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 18 September 2026, comparing them to the same period in the previous two years.

6 months to
18 Sep 2026
Same period 2025 Same period 2024
Rank 189 297 301
Rank change year-on-year +108 +4 +36
Contract jobs citing Aerospace 826 278 279
As % of all contract jobs in the UK 1.52% 0.84% 0.72%
As % of the General category 2.72% 1.33% 1.25%
Number of daily rates quoted 134 94 54
10th Percentile £402 £268 £267
25th Percentile £500 £450 £331
Median daily rate (50th Percentile) £575 £550 £532
Median % change year-on-year +4.55% +3.38% -1.12%
75th Percentile £675 £646 £665
90th Percentile £713 £739 £723
UK excluding London median daily rate £575 £525 £450
% change year-on-year +9.52% +16.67% -16.28%
Number of hourly rates quoted 518 94 133
10th Percentile £26.25 £22.63 £32.58
25th Percentile £35.54 £41.25 £45.00
Median hourly rate £52.50 £52.50 £50.00
Median % change year-on-year - +5.00% -9.09%
75th Percentile £75.00 £67.00 £70.00
90th Percentile £86.03 £74.63 £74.75
UK excluding London median hourly rate £52.50 £52.50 £50.00
% change year-on-year - +5.00% -9.09%

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 30,365 20,972 22,349
As % of all contract IT jobs advertised in the UK 55.81% 63.65% 58.00%
Number of daily rates quoted 17,805 13,001 13,375
10th Percentile £313 £275 £281
25th Percentile £419 £400 £413
Median daily rate (50th Percentile) £525 £500 £525
Median % change year-on-year +5.00% -4.76% -4.55%
75th Percentile £638 £625 £650
90th Percentile £738 £738 £775
UK excluding London median daily rate £500 £475 £500
% change year-on-year +5.26% -5.00% -
Number of hourly rates quoted 2,530 1,207 1,105
10th Percentile £13.50 £13.50 £14.71
25th Percentile £16.33 £16.17 £17.08
Median hourly rate £30.00 £25.15 £35.36
Median % change year-on-year +19.28% -28.87% +28.58%
75th Percentile £55.00 £49.13 £60.00
90th Percentile £77.50 £67.50 £70.39
UK excluding London median hourly rate £30.00 £21.30 £35.36
% change year-on-year +40.85% -39.76% +30.56%

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 18 September 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 18 September 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 18 September 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
England +118 766 £575 +4.55% 1,804
UK excluding London +88 757 £575 +9.52% 1,635
South East +74 350 £581 +7.20% 564
South West +32 167 £495 -10.00% 312
Work from Home +36 146 £550 +4.76% 729
East of England +12 101 £488 -30.36% 258
North of England -17 81 £600 +33.78% 175
North West -25 56 £600 +33.33% 111
London -73 36 £675 +12.50% 271
Midlands -42 27 £538 +17.23% 149
East Midlands -7 18 £500 -23.08% 58
Scotland -14 18 £438 +548.15% 170
Yorkshire -25 14 - - 29
North East - 11 - - 36
Wales - 11 - - 32
West Midlands -49 8 - - 90
Northern Ireland +4 2 £252 - 19

