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 22 May 2026, comparing them to the same period in the previous two years.

6 months to
22 May 2026
Same period 2025 Same period 2024
Rank 212 377 225
Rank change year-on-year +165 -152 +171
Contract jobs citing Aerospace 574 148 444
As % of all contract jobs in the UK 1.19% 0.51% 1.05%
As % of the General category 2.22% 0.81% 1.80%
Number of daily rates quoted 95 46 69
10th Percentile £340 £363 £321
25th Percentile £449 £483 £400
Median daily rate (50th Percentile) £500 £547 £650
Median % change year-on-year -8.51% -15.92% +23.81%
75th Percentile £675 £620 £700
90th Percentile £713 £665 -
UK excluding London median daily rate £500 £525 £650
% change year-on-year -4.76% -19.23% +30.00%
Number of hourly rates quoted 344 55 257
10th Percentile £28.50 £33.46 £25.60
25th Percentile £40.53 £45.65 £45.00
Median hourly rate £60.50 £57.25 £50.00
Median % change year-on-year +5.69% +14.49% -18.70%
75th Percentile £80.00 £67.75 £65.00
90th Percentile £88.00 £74.50 £77.50
UK excluding London median hourly rate £61.00 £57.37 £50.00
% change year-on-year +6.32% +14.75% -18.70%

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 25,854 18,230 24,647
As % of all contract IT jobs advertised in the UK 53.50% 63.27% 58.04%
Number of daily rates quoted 15,737 11,584 15,568
10th Percentile £312 £284 £275
25th Percentile £413 £406 £413
Median daily rate (50th Percentile) £510 £515 £525
Median % change year-on-year -0.97% -1.90% -4.55%
75th Percentile £625 £638 £650
90th Percentile £738 £763 £775
UK excluding London median daily rate £490 £475 £493
% change year-on-year +3.16% -3.65% -1.40%
Number of hourly rates quoted 1,672 770 1,925
10th Percentile £13.95 £13.90 £12.75
25th Percentile £17.50 £16.95 £15.50
Median hourly rate £30.08 £27.57 £30.00
Median % change year-on-year +9.09% -8.10% -7.69%
75th Percentile £60.00 £55.82 £52.50
90th Percentile £80.00 £75.00 £66.25
UK excluding London median hourly rate £29.00 £24.50 £28.13
% change year-on-year +18.37% -12.89% -1.59%

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 22 May 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 22 May 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 22 May 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 +107 536 £500 -4.76% 376
England +142 505 £510 -6.93% 382
South East +60 200 £653 +26.82% 127
South West +53 128 £500 -6.54% 86
Work from Home +23 92 £495 -5.71% 141
East of England +27 91 £496 - 50
North of England -32 54 £74 -87.27% 51
North West -17 42 £452 -22.46% 36
Scotland +19 28 £70 -71.72% 24
Midlands -59 20 £613 +16.67% 40
Wales -6 10 - - 7
East Midlands -19 10 £575 - 14
London -67 10 £638 +3.62% 39
North East - 10 £70 - 14
