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

6 months to
15 May 2026
Same period 2025 Same period 2024
Rank 210 373 229
Rank change year-on-year +163 -144 +187
Contract jobs citing Aerospace 554 147 443
As % of all contract jobs in the UK 1.16% 0.51% 1.04%
As % of the General category 2.16% 0.80% 1.79%
Number of daily rates quoted 96 41 69
10th Percentile £269 £399 £325
25th Percentile £425 £513 £425
Median daily rate (50th Percentile) £500 £548 £650
Median % change year-on-year -8.76% -15.69% +23.81%
75th Percentile £675 £628 £700
90th Percentile £713 £675 -
UK excluding London median daily rate £500 £525 £650
% change year-on-year -4.76% -19.23% +30.00%
Number of hourly rates quoted 327 58 255
10th Percentile £28.50 £34.73 £29.60
25th Percentile £40.53 £47.23 £45.00
Median hourly rate £60.00 £58.04 £50.00
Median % change year-on-year +3.38% +16.08% -18.70%
75th Percentile £78.88 £67.50 £65.00
90th Percentile £88.00 £75.00 £77.50
UK excluding London median hourly rate £60.00 £58.58 £50.00
% change year-on-year +2.42% +17.16% -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 25,625 18,400 24,779
As % of all contract IT jobs advertised in the UK 53.73% 63.31% 58.07%
Number of daily rates quoted 15,671 11,698 15,628
10th Percentile £309 £287 £275
25th Percentile £410 £406 £413
Median daily rate (50th Percentile) £505 £520 £525
Median % change year-on-year -2.88% -0.95% -4.55%
75th Percentile £625 £638 £650
90th Percentile £738 £763 £775
UK excluding London median daily rate £485 £475 £500
% change year-on-year +2.11% -5.00% -
Number of hourly rates quoted 1,634 787 1,929
10th Percentile £13.95 £14.00 £12.75
25th Percentile £17.26 £17.34 £15.50
Median hourly rate £30.00 £27.50 £30.16
Median % change year-on-year +9.09% -8.82% -11.29%
75th Percentile £60.72 £56.00 £52.50
90th Percentile £80.00 £75.00 £65.40
UK excluding London median hourly rate £28.16 £24.59 £28.50
% change year-on-year +14.52% -13.74% -5.00%

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 15 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 15 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 15 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 +117 515 £500 -4.76% 348
England +129 486 £510 -6.93% 351
South East +53 186 £653 +26.70% 107
South West +45 125 £500 -8.26% 72
East of England +27 91 £492 - 60
Work from Home +19 82 £495 -5.71% 121
North of England -28 51 £74 -87.27% 47
North West -7 42 £452 -22.46% 31
Scotland +24 27 £70 -83.53% 23
Midlands -58 20 £613 +16.67% 43
London -71 11 £638 +1.92% 33
Wales +1 10 - - 10
East Midlands -23 10 £575 - 12
West Midlands -59 9 - - 31
North East - 8 £70 - 12
Northern Ireland +3 5 £447 - 3
Yorkshire - 1 - - 4

