7 22 (2.77%) Avionics
8 21 (2.64%) Influencing Skills
9 17 (2.14%) Public Sector
10 15 (1.89%) Telecoms
11 13 (1.64%) Documentation Skills
12 12 (1.51%) Military
13 8 (1.01%) Organisational Skills
14 7 (0.88%) Inclusion and Diversity
15 6 (0.76%) Presentation Skills
16 4 (0.50%) Legal
16 4 (0.50%) Pharmaceutical
17 3 (0.38%) General Ledger
17 3 (0.38%) Law
Job Titles
1 90 (11.34%) Lead
2 84 (10.58%) Systems Engineer
3 55 (6.93%) Software Engineer
4 54 (6.80%) Senior
5 52 (6.55%) Delivery Manager
6 46 (5.79%) Architect
7 43 (5.42%) Product Manager
8 39 (4.91%) Product Delivery Manager
9 37 (4.66%) Embedded Engineer
10 36 (4.53%) Quality Engineer
11 35 (4.41%) Test Engineer
12 34 (4.28%) Developer
12 34 (4.28%) QA Engineer
13 31 (3.90%) Systems Manager
14 29 (3.65%) Embedded Software Engineer
15 26 (3.27%) Programmer
16 22 (2.77%) Analyst
16 22 (2.77%) Test Technician
17 21 (2.64%) Administrator
17 21 (2.64%) Systems Delivery Manager
Libraries, Frameworks & Software Standards
1 13 (1.64%) Middleware
2 11 (1.39%) LDAP
3 10 (1.26%) AngularJS
4 8 (1.01%) React
4 8 (1.01%) Redux
4 8 (1.01%) Vue
5 7 (0.88%) .NET
5 7 (0.88%) Backbone.js
5 7 (0.88%) OAuth
5 7 (0.88%) REST
5 7 (0.88%) SAML
6 6 (0.76%) ARM Templates
7 4 (0.50%) OpenID
7 4 (0.50%) Web Services
7 4 (0.50%) XML
7 4 (0.50%) Yocto
8 3 (0.38%) RESTful
9 2 (0.25%) Apache NiFi
9 2 (0.25%) SailPoint
9 2 (0.25%) Spring Boot
Miscellaneous
1 53 (6.68%) Product Ownership
2 36 (4.53%) Data Structures
3 20 (2.52%) FPGA
4 19 (2.39%) Self-Motivation
5 18 (2.27%) Embedded Systems
6 17 (2.14%) Management Information System
7 13 (1.64%) Hybrid Cloud
8 12 (1.51%) Algorithms
8 12 (1.51%) Enterprise Software
8 12 (1.51%) PCIe
9 11 (1.39%) Onboarding
9 11 (1.39%) Operational Technology
9 11 (1.39%) VHDL
10 9 (1.13%) Cyber Threat
10 9 (1.13%) Verilog
11 7 (0.88%) Cloud Native
11 7 (0.88%) Virtual Team
12 5 (0.63%) Enterprise Cloud
13 4 (0.50%) Greenfield Project
13 4 (0.50%) Legacy Systems
Operating Systems
1 24 (3.02%) Linux
2 13 (1.64%) Windows
3 7 (0.88%) Red Hat Enterprise Linux
3 7 (0.88%) Windows Server
4 6 (0.76%) Embedded Linux
5 5 (0.63%) CentOS
5 5 (0.63%) FreeRTOS
6 3 (0.38%) Mac OS
6 3 (0.38%) Ubuntu
7 2 (0.25%) Windows Server 2012
8 1 (0.13%) Unix
Processes & Methodologies
1 116 (14.61%) Agile
2 105 (13.22%) Stakeholder Management
3 103 (12.97%) Continuous Improvement
4 96 (12.09%) Software Engineering
5 77 (9.70%) Cybersecurity
5 77 (9.70%) Stakeholder Engagement
6 72 (9.07%) Systems Engineering
7 68 (8.56%) Problem-Solving
8 67 (8.44%) Validation
9 64 (8.06%) Roadmaps
10 62 (7.81%) Computer Science
11 49 (6.17%) PRINCE2
12 47 (5.92%) DevOps
12 47 (5.92%) Risk Management
13 46 (5.79%) Scaled Agile Framework
14 45 (5.67%) Digital Transformation Programme