West Midlands -53 9 - - 26
Northern Ireland +4 5 £447 - 7
Yorkshire - 2 - - 1

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 3 (0.52%) Apache
1 3 (0.52%) Apache Spark
2 2 (0.35%) SharePoint
2 2 (0.35%) ThingWorx
3 1 (0.17%) Confluence
3 1 (0.17%) Jupyter
3 1 (0.17%) Tomcat
Applications
1 15 (2.61%) CATIA
2 14 (2.44%) Simulink
3 10 (1.74%) Microsoft Excel
4 5 (0.87%) Microsoft Project
5 3 (0.52%) Microsoft Office
5 3 (0.52%) Stateflow
5 3 (0.52%) Windchill
6 2 (0.35%) Adobe Illustrator
6 2 (0.35%) Photoshop
6 2 (0.35%) Siemens NX
7 1 (0.17%) FrameMaker
7 1 (0.17%) Microsoft PowerPoint
7 1 (0.17%) SOLIDWORKS
Business Applications
1 15 (2.61%) Teamcenter
2 12 (2.09%) SAP S/4HANA
3 8 (1.39%) SAP EHS
4 4 (0.70%) SAP EWM
5 3 (0.52%) SAP GRC
6 2 (0.35%) DELMIA
6 2 (0.35%) ENOVIA
6 2 (0.35%) Remedy ITSM
6 2 (0.35%) SAP FI
6 2 (0.35%) SAP MM
6 2 (0.35%) SAP WM
7 1 (0.17%) Demantra
7 1 (0.17%) Primavera
7 1 (0.17%) SAP CCM
7 1 (0.17%) SAP ERP
7 1 (0.17%) SAP FI-GL
7 1 (0.17%) SAP HCM
7 1 (0.17%) SAP HR
7 1 (0.17%) SAP Payroll
7 1 (0.17%) SAP QM
Cloud Services
1 28 (4.88%) Azure
2 14 (2.44%) Azure DevOps
3 11 (1.92%) AWS
4 6 (1.05%) Power Platform
5 5 (0.87%) Dynamics 365
6 3 (0.52%) Entra ID
6 3 (0.52%) GCP
6 3 (0.52%) Google Workspace
6 3 (0.52%) SaaS
7 2 (0.35%) Figma
7 2 (0.35%) Google Sheets
7 2 (0.35%) SuccessFactors
8 1 (0.17%) Amazon EC2
8 1 (0.17%) Azure Functions
8 1 (0.17%) Boomi
8 1 (0.17%) iPaaS
8 1 (0.17%) Microsoft 365
8 1 (0.17%) OpenShift
8 1 (0.17%) Serverless
8 1 (0.17%) Virtual Private Cloud
Communications & Networking
1 11 (1.92%) Ethernet
1 11 (1.92%) Wireless
2 10 (1.74%) Software-Defined Radio
3 4 (0.70%) Firewall
4 3 (0.52%) DNS
4 3 (0.52%) SpaceWire
5 2 (0.35%) DHCP
5 2 (0.35%) Network Security
5 2 (0.35%) TCP/IP
5 2 (0.35%) VPN
6 1 (0.17%) BGP
6 1 (0.17%) Cisco ASA
6 1 (0.17%) FTP
6 1 (0.17%) HTTPS
6 1 (0.17%) MPLS
6 1 (0.17%) Multicast
6 1 (0.17%) OSPF
6 1 (0.17%) SAN
6 1 (0.17%) VLAN
6 1 (0.17%) Wireshark
Database & Business Intelligence
1 4 (0.70%) Power BI
2 3 (0.52%) Hadoop
2 3 (0.52%) NoSQL
2 3 (0.52%) SAP HANA
3 2 (0.35%) Big Data
3 2 (0.35%) Data Warehouse
3 2 (0.35%) MS Access
3 2 (0.35%) Tableau
4 1 (0.17%) Elasticsearch
4 1 (0.17%) PostgreSQL
Development Applications
1 50 (8.71%) Rational DOORS
2 13 (2.26%) Git
3 11 (1.92%) GitLab
4 8 (1.39%) Jenkins
4 8 (1.39%) Rational Rhapsody
5 4 (0.70%) JIRA
6 2 (0.35%) Artifactory
6 2 (0.35%) Visual Studio
7 1 (0.17%) Atlassian Bamboo
7 1 (0.17%) Hudson
7 1 (0.17%) LabVIEW
7 1 (0.17%) PetaLinux
7 1 (0.17%) Postman
7 1 (0.17%) SonarQube
General
1 137 (23.87%) Manufacturing
2 63 (10.98%) Social Skills
3 42 (7.32%) Aviation
4 36 (6.27%) Finance
5 27 (4.70%) Analytical Skills
6 22 (3.83%) Automotive