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 7 (0.85%) SharePoint
2 3 (0.36%) Apache Spark
3 2 (0.24%) Apache
3 2 (0.24%) Apache Airflow
3 2 (0.24%) Apache Superset
3 2 (0.24%) Microsoft Exchange
3 2 (0.24%) ThingWorx
4 1 (0.12%) Confluence
4 1 (0.12%) IIS
4 1 (0.12%) Jupyter
4 1 (0.12%) Kinematics
4 1 (0.12%) Palantir Foundry
4 1 (0.12%) Red Hat Fuse
4 1 (0.12%) Tomcat
Applications
1 17 (2.06%) Microsoft Excel
2 16 (1.94%) Simulink
3 15 (1.82%) Microsoft Project
4 12 (1.45%) CATIA
5 9 (1.09%) Microsoft Office
5 9 (1.09%) Windchill
6 4 (0.48%) Stateflow
7 3 (0.36%) Microsoft PowerPoint
7 3 (0.36%) OrCAD
8 2 (0.24%) Adobe Illustrator
8 2 (0.24%) Photoshop
8 2 (0.24%) Siemens NX
9 1 (0.12%) Adobe XD
9 1 (0.12%) FrameMaker
9 1 (0.12%) MS Visio
Business Applications
1 22 (2.66%) SAP S/4HANA
2 7 (0.85%) Teamcenter
3 6 (0.73%) Primavera
3 6 (0.73%) SAP HR
4 5 (0.61%) SAP GRC
4 5 (0.61%) SAP Payroll
5 4 (0.48%) SAP EHS
5 4 (0.48%) SAP PP
6 3 (0.36%) SAP FI
6 3 (0.36%) SAP QM
7 2 (0.24%) DELMIA
7 2 (0.24%) ENOVIA
7 2 (0.24%) SAP CO
7 2 (0.24%) SAP FI/CO
8 1 (0.12%) Remedy ITSM
8 1 (0.12%) SAP CCM
8 1 (0.12%) SAP ERP
8 1 (0.12%) SAP FI-GL
8 1 (0.12%) SAP HCM
8 1 (0.12%) SAP PM
Cloud Services
1 85 (10.29%) Azure
2 34 (4.12%) AWS
3 27 (3.27%) Azure DevOps
4 22 (2.66%) GCP
5 21 (2.54%) Power Platform
6 14 (1.69%) GitHub
7 13 (1.57%) Dynamics 365
7 13 (1.57%) OpenShift
8 8 (0.97%) Entra ID
9 7 (0.85%) GitHub Actions
9 7 (0.85%) Power Automate
10 6 (0.73%) Azure Functions
10 6 (0.73%) Azure Logic Apps
10 6 (0.73%) Cloud Computing
10 6 (0.73%) Google Workspace
10 6 (0.73%) PowerApps
10 6 (0.73%) Serverless
11 4 (0.48%) Google Sheets
11 4 (0.48%) SaaS
12 3 (0.36%) Figma
Communications & Networking
1 19 (2.30%) Wireless
2 14 (1.69%) Ethernet
3 13 (1.57%) DNS
4 12 (1.45%) Software-Defined Radio
5 11 (1.33%) DHCP
5 11 (1.33%) Firewall
6 9 (1.09%) TCP/IP
7 7 (0.85%) VPN
8 3 (0.36%) HTTP
8 3 (0.36%) HTTPS
8 3 (0.36%) Network Security
8 3 (0.36%) Software-Defined Networking
9 2 (0.24%) FTP
9 2 (0.24%) Kerberos
9 2 (0.24%) RS-232
9 2 (0.24%) SSL
10 1 (0.12%) HSRP
10 1 (0.12%) Reverse Proxy
10 1 (0.12%) RS-422
10 1 (0.12%) SpaceWire
Database & Business Intelligence
1 18 (2.18%) Power BI
2 13 (1.57%) Metadata
3 11 (1.33%) NoSQL
4 5 (0.61%) Tableau
5 4 (0.48%) Data Warehouse
5 4 (0.48%) MS Access
5 4 (0.48%) Oracle Reports
5 4 (0.48%) SQL Server
6 3 (0.36%) Big Data
6 3 (0.36%) Hadoop
7 2 (0.24%) PostgreSQL
7 2 (0.24%) Qlik Sense
7 2 (0.24%) SAP HANA
8 1 (0.12%) Amazon Redshift
8 1 (0.12%) Azure SQL Database
8 1 (0.12%) BusinessObjects
8 1 (0.12%) Data Lake
8 1 (0.12%) Power Query
8 1 (0.12%) Relational Database
8 1 (0.12%) SQLite
Development Applications
1 39 (4.72%) Rational DOORS
2 23 (2.78%) Git
3 13 (1.57%) JIRA
4 11 (1.33%) GitLab
5 9 (1.09%) Jenkins
6 3 (0.36%) SonarQube
6 3 (0.36%) Visual Studio
7 2 (0.24%) LabVIEW
8 1 (0.12%) Artifactory
8 1 (0.12%) Atlassian Bamboo
8 1 (0.12%) Eclipse
8 1 (0.12%) eggPlant
8 1 (0.12%) PetaLinux
8 1 (0.12%) Postman
8 1 (0.12%) Rational Rhapsody
8 1 (0.12%) Visual Studio Code
General
1 226 (27.36%) Manufacturing
2 139 (16.83%) Social Skills
3 64 (7.75%) Finance
4 46 (5.57%) Analytical Skills
5 38 (4.60%) Aviation
6 37 (4.48%) Electronics
7 35 (4.24%) Avionics
8 32 (3.87%) Automotive
9 23 (2.78%) Influencing Skills
10 17 (2.06%) Public Sector
