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 30 January 2026, comparing them to the same period in the previous two years.

6 months to
30 Jan 2026
Same period 2025 Same period 2024
Rank 297 380 303
Rank change year-on-year +83 -77 +103
Contract jobs citing Aerospace 331 140 337
As % of all contract jobs in the UK 0.86% 0.45% 0.76%
As % of the General category 1.44% 0.72% 1.29%
Number of daily rates quoted 104 36 85
10th Percentile £107 £363 £355
25th Percentile £361 £425 £513
Median daily rate (50th Percentile) £500 £548 £600
Median % change year-on-year -8.76% -8.67% +9.09%
75th Percentile £616 £646 £675
90th Percentile £696 £717 £745
UK excluding London median daily rate £485 £547 £600
% change year-on-year -11.33% -8.83% +8.11%
Number of hourly rates quoted 137 36 144
10th Percentile £31.10 £29.01 £21.25
25th Percentile £42.00 £39.52 £40.00
Median hourly rate £57.35 £57.63 £55.25
Median % change year-on-year -0.48% +4.30% -15.00%
75th Percentile £68.75 £67.50 £68.75
90th Percentile £76.25 £73.75 £75.00
UK excluding London median hourly rate £57.50 £60.00 £55.00
% change year-on-year -4.17% +9.09% -15.38%

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 22,944 19,489 26,074
As % of all contract IT jobs advertised in the UK 59.35% 61.96% 58.76%
Number of daily rates quoted 14,391 11,615 16,912
10th Percentile £287 £284 £265
25th Percentile £400 £410 £413
Median daily rate (50th Percentile) £500 £525 £530
Median % change year-on-year -4.76% -0.94% -3.64%
75th Percentile £625 £650 £650
90th Percentile £735 £763 £750
UK excluding London median daily rate £475 £481 £500
% change year-on-year -1.14% -3.90% -
Number of hourly rates quoted 1,399 631 1,531
10th Percentile £13.72 £15.62 £13.15
25th Percentile £16.35 £20.00 £15.16
Median hourly rate £22.81 £28.00 £26.00
Median % change year-on-year -18.54% +7.69% +4.00%
75th Percentile £47.00 £53.75 £55.25
90th Percentile £70.00 £73.75 £68.75
UK excluding London median hourly rate £21.30 £26.50 £25.00
% change year-on-year -19.62% +6.00% +11.11%

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 30 January 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 30 January 2026.

Hourly rate histogram for Aerospace in the UK

Aerospace
Top 15 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 30 January 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 +71 282 £485 -11.33% 400
England +71 277 £500 -8.76% 395
South West +38 88 £450 -17.88% 96
East of England +30 72 £492 -18.00% 63
Work from Home +11 55 £480 -28.46% 116
South East +1 41 £578 +27.38% 113
Midlands -49 26 £650 +92.59% 43
London -16 25 £625 +3.73% 29
Scotland +25 24 £65 -84.71% 18
North of England -56 23 £164 -71.82% 70
