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

6 months to
27 May 2026
Same period 2025 Same period 2024
Rank 211 384 224
Rank change year-on-year +173 -160 +183
Contract jobs citing Aerospace 589 138 455
As % of all contract jobs in the UK 1.21% 0.48% 1.07%
As % of the General category 2.25% 0.76% 1.85%
Number of daily rates quoted 95 44 69
10th Percentile £393 £363 £321
25th Percentile £454 £484 £400
Median daily rate (50th Percentile) £510 £547 £650
Median % change year-on-year -6.68% -15.92% +23.81%
75th Percentile £675 £628 £700
90th Percentile £720 £669 -
UK excluding London median daily rate £500 £525 £650
% change year-on-year -4.76% -19.23% +30.00%
Number of hourly rates quoted 350 51 262
10th Percentile £28.50 £36.00 £26.60
25th Percentile £40.53 £45.65 £45.00
Median hourly rate £61.00 £57.25 £50.00
Median % change year-on-year +6.56% +14.49% -18.70%
75th Percentile £80.93 £67.75 £66.88
90th Percentile £88.00 £75.00 £77.38
UK excluding London median hourly rate £62.00 £57.37 £50.00
% change year-on-year +8.07% +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 26,189 18,092 24,661
As % of all contract IT jobs advertised in the UK 53.74% 63.32% 57.80%
Number of daily rates quoted 15,889 11,502 15,553
10th Percentile £313 £281 £275
25th Percentile £413 £405 £413
Median daily rate (50th Percentile) £513 £514 £525
Median % change year-on-year -0.29% -2.10% -4.55%
75th Percentile £625 £638 £650
90th Percentile £738 £763 £773
UK excluding London median daily rate £492 £475 £493
% change year-on-year +3.58% -3.65% -1.40%
Number of hourly rates quoted 1,728 774 1,959
10th Percentile £13.72 £13.50 £12.75
25th Percentile £17.50 £16.64 £15.44
Median hourly rate £30.00 £27.45 £30.00
Median % change year-on-year +9.29% -8.50% -7.69%
75th Percentile £60.00 £55.00 £52.50
90th Percentile £80.00 £75.00 £66.35
UK excluding London median hourly rate £28.63 £24.22 £28.00
% change year-on-year +18.19% -13.50% +1.08%

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 27 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 27 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 27 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 +123 550 £500 -4.76% 358
England +145 518 £525 -4.20% 380
South East +69 207 £653 +26.70% 125
South West +53 132 £500 -4.76% 79
Work from Home +21 99 £495 -5.71% 157
East of England +33 91 £496 - 47
North of England -29 56 £74 -87.27% 44
North West -10 44 £452 -22.46% 33
Scotland +23 29 £70 -71.72% 30
Midlands -62 20 £613 +16.67% 39
Wales -8 10 - - 3
East Midlands -25 10 £575 - 9
London -77 10 £638 +3.62% 58
North East - 10 £70 - 9
West Midlands -60 9 - - 30
Northern Ireland +6 5 £447 - 5
Yorkshire - 2 - - 2

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 (0.51%) Apache
1 3 (0.51%) Apache Spark
2 2 (0.34%) SharePoint
2 2 (0.34%) ThingWorx
3 1 (0.17%) Confluence
3 1 (0.17%) Jupyter
3 1 (0.17%) Tomcat
Applications
1 17 (2.89%) Simulink
2 15 (2.55%) CATIA
3 10 (1.70%) Microsoft Excel
4 6 (1.02%) Microsoft Project
5 4 (0.68%) Stateflow
6 3 (0.51%) Microsoft Office
6 3 (0.51%) Windchill
7 2 (0.34%) Adobe Illustrator
7 2 (0.34%) Photoshop
7 2 (0.34%) Siemens NX
8 1 (0.17%) FrameMaker
8 1 (0.17%) Microsoft PowerPoint
8 1 (0.17%) SOLIDWORKS
Business Applications
1 15 (2.55%) Teamcenter
2 13 (2.21%) SAP S/4HANA
3 8 (1.36%) SAP EHS
4 4 (0.68%) SAP EWM
5 3 (0.51%) Primavera
5 3 (0.51%) SAP GRC