7 19 (3.31%) Documentation Skills
8 18 (3.14%) Electronics
9 11 (1.92%) Influencing Skills
10 10 (1.74%) Avionics
11 8 (1.39%) Military
12 4 (0.70%) Inclusion and Diversity
12 4 (0.70%) Legal
12 4 (0.70%) Public Sector
12 4 (0.70%) Telecoms
13 3 (0.52%) Organisational Skills
14 2 (0.35%) Agriculture
14 2 (0.35%) General Ledger
14 2 (0.35%) Pharmaceutical
15 1 (0.17%) Law
Job Titles
1 66 (11.50%) Software Engineer
2 47 (8.19%) Systems Engineer
3 42 (7.32%) Lead
3 42 (7.32%) Senior
4 39 (6.79%) Product Manager
5 36 (6.27%) Architect
6 35 (6.10%) Embedded Engineer
7 34 (5.92%) Delivery Manager
7 34 (5.92%) Product Delivery Manager
8 30 (5.23%) Principal Engineer
9 28 (4.88%) Systems Manager
10 27 (4.70%) Test Engineer
11 26 (4.53%) Embedded Software Engineer
11 26 (4.53%) Technical Support
12 24 (4.18%) Administrator
13 22 (3.83%) Systems Delivery Manager
14 21 (3.66%) Technical Engineer
15 20 (3.48%) Support Engineer
16 19 (3.31%) Engineering Manager
16 19 (3.31%) Technical Support Engineer
Libraries, Frameworks & Software Standards
1 15 (2.61%) Middleware
2 12 (2.09%) LDAP
3 6 (1.05%) REST
4 5 (0.87%) Apache NiFi
5 3 (0.52%) OAuth
5 3 (0.52%) OpenID
5 3 (0.52%) Qt
5 3 (0.52%) SAML
5 3 (0.52%) XML
5 3 (0.52%) Yocto
6 2 (0.35%) .NET
6 2 (0.35%) Flash
6 2 (0.35%) RESTful
6 2 (0.35%) SailPoint
6 2 (0.35%) SAP Fiori
6 2 (0.35%) SOAP
6 2 (0.35%) Unity (Game Engine)
6 2 (0.35%) Unreal Engine
6 2 (0.35%) Web Services
7 1 (0.17%) Flask
Miscellaneous
1 40 (6.97%) Product Ownership
2 23 (4.01%) Data Structures
3 22 (3.83%) Management Information System
4 18 (3.14%) FPGA
5 15 (2.61%) Operational Technology
6 12 (2.09%) Embedded Systems
7 11 (1.92%) PCIe
8 10 (1.74%) VHDL
9 9 (1.57%) Algorithms
10 8 (1.39%) Data Centre
10 8 (1.39%) Virtual Team
11 7 (1.22%) Onboarding
11 7 (1.22%) Security Posture
11 7 (1.22%) Verilog
12 5 (0.87%) Legacy Systems
12 5 (0.87%) SCADA
13 3 (0.52%) CAN bus
13 3 (0.52%) Device Driver
13 3 (0.52%) Legacy Applications
13 3 (0.52%) Taxonomies
Operating Systems
1 23 (4.01%) Linux
2 14 (2.44%) Windows
3 9 (1.57%) Red Hat Enterprise Linux
4 8 (1.39%) CentOS
5 5 (0.87%) FreeRTOS
6 4 (0.70%) Embedded Linux
7 2 (0.35%) Debian
7 2 (0.35%) Ubuntu
7 2 (0.35%) Windows Server
8 1 (0.17%) Unix
8 1 (0.17%) Windows 10
8 1 (0.17%) Windows Server 2016
8 1 (0.17%) Windows Server 2019
Processes & Methodologies
1 99 (17.25%) Software Engineering
2 79 (13.76%) Continuous Improvement
3 73 (12.72%) Systems Engineering
4 72 (12.54%) Agile
5 67 (11.67%) Stakeholder Engagement
6 62 (10.80%) Validation
7 58 (10.10%) Stakeholder Management
8 53 (9.23%) Computer Science
9 52 (9.06%) Configuration Management
10 51 (8.89%) Problem-Solving
10 51 (8.89%) Roadmaps
11 48 (8.36%) Cybersecurity
12 42 (7.32%) PRINCE2