East Midlands -20 16 £650 - 16
North West -23 16 £250 -57.08% 51
West Midlands -42 10 - - 27
Wales +4 8 £550 - 11
North East -7 7 £70 - 3

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 5 (1.51%) SharePoint
2 4 (1.21%) CMS
2 4 (1.21%) Confluence
3 2 (0.60%) Apache
4 1 (0.30%) Alfresco
4 1 (0.30%) Apache Spark
4 1 (0.30%) Documentum
4 1 (0.30%) Jupyter
4 1 (0.30%) Oracle Workflow
Applications
1 13 (3.93%) Microsoft Excel
2 8 (2.42%) Microsoft Office
3 7 (2.11%) Simulink
4 5 (1.51%) Stateflow
5 4 (1.21%) FrameMaker
5 4 (1.21%) Siemens NX
6 3 (0.91%) Microsoft PowerPoint
7 2 (0.60%) Microsoft Project
8 1 (0.30%) CATIA
8 1 (0.30%) MS Visio
8 1 (0.30%) PTC Creo
8 1 (0.30%) Windchill
Business Applications
1 18 (5.44%) SAP S/4HANA
2 11 (3.32%) Teamcenter
3 9 (2.72%) SAP EHS
4 5 (1.51%) SAP HCM
5 3 (0.91%) SAP PS
6 2 (0.60%) SAP GRC
6 2 (0.60%) SAP MM
6 2 (0.60%) SAP Oil and Gas
7 1 (0.30%) Oracle ERP
7 1 (0.30%) Oracle SCM
7 1 (0.30%) Primavera
7 1 (0.30%) Remedy ITSM
7 1 (0.30%) SAP EWM
7 1 (0.30%) SAP FI
7 1 (0.30%) SAP HR
7 1 (0.30%) SAP Payroll
Cloud Services
1 13 (3.93%) Azure
2 7 (2.11%) AWS
3 6 (1.81%) Microsoft 365
3 6 (1.81%) Power Platform
4 4 (1.21%) Azure DevOps
4 4 (1.21%) Google Workspace
4 4 (1.21%) OpenShift
5 3 (0.91%) GitHub
5 3 (0.91%) GitHub Actions
6 2 (0.60%) Smartsheet
7 1 (0.30%) AWS CloudFormation
7 1 (0.30%) Azure ExpressRoute
7 1 (0.30%) Azure Monitor
7 1 (0.30%) Azure Sentinel
7 1 (0.30%) Entra ID
7 1 (0.30%) Lucidchart
7 1 (0.30%) OCI
7 1 (0.30%) SuccessFactors
Communications & Networking
1 8 (2.42%) Firewall
2 6 (1.81%) PABX
3 4 (1.21%) DHCP
3 4 (1.21%) DNS
4 3 (0.91%) Ethernet
4 3 (0.91%) Network Security
4 3 (0.91%) VPN
5 2 (0.60%) Cisco ASA
5 2 (0.60%) SpaceWire
5 2 (0.60%) TCP/IP
6 1 (0.30%) Cisco IOS
6 1 (0.30%) Cisco Wireless
6 1 (0.30%) Multicast
6 1 (0.30%) NX-OS
6 1 (0.30%) SD-WAN
6 1 (0.30%) SNMP
6 1 (0.30%) VLAN
6 1 (0.30%) Wi-Fi
6 1 (0.30%) Wireless
6 1 (0.30%) Wireshark
Database & Business Intelligence
1 6 (1.81%) Power BI
2 3 (0.91%) MongoDB
3 2 (0.60%) Metadata
3 2 (0.60%) SAP HANA
4 1 (0.30%) Elasticsearch
4 1 (0.30%) Hadoop
4 1 (0.30%) PostgreSQL
Development Applications
1 12 (3.63%) Git
1 12 (3.63%) Rational DOORS
2 11 (3.32%) GitLab
3 6 (1.81%) Jenkins
4 5 (1.51%) Rational Team Concert
5 4 (1.21%) JIRA
6 3 (0.91%) Maven
6 3 (0.91%) Rational Rhapsody
7 2 (0.60%) Visual Studio
8 1 (0.30%) Artifactory
8 1 (0.30%) Bitbucket
8 1 (0.30%) SonarQube
8 1 (0.30%) Subversion
General
1 78 (23.56%) Manufacturing
2 69 (20.85%) Social Skills
3 25 (7.55%) Automotive
4 20 (6.04%) Aviation
5 18 (5.44%) Electronics
6 16 (4.83%) Analytical Skills
7 14 (4.23%) Documentation Skills
8 13 (3.93%) Organisational Skills
9 11 (3.32%) Pharmaceutical