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 (0.54%) Apache
1 3 (0.54%) Apache Spark
2 2 (0.36%) SharePoint
2 2 (0.36%) ThingWorx
3 1 (0.18%) Confluence
3 1 (0.18%) Jupyter
3 1 (0.18%) Tomcat
Applications
1 13 (2.35%) CATIA
2 11 (1.99%) Simulink
3 10 (1.81%) Microsoft Excel
4 4 (0.72%) Microsoft Office
4 4 (0.72%) Microsoft Project
4 4 (0.72%) Windchill
5 2 (0.36%) Adobe Illustrator
5 2 (0.36%) Photoshop
5 2 (0.36%) Siemens NX
5 2 (0.36%) Stateflow
6 1 (0.18%) Microsoft PowerPoint
6 1 (0.18%) SOLIDWORKS
Business Applications
1 15 (2.71%) Teamcenter
2 10 (1.81%) SAP S/4HANA
3 9 (1.62%) SAP EHS
4 4 (0.72%) SAP EWM
5 3 (0.54%) SAP GRC
6 2 (0.36%) DELMIA
6 2 (0.36%) ENOVIA
6 2 (0.36%) Remedy ITSM
6 2 (0.36%) SAP FI
6 2 (0.36%) SAP MM
6 2 (0.36%) SAP WM
7 1 (0.18%) Demantra
7 1 (0.18%) Primavera
7 1 (0.18%) SAP CCM
7 1 (0.18%) SAP ERP
7 1 (0.18%) SAP FI-GL
7 1 (0.18%) SAP HCM
7 1 (0.18%) SAP HR
7 1 (0.18%) SAP Payroll
7 1 (0.18%) SAP QM
Cloud Services
1 22 (3.97%) Azure
2 14 (2.53%) AWS
3 13 (2.35%) Azure DevOps
4 6 (1.08%) Power Platform
5 5 (0.90%) Dynamics 365
6 3 (0.54%) GCP
6 3 (0.54%) Google Workspace
7 2 (0.36%) Figma
7 2 (0.36%) SaaS
7 2 (0.36%) SuccessFactors
8 1 (0.18%) Amazon EC2
8 1 (0.18%) AWS CloudFormation
8 1 (0.18%) Azure Logic Apps
8 1 (0.18%) Boomi
8 1 (0.18%) Google Sheets
8 1 (0.18%) Microsoft 365
8 1 (0.18%) OpenShift
8 1 (0.18%) Power Automate
8 1 (0.18%) PowerApps
8 1 (0.18%) Virtual Private Cloud
Communications & Networking
1 11 (1.99%) Ethernet
2 10 (1.81%) Software-Defined Radio
3 9 (1.62%) Wireless
4 5 (0.90%) Firewall
5 4 (0.72%) DNS
6 3 (0.54%) DHCP
6 3 (0.54%) SpaceWire
6 3 (0.54%) TCP/IP
7 2 (0.36%) Network Security
7 2 (0.36%) VPN
8 1 (0.18%) 3GPP
8 1 (0.18%) BGP
8 1 (0.18%) Cisco ASA
8 1 (0.18%) FTP
8 1 (0.18%) HTTPS
8 1 (0.18%) MPLS
8 1 (0.18%) Multicast
8 1 (0.18%) OSPF
8 1 (0.18%) SAN
8 1 (0.18%) VLAN
Database & Business Intelligence
1 4 (0.72%) Power BI
2 3 (0.54%) Hadoop
2 3 (0.54%) NoSQL
2 3 (0.54%) SAP HANA
3 2 (0.36%) Big Data
3 2 (0.36%) Data Warehouse
3 2 (0.36%) Tableau
4 1 (0.18%) Elasticsearch
4 1 (0.18%) MS Access
4 1 (0.18%) PostgreSQL
Development Applications
1 49 (8.84%) Rational DOORS
2 13 (2.35%) Git
3 11 (1.99%) GitLab
4 8 (1.44%) Jenkins
4 8 (1.44%) Rational Rhapsody
5 4 (0.72%) JIRA
6 2 (0.36%) Artifactory
6 2 (0.36%) Visual Studio
7 1 (0.18%) Atlassian Bamboo
7 1 (0.18%) Hudson
7 1 (0.18%) LabVIEW
7 1 (0.18%) PetaLinux
7 1 (0.18%) Postman
7 1 (0.18%) SonarQube
General
1 134 (24.19%) Manufacturing
2 58 (10.47%) Social Skills
3 37 (6.68%) Aviation
4 34 (6.14%) Finance
5 26 (4.69%) Analytical Skills
6 23 (4.15%) Automotive
7 19 (3.43%) Documentation Skills
7 19 (3.43%) Electronics