6 2 (0.34%) DELMIA
6 2 (0.34%) ENOVIA
6 2 (0.34%) Remedy ITSM
6 2 (0.34%) SAP FI
6 2 (0.34%) SAP MM
6 2 (0.34%) SAP QM
6 2 (0.34%) SAP WM
7 1 (0.17%) Demantra
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
Cloud Services
1 30 (5.09%) Azure
2 14 (2.38%) Azure DevOps
3 13 (2.21%) AWS
4 6 (1.02%) Power Platform
5 5 (0.85%) Dynamics 365
6 4 (0.68%) GCP
7 3 (0.51%) Entra ID
7 3 (0.51%) Google Workspace
7 3 (0.51%) SaaS
8 2 (0.34%) Figma
8 2 (0.34%) Google Sheets
8 2 (0.34%) SuccessFactors
9 1 (0.17%) Amazon EC2
9 1 (0.17%) Azure Functions
9 1 (0.17%) Boomi
9 1 (0.17%) iPaaS
9 1 (0.17%) Microsoft 365
9 1 (0.17%) OpenShift
9 1 (0.17%) Serverless
9 1 (0.17%) Virtual Private Cloud
Communications & Networking
1 11 (1.87%) Ethernet
1 11 (1.87%) Wireless
2 10 (1.70%) Software-Defined Radio
3 4 (0.68%) Firewall
4 3 (0.51%) DNS
4 3 (0.51%) SpaceWire
5 2 (0.34%) DHCP
5 2 (0.34%) Network Security
5 2 (0.34%) TCP/IP
5 2 (0.34%) 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 (0.68%) Power BI
2 3 (0.51%) Hadoop
2 3 (0.51%) NoSQL
2 3 (0.51%) SAP HANA
3 2 (0.34%) Big Data
3 2 (0.34%) Data Warehouse
3 2 (0.34%) MS Access
3 2 (0.34%) Tableau
4 1 (0.17%) Elasticsearch
4 1 (0.17%) PostgreSQL
Development Applications
1 51 (8.66%) Rational DOORS
2 13 (2.21%) Git
3 12 (2.04%) GitLab
4 8 (1.36%) Jenkins
4 8 (1.36%) Rational Rhapsody
5 4 (0.68%) JIRA
6 2 (0.34%) Artifactory
6 2 (0.34%) 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
1 138 (23.43%) Manufacturing
2 68 (11.54%) Social Skills
3 43 (7.30%) Aviation
4 38 (6.45%) Finance
5 29 (4.92%) Analytical Skills
6 26 (4.41%) Automotive
7 19 (3.23%) Documentation Skills
8 18 (3.06%) Electronics
9 12 (2.04%) Avionics
10 11 (1.87%) Influencing Skills
11 8 (1.36%) Military
12 4 (0.68%) Inclusion and Diversity
12 4 (0.68%) Legal
12 4 (0.68%) Public Sector
12 4 (0.68%) Telecoms
13 3 (0.51%) Organisational Skills
14 2 (0.34%) Agriculture
14 2 (0.34%) General Ledger
14 2 (0.34%) Pharmaceutical
15 1 (0.17%) Publishing
Job Titles
1 67 (11.38%) Software Engineer
2 48 (8.15%) Systems Engineer
3 45 (7.64%) Lead
4 42 (7.13%) Senior
5 39 (6.62%) Product Manager
6 36 (6.11%) Architect
7 35 (5.94%) Embedded Engineer
8 34 (5.77%) Delivery Manager
8 34 (5.77%) Product Delivery Manager
9 32 (5.43%) Principal Engineer
10 29 (4.92%) Systems Manager
11 28 (4.75%) Test Engineer
12 26 (4.41%) Embedded Software Engineer
12 26 (4.41%) Technical Support
13 24 (4.07%) Administrator
14 22 (3.74%) Systems Delivery Manager
15 21 (3.57%) Technical Engineer
16 20 (3.40%) Support Engineer
17 19 (3.23%) Developer
17 19 (3.23%) Engineering Manager
Libraries, Frameworks & Software Standards
1 15 (2.55%) Middleware
2 12 (2.04%) LDAP
3 6 (1.02%) REST
4 5 (0.85%) Apache NiFi
5 3 (0.51%) OAuth
5 3 (0.51%) OpenID
5 3 (0.51%) Qt
5 3 (0.51%) SAML
5 3 (0.51%) XML
5 3 (0.51%) Yocto
6 2 (0.34%) .NET
6 2 (0.34%) Flash
6 2 (0.34%) RESTful
6 2 (0.34%) SailPoint
6 2 (0.34%) SAP Fiori
6 2 (0.34%) SOAP
6 2 (0.34%) Unity (Game Engine)
6 2 (0.34%) Unreal Engine
6 2 (0.34%) Web Services
7 1 (0.17%) Elastic Stack
Miscellaneous
1 42 (7.13%) Product Ownership
2 23 (3.90%) Data Structures
3 21 (3.57%) Management Information System
4 19 (3.23%) FPGA
5 15 (2.55%) Operational Technology
6 12 (2.04%) Embedded Systems
7 11 (1.87%) PCIe
7 11 (1.87%) VHDL
8 9 (1.53%) Algorithms
9 8 (1.36%) Data Centre
9 8 (1.36%) Verilog
9 8 (1.36%) Virtual Team