10 10 (3.02%) Military
11 9 (2.72%) Finance
12 7 (2.11%) Public Sector
12 7 (2.11%) Publishing
13 5 (1.51%) Avionics
13 5 (1.51%) Influencing Skills
13 5 (1.51%) Legal
14 4 (1.21%) Environmental Health
15 3 (0.91%) Telecoms
16 2 (0.60%) Inclusion and Diversity
17 1 (0.30%) Presentation Skills
Job Titles
1 40 (12.08%) Systems Engineer
2 38 (11.48%) Software Engineer
3 32 (9.67%) Senior
4 23 (6.95%) Support Engineer
5 21 (6.34%) Lead
6 19 (5.74%) Architect
7 18 (5.44%) Principal Engineer
8 17 (5.14%) Technical Support
9 14 (4.23%) Consultant
9 14 (4.23%) Technical Engineer
10 13 (3.93%) Electrical Engineer
10 13 (3.93%) Technical Support Engineer
11 12 (3.63%) Analyst
12 11 (3.32%) Administrator
12 11 (3.32%) Test Engineer
13 9 (2.72%) IT Engineer
13 9 (2.72%) Project Engineer
14 8 (2.42%) Embedded Engineer
14 8 (2.42%) Project Manager
15 7 (2.11%) Desktop Support
Libraries, Frameworks & Software Standards
1 12 (3.63%) SAP Fiori
2 10 (3.02%) Middleware
3 7 (2.11%) XML
4 5 (1.51%) Kafka
4 5 (1.51%) LDAP
5 4 (1.21%) Elastic Stack
5 4 (1.21%) HTML
5 4 (1.21%) REST
6 3 (0.91%) Flash
6 3 (0.91%) ModSecurity
6 3 (0.91%) OpenID
6 3 (0.91%) Qt
6 3 (0.91%) SAML
6 3 (0.91%) SGML
6 3 (0.91%) Spring Boot
7 2 (0.60%) Apache NiFi
7 2 (0.60%) Unity (Game Engine)
7 2 (0.60%) Unreal Engine
8 1 (0.30%) Azure Blueprints
8 1 (0.30%) PyTorch
Miscellaneous
1 17 (5.14%) Self-Motivation
2 14 (4.23%) FPGA
3 13 (3.93%) Management Information System
4 10 (3.02%) Operational Technology
5 9 (2.72%) Legacy Systems
6 8 (2.42%) VHDL
7 7 (2.11%) Data Protection Act
7 7 (2.11%) SCADA
8 6 (1.81%) Data Centre
8 6 (1.81%) PCIe
8 6 (1.81%) Smartphone
9 5 (1.51%) Greenfield Project
9 5 (1.51%) Product Ownership
9 5 (1.51%) Security Posture
10 4 (1.21%) Learning Management System
11 3 (0.91%) Algorithms
11 3 (0.91%) CAN bus
11 3 (0.91%) State Machine
11 3 (0.91%) Verilog
12 2 (0.60%) Analytical Mindset
Operating Systems
1 24 (7.25%) Windows
2 19 (5.74%) Linux
3 6 (1.81%) Red Hat Enterprise Linux
3 6 (1.81%) Windows 10
4 5 (1.51%) CentOS
4 5 (1.51%) Windows Server
5 3 (0.91%) Ubuntu
5 3 (0.91%) Windows Server 2016
5 3 (0.91%) Windows Server 2019
6 2 (0.60%) Debian
7 1 (0.30%) FreeRTOS
7 1 (0.30%) Windows Server 2003
7 1 (0.30%) Windows Server 2008
Processes & Methodologies
1 50 (15.11%) Software Engineering
2 32 (9.67%) Continuous Improvement
3 30 (9.06%) Validation
4 28 (8.46%) Problem-Solving
5 27 (8.16%) Stakeholder Engagement
6 26 (7.85%) Stakeholder Management
7 24 (7.25%) Systems Engineering
8 23 (6.95%) Cybersecurity
9 21 (6.34%) Agile
10 20 (6.04%) Configuration Management
11 19 (5.74%) Project Management
12 15 (4.53%) AI
12 15 (4.53%) Analytics
12 15 (4.53%) Data Management
12 15 (4.53%) PLM