8 11 (1.99%) Influencing Skills
9 9 (1.62%) Avionics
10 8 (1.44%) Military
11 4 (0.72%) Inclusion and Diversity
11 4 (0.72%) Legal
11 4 (0.72%) Public Sector
12 3 (0.54%) Organisational Skills
12 3 (0.54%) Telecoms
13 2 (0.36%) Agriculture
13 2 (0.36%) General Ledger
13 2 (0.36%) Pharmaceutical
14 1 (0.18%) Law
Job Titles
1 64 (11.55%) Software Engineer
2 48 (8.66%) Systems Engineer
3 42 (7.58%) Senior
4 39 (7.04%) Product Manager
5 34 (6.14%) Architect
5 34 (6.14%) Delivery Manager
5 34 (6.14%) Product Delivery Manager
6 33 (5.96%) Lead
7 32 (5.78%) Embedded Engineer
8 29 (5.23%) Principal Engineer
9 27 (4.87%) Systems Manager
9 27 (4.87%) Technical Support
9 27 (4.87%) Test Engineer
10 23 (4.15%) Administrator
10 23 (4.15%) Embedded Software Engineer
11 22 (3.97%) Systems Delivery Manager
12 21 (3.79%) Support Engineer
12 21 (3.79%) Technical Engineer
13 20 (3.61%) Technical Support Engineer
14 19 (3.43%) Engineering Manager
Libraries, Frameworks & Software Standards
1 15 (2.71%) Middleware
2 9 (1.62%) LDAP
3 6 (1.08%) REST
4 5 (0.90%) Apache NiFi
5 3 (0.54%) Qt
6 2 (0.36%) .NET
6 2 (0.36%) Flash
6 2 (0.36%) RESTful
6 2 (0.36%) SAP Fiori
6 2 (0.36%) SOAP
6 2 (0.36%) Unity (Game Engine)
6 2 (0.36%) Unreal Engine
6 2 (0.36%) Web Services
6 2 (0.36%) XML
6 2 (0.36%) Yocto
7 1 (0.18%) Hibernate
7 1 (0.18%) IDoc
7 1 (0.18%) JSON
7 1 (0.18%) SAP PI
7 1 (0.18%) Spring
Miscellaneous
1 35 (6.32%) Product Ownership
2 23 (4.15%) Data Structures
3 22 (3.97%) Management Information System
4 17 (3.07%) FPGA
5 16 (2.89%) Operational Technology
6 11 (1.99%) Embedded Systems
6 11 (1.99%) PCIe
7 9 (1.62%) Algorithms
7 9 (1.62%) VHDL
8 8 (1.44%) Data Centre
8 8 (1.44%) Virtual Team
9 7 (1.26%) Onboarding
9 7 (1.26%) Security Posture
10 6 (1.08%) Legacy Systems
10 6 (1.08%) Verilog
11 5 (0.90%) SCADA
12 3 (0.54%) CAN bus
12 3 (0.54%) Legacy Applications
12 3 (0.54%) Self-Motivation
12 3 (0.54%) Taxonomies
Operating Systems
1 23 (4.15%) Linux
2 15 (2.71%) Windows
3 9 (1.62%) Red Hat Enterprise Linux
4 8 (1.44%) CentOS
5 5 (0.90%) FreeRTOS
6 3 (0.54%) Embedded Linux
7 2 (0.36%) Debian
7 2 (0.36%) Ubuntu
7 2 (0.36%) Windows Server
8 1 (0.18%) Unix
8 1 (0.18%) Windows 10
8 1 (0.18%) Windows Server 2016
8 1 (0.18%) Windows Server 2019
Processes & Methodologies
1 97 (17.51%) Software Engineering
2 75 (13.54%) Continuous Improvement
3 70 (12.64%) Systems Engineering
4 69 (12.45%) Agile
5 63 (11.37%) Stakeholder Engagement
6 60 (10.83%) Validation
7 54 (9.75%) Configuration Management
8 52 (9.39%) Computer Science
9 50 (9.03%) Problem-Solving
9 50 (9.03%) Stakeholder Management
10 45 (8.12%) Cybersecurity
10 45 (8.12%) Roadmaps
11 42 (7.58%) PRINCE2
11 42 (7.58%) Programme Management