12 42 (7.32%) Programme Management
13 37 (6.45%) Scaled Agile Framework
14 36 (6.27%) Change Control
14 36 (6.27%) Verification and Validation
15 35 (6.10%) SysML
15 35 (6.10%) UML
16 32 (5.57%) Model-Based Systems Engineering
Programming Languages
1 35 (6.10%) Ada
2 29 (5.05%) MATLAB
3 28 (4.88%) C
4 21 (3.66%) Python
5 18 (3.14%) C++
6 9 (1.57%) SystemVerilog
7 8 (1.39%) Shell Script
8 6 (1.05%) SQL
9 5 (0.87%) Java
10 3 (0.52%) C#
10 3 (0.52%) PowerShell
11 2 (0.35%) ABAP
11 2 (0.35%) Bash
12 1 (0.17%) Bicep
12 1 (0.17%) Embedded C++
12 1 (0.17%) JavaScript
12 1 (0.17%) Tcl
12 1 (0.17%) X++
Qualifications
1 262 (45.64%) Security Cleared
2 149 (25.96%) SC Cleared
3 72 (12.54%) Degree
4 45 (7.84%) BPSS Clearance
5 20 (3.48%) DV Cleared
6 14 (2.44%) CISSP
7 11 (1.92%) NVQ Level 4
8 10 (1.74%) HNC
9 7 (1.22%) Azure Certification
9 7 (1.22%) PMP
10 5 (0.87%) Chartered Engineer
10 5 (0.87%) CompTIA Security+
10 5 (0.87%) Computer Science Degree
10 5 (0.87%) PMI Certification
11 4 (0.70%) CEH
11 4 (0.70%) TOGAF Certification
12 3 (0.52%) Cisco Certification
12 3 (0.52%) CISM
12 3 (0.52%) CSPO
12 3 (0.52%) Microsoft Certification
Quality Assurance & Compliance
1 31 (5.40%) QA
2 25 (4.36%) NIST
3 21 (3.66%) Def Stans
4 15 (2.61%) ISO/IEC 27001
5 11 (1.92%) Data Quality
5 11 (1.92%) SLA
6 9 (1.57%) DO-254
7 8 (1.39%) IEC 61508
7 8 (1.39%) NIST 800
8 7 (1.22%) Cyber Essentials
9 5 (0.87%) Cyber Essentials PLUS
10 4 (0.70%) GRC
11 3 (0.52%) GDPR
11 3 (0.52%) ISO 26262
11 3 (0.52%) MIL-STD-1553
11 3 (0.52%) MISRA
11 3 (0.52%) MISRA C
12 2 (0.35%) Actionable Recommendations
12 2 (0.35%) NCSC
13 1 (0.17%) HAZOP
System Software
1 13 (2.26%) Firmware
2 11 (1.92%) Active Directory
3 9 (1.57%) Docker
4 5 (0.87%) Embedded Firmware
5 2 (0.35%) QEMU
5 2 (0.35%) VMware Infrastructure
6 1 (0.17%) Hyper-V
6 1 (0.17%) Slurm Workload Manager
Systems Management
1 16 (2.79%) Ansible
2 11 (1.92%) Podman
3 8 (1.39%) Check_MK
3 8 (1.39%) Red Hat Satellite
4 6 (1.05%) Kubernetes
4 6 (1.05%) Terraform
5 2 (0.35%) Single Sign-On
6 1 (0.17%) Argo
6 1 (0.17%) Cisco Prime
6 1 (0.17%) Grafana
6 1 (0.17%) HP ALM
6 1 (0.17%) Iperf
6 1 (0.17%) Kibana
6 1 (0.17%) logstash
6 1 (0.17%) Microsoft Data Protection Manager
6 1 (0.17%) Nessus
6 1 (0.17%) Nmap
6 1 (0.17%) Prometheus
6 1 (0.17%) SCCM
Vendors
1 56 (9.76%) SAP
2 29 (5.05%) IBM
3 24 (4.18%) Microsoft
4 16 (2.79%) VMware
5 13 (2.26%) ServiceNow
6 12 (2.09%) Red Hat
7 11 (1.92%) Siemens
8 9 (1.57%) Xilinx
9 8 (1.39%) Microsemi
10 7 (1.22%) Altera
11 4 (0.70%) Adobe
11 4 (0.70%) Cisco
11 4 (0.70%) Google
11 4 (0.70%) Lauterbach
12 3 (0.52%) ForgeRock
12 3 (0.52%) Okta
12 3 (0.52%) Palo Alto
12 3 (0.52%) Ping Identity
12 3 (0.52%) PTC
13 2 (0.35%) Fortinet