12 15 (4.53%) Risk Management
12 15 (4.53%) Software Testing
12 15 (4.53%) Workflow
13 13 (3.93%) Digital Transformation Programme
13 13 (3.93%) Logistics
Programming Languages
1 24 (7.25%) C
1 24 (7.25%) C++
2 23 (6.95%) Ada
3 19 (5.74%) Python
4 15 (4.53%) MATLAB
5 9 (2.72%) C#
6 7 (2.11%) PowerShell
7 6 (1.81%) Shell Script
8 5 (1.51%) Fortran
8 5 (1.51%) Java
9 4 (1.21%) JavaScript
10 3 (0.91%) Bash
10 3 (0.91%) SQL
10 3 (0.91%) SystemVerilog
11 1 (0.30%) ABAP
11 1 (0.30%) Embedded C++
11 1 (0.30%) Go
11 1 (0.30%) Google Apps Script
11 1 (0.30%) SAPscript
11 1 (0.30%) TypeScript
Qualifications
1 150 (45.32%) Security Cleared
2 99 (29.91%) SC Cleared
3 35 (10.57%) Degree
4 22 (6.65%) DV Cleared
5 18 (5.44%) BPSS Clearance
6 5 (1.51%) Microsoft Certification
7 4 (1.21%) CISM
7 4 (1.21%) CISSP
7 4 (1.21%) HNC
7 4 (1.21%) PMP
8 3 (0.91%) AWS Certification
8 3 (0.91%) Azure Certification
8 3 (0.91%) Cisco Certification
8 3 (0.91%) CompTIA Security+
8 3 (0.91%) Computer Science Degree
8 3 (0.91%) HND
8 3 (0.91%) PMI Certification
9 2 (0.60%) CCNA
9 2 (0.60%) Master's Degree
9 2 (0.60%) TOGAF Certification
Quality Assurance & Compliance
1 18 (5.44%) Def Stans
2 17 (5.14%) QA
3 10 (3.02%) NIST
4 8 (2.42%) SLA
5 6 (1.81%) Cyber Essentials
5 6 (1.81%) ECSS
5 6 (1.81%) ISO 9001
6 5 (1.51%) Cyber Essentials PLUS
6 5 (1.51%) NCSC
7 4 (1.21%) IEC 61508
7 4 (1.21%) JSP 440
7 4 (1.21%) MISRA
7 4 (1.21%) MISRA C
7 4 (1.21%) NIST 800
8 3 (0.91%) GRC
8 3 (0.91%) ISO/IEC 27001
9 2 (0.60%) Actionable Recommendations
9 2 (0.60%) Data Quality
9 2 (0.60%) MIL-STD-1553
9 2 (0.60%) PMO
System Software
1 14 (4.23%) Active Directory
2 7 (2.11%) VMware Infrastructure
3 5 (1.51%) Docker
3 5 (1.51%) Firmware
4 4 (1.21%) Hyper-V
5 2 (0.60%) QEMU
6 1 (0.30%) Slurm Workload Manager
6 1 (0.30%) Terminal Services
6 1 (0.30%) Virtual Machines
Systems Management
1 11 (3.32%) Ansible
2 9 (2.72%) Kubernetes
3 8 (2.42%) Podman
4 5 (1.51%) Check_MK
4 5 (1.51%) Red Hat Satellite
5 4 (1.21%) Grafana
5 4 (1.21%) Prometheus
5 4 (1.21%) Terraform
6 3 (0.91%) Microsoft Data Protection Manager
6 3 (0.91%) PingFederate
7 2 (0.60%) Argo
7 2 (0.60%) Cisco Prime
8 1 (0.30%) Iperf
8 1 (0.30%) Kibana
8 1 (0.30%) logstash
8 1 (0.30%) MOM
8 1 (0.30%) Nmap
8 1 (0.30%) Single Sign-On
8 1 (0.30%) Wonderware InTouch
Vendors
1 37 (11.18%) SAP
2 23 (6.95%) VMware
3 15 (4.53%) Microsoft
4 11 (3.32%) ServiceNow
5 10 (3.02%) Cisco
5 10 (3.02%) Red Hat
5 10 (3.02%) Siemens
6 7 (2.11%) Twitter
7 5 (1.51%) MathWorks
7 5 (1.51%) Oracle
7 5 (1.51%) Xilinx
8 4 (1.21%) Google
9 3 (0.91%) Altera
9 3 (0.91%) Databricks
9 3 (0.91%) HubSpot
9 3 (0.91%) IBM
9 3 (0.91%) Intel
9 3 (0.91%) Palo Alto
9 3 (0.91%) Salesforce
9 3 (0.91%) Veeam