12 38 (6.86%) Scaled Agile Framework
13 36 (6.50%) Change Control
14 35 (6.32%) SysML
14 35 (6.32%) UML
14 35 (6.32%) Verification and Validation
15 32 (5.78%) Model-Based Systems Engineering
Programming Languages
1 35 (6.32%) Ada
2 27 (4.87%) MATLAB
3 26 (4.69%) C
4 22 (3.97%) Python
5 18 (3.25%) C++
6 8 (1.44%) Shell Script
6 8 (1.44%) SystemVerilog
7 6 (1.08%) SQL
8 5 (0.90%) Java
9 4 (0.72%) C#
9 4 (0.72%) PowerShell
10 3 (0.54%) Bash
11 2 (0.36%) ABAP
12 1 (0.18%) Bicep
12 1 (0.18%) Embedded C++
12 1 (0.18%) JavaScript
12 1 (0.18%) Tcl
12 1 (0.18%) X++
Qualifications
1 251 (45.31%) Security Cleared
2 136 (24.55%) SC Cleared
3 71 (12.82%) Degree
4 48 (8.66%) BPSS Clearance
5 20 (3.61%) DV Cleared
6 10 (1.81%) CISSP
6 10 (1.81%) HNC
6 10 (1.81%) NVQ Level 4
7 7 (1.26%) PMP
8 6 (1.08%) TOGAF Certification
9 5 (0.90%) AWS Certification
9 5 (0.90%) Chartered Engineer
9 5 (0.90%) CompTIA Security+
9 5 (0.90%) PMI Certification
10 4 (0.72%) Azure Certification
10 4 (0.72%) CEH
10 4 (0.72%) Computer Science Degree
11 3 (0.54%) Cisco Certification
11 3 (0.54%) Microsoft Certification
12 2 (0.36%) CISM
Quality Assurance & Compliance
1 26 (4.69%) QA
2 24 (4.33%) NIST
3 19 (3.43%) Def Stans
4 14 (2.53%) ISO/IEC 27001
5 11 (1.99%) Data Quality
5 11 (1.99%) SLA
6 9 (1.62%) DO-254
7 8 (1.44%) IEC 61508
7 8 (1.44%) NIST 800
8 7 (1.26%) Cyber Essentials
9 5 (0.90%) Cyber Essentials PLUS
10 4 (0.72%) GRC
11 3 (0.54%) GDPR
11 3 (0.54%) ISO 26262
11 3 (0.54%) MIL-STD-1553
11 3 (0.54%) MISRA
11 3 (0.54%) MISRA C
12 2 (0.36%) Actionable Recommendations
12 2 (0.36%) NCSC
13 1 (0.18%) HAZOP
System Software
1 13 (2.35%) Firmware
2 12 (2.17%) Active Directory
3 10 (1.81%) Docker
4 5 (0.90%) Embedded Firmware
5 4 (0.72%) VMware Infrastructure
6 2 (0.36%) Hyper-V
6 2 (0.36%) QEMU
7 1 (0.18%) Slurm Workload Manager
Systems Management
1 17 (3.07%) Ansible
2 11 (1.99%) Podman
3 8 (1.44%) Check_MK
3 8 (1.44%) Red Hat Satellite
4 7 (1.26%) Terraform
5 6 (1.08%) Kubernetes
6 1 (0.18%) Argo
6 1 (0.18%) Cisco Prime
6 1 (0.18%) Grafana
6 1 (0.18%) HP ALM
6 1 (0.18%) Iperf
6 1 (0.18%) Kibana
6 1 (0.18%) logstash
6 1 (0.18%) Microsoft Data Protection Manager
6 1 (0.18%) Nessus
6 1 (0.18%) Nmap
6 1 (0.18%) Prometheus
6 1 (0.18%) SCCM
6 1 (0.18%) Single Sign-On
Vendors
1 54 (9.75%) SAP
2 29 (5.23%) IBM
3 20 (3.61%) VMware
4 17 (3.07%) Microsoft
5 13 (2.35%) ServiceNow
6 12 (2.17%) Red Hat
7 11 (1.99%) Siemens
8 8 (1.44%) Xilinx
9 7 (1.26%) Altera
9 7 (1.26%) Cisco
9 7 (1.26%) Microsemi
10 4 (0.72%) Lauterbach
10 4 (0.72%) PTC
11 3 (0.54%) Adobe
11 3 (0.54%) Google
11 3 (0.54%) Palo Alto
12 2 (0.36%) Fortinet
12 2 (0.36%) Remedy
13 1 (0.18%) CheckPoint
13 1 (0.18%) JD Edwards