15 44 (5.54%) Programme Management
15 44 (5.54%) Technical Leadership
16 43 (5.42%) Configuration Management
17 41 (5.16%) Change Control
Programming Languages
1 47 (5.92%) Python
2 28 (3.53%) C
3 27 (3.40%) Ada
3 27 (3.40%) SQL
4 23 (2.90%) MATLAB
5 17 (2.14%) PowerShell
6 16 (2.02%) C++
7 15 (1.89%) Java
8 14 (1.76%) JavaScript
9 10 (1.26%) SystemVerilog
10 9 (1.13%) Bash
11 8 (1.01%) C#
12 7 (0.88%) Bicep
13 4 (0.50%) Shell Script
13 4 (0.50%) X++
14 2 (0.25%) Rust
15 1 (0.13%) ABAP
15 1 (0.13%) Ada 95
15 1 (0.13%) Embedded C++
15 1 (0.13%) Scala
Qualifications
1 314 (39.55%) Security Cleared
2 209 (26.32%) SC Cleared
3 114 (14.36%) Degree
4 56 (7.05%) BPSS Clearance
5 31 (3.90%) CISSP
6 23 (2.90%) Azure Certification
6 23 (2.90%) DV Cleared
7 15 (1.89%) HNC
8 13 (1.64%) PMP
9 11 (1.39%) Cisco Certification
9 11 (1.39%) CISM
9 11 (1.39%) Computer Science Degree
9 11 (1.39%) Microsoft Certification
9 11 (1.39%) NVQ Level 4
9 11 (1.39%) PMI Certification
10 10 (1.26%) (ISC)2 CCSP
11 9 (1.13%) CEH
11 9 (1.13%) Chartered Engineer
11 9 (1.13%) TOGAF Certification
12 8 (1.01%) CompTIA Security+
Quality Assurance & Compliance
1 45 (5.67%) QA
2 41 (5.16%) ISO/IEC 27001
3 32 (4.03%) NIST
4 22 (2.77%) Def Stans
5 16 (2.02%) GRC
6 12 (1.51%) Data Quality
6 12 (1.51%) DO-254
6 12 (1.51%) GDPR
6 12 (1.51%) NIST 800
7 11 (1.39%) NCSC
8 10 (1.26%) IEC 61508
9 5 (0.63%) Cyber Essentials
9 5 (0.63%) PMO
9 5 (0.63%) SLA
10 4 (0.50%) Cyber Essentials PLUS
10 4 (0.50%) ISO 26262
11 3 (0.38%) ISO 9001
11 3 (0.38%) JSP 440
12 2 (0.25%) ARP4761
12 2 (0.25%) DO-160
System Software
1 16 (2.02%) Active Directory
2 13 (1.64%) Firmware
3 12 (1.51%) Docker
4 7 (0.88%) VMware Infrastructure
5 6 (0.76%) Embedded Firmware
6 4 (0.50%) Hyper-V
7 2 (0.25%) VMware ESXi
7 2 (0.25%) vSphere
8 1 (0.13%) IAG
8 1 (0.13%) Virtual Machines
Systems Management
1 21 (2.64%) Terraform
2 19 (2.39%) Kubernetes
3 18 (2.27%) Ansible
4 5 (0.63%) Functional Safety
5 3 (0.38%) Check_MK
5 3 (0.38%) Jamf Pro
5 3 (0.38%) Podman
5 3 (0.38%) Red Hat Satellite
6 2 (0.25%) Active Directory Federation Services
6 2 (0.25%) Argo
6 2 (0.25%) Grafana
6 2 (0.25%) Istio
6 2 (0.25%) Single Sign-On
7 1 (0.13%) HP ALM
7 1 (0.13%) MOM
7 1 (0.13%) Prometheus
7 1 (0.13%) PTC Integrity
7 1 (0.13%) RSA Archer
7 1 (0.13%) SolarWinds Orion
Vendors
1 77 (9.70%) SAP
2 67 (8.44%) Microsoft
3 29 (3.65%) IBM
4 15 (1.89%) EMC
5 14 (1.76%) Google
6 11 (1.39%) Xilinx
7 10 (1.26%) ServiceNow
7 10 (1.26%) VMware
8 9 (1.13%) Microsemi
9 7 (0.88%) Altera
9 7 (0.88%) Red Hat
10 6 (0.76%) Adobe
11 5 (0.63%) Siemens
12 4 (0.50%) Intel
12 4 (0.50%) Lauterbach
12 4 (0.50%) Okta
12 4 (0.50%) Ping Identity
12 4 (0.50%) PTC
13 3 (0.38%) Apple
13 3 (0.38%) Cisco