10 7 (1.19%) Onboarding
10 7 (1.19%) Security Posture
10 7 (1.19%) Self-Motivation
11 5 (0.85%) Legacy Systems
11 5 (0.85%) SCADA
12 3 (0.51%) CAN bus
12 3 (0.51%) Legacy Applications
12 3 (0.51%) Taxonomies
Operating Systems
1 23 (3.90%) Linux
2 12 (2.04%) Windows
3 9 (1.53%) Red Hat Enterprise Linux
4 8 (1.36%) CentOS
5 5 (0.85%) FreeRTOS
6 4 (0.68%) Embedded Linux
7 2 (0.34%) Debian
7 2 (0.34%) Ubuntu
7 2 (0.34%) 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
1 104 (17.66%) Software Engineering
2 81 (13.75%) Continuous Improvement
3 76 (12.90%) Systems Engineering
4 75 (12.73%) Agile
5 67 (11.38%) Stakeholder Engagement
6 64 (10.87%) Validation
7 62 (10.53%) Stakeholder Management
8 55 (9.34%) Computer Science
9 54 (9.17%) Problem-Solving
10 53 (9.00%) Configuration Management
10 53 (9.00%) Roadmaps
11 50 (8.49%) Cybersecurity
12 42 (7.13%) Programme Management
13 41 (6.96%) PRINCE2
14 38 (6.45%) Scaled Agile Framework
14 38 (6.45%) Verification and Validation
15 36 (6.11%) Change Control
16 35 (5.94%) SysML
16 35 (5.94%) UML
17 32 (5.43%) Model-Based Systems Engineering
Programming Languages
1 39 (6.62%) Ada
2 32 (5.43%) MATLAB
3 29 (4.92%) C
4 22 (3.74%) Python
5 18 (3.06%) C++
6 10 (1.70%) SystemVerilog
7 8 (1.36%) Shell Script
8 6 (1.02%) SQL
9 5 (0.85%) Java
10 3 (0.51%) C#
10 3 (0.51%) PowerShell
11 2 (0.34%) ABAP
11 2 (0.34%) 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
1 266 (45.16%) Security Cleared
2 152 (25.81%) SC Cleared
3 78 (13.24%) Degree
4 46 (7.81%) BPSS Clearance
5 20 (3.40%) DV Cleared
6 14 (2.38%) CISSP
7 11 (1.87%) NVQ Level 4
8 10 (1.70%) HNC
9 9 (1.53%) Chartered Engineer
10 8 (1.36%) Azure Certification
11 7 (1.19%) Computer Science Degree
11 7 (1.19%) PMP
12 5 (0.85%) CompTIA Security+
12 5 (0.85%) PMI Certification
13 4 (0.68%) CEH
13 4 (0.68%) TOGAF Certification
14 3 (0.51%) Cisco Certification
14 3 (0.51%) CISM
14 3 (0.51%) CSPO
14 3 (0.51%) Microsoft Certification
Quality Assurance & Compliance
1 32 (5.43%) QA
2 25 (4.24%) NIST
3 22 (3.74%) Def Stans
4 15 (2.55%) ISO/IEC 27001
5 11 (1.87%) Data Quality
5 11 (1.87%) SLA
6 9 (1.53%) DO-254
6 9 (1.53%) IEC 61508
7 8 (1.36%) NIST 800
8 7 (1.19%) Cyber Essentials
9 5 (0.85%) Cyber Essentials PLUS
10 4 (0.68%) GRC
11 3 (0.51%) GDPR
11 3 (0.51%) ISO 26262
11 3 (0.51%) MIL-STD-1553
11 3 (0.51%) MISRA
11 3 (0.51%) MISRA C
12 2 (0.34%) Actionable Recommendations
12 2 (0.34%) NCSC
13 1 (0.17%) HAZOP
System Software
1 13 (2.21%) Firmware
2 11 (1.87%) Active Directory
3 10 (1.70%) Docker
4 5 (0.85%) Embedded Firmware
5 2 (0.34%) QEMU
5 2 (0.34%) VMware Infrastructure
6 1 (0.17%) Hyper-V
6 1 (0.17%) Slurm Workload Manager
Systems Management
1 17 (2.89%) Ansible
2 11 (1.87%) Podman
3 8 (1.36%) Check_MK
3 8 (1.36%) Red Hat Satellite
3 8 (1.36%) Terraform
4 7 (1.19%) Kubernetes
5 2 (0.34%) Single Sign-On
6 1 (0.17%) Argo
6 1 (0.17%) Cisco Prime
6 1 (0.17%) Functional Safety
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 58 (9.85%) SAP
2 29 (4.92%) IBM
3 26 (4.41%) Microsoft
4 16 (2.72%) VMware
5 13 (2.21%) ServiceNow
6 12 (2.04%) Red Hat
7 11 (1.87%) Siemens
8 10 (1.70%) Xilinx
9 9 (1.53%) Microsemi
10 7 (1.19%) Altera
11 4 (0.68%) Adobe
11 4 (0.68%) Cisco
11 4 (0.68%) Google
11 4 (0.68%) Lauterbach
12 3 (0.51%) ForgeRock
12 3 (0.51%) Intel
12 3 (0.51%) Okta
12 3 (0.51%) Palo Alto
12 3 (0.51%) Ping Identity
12 3 (0.51%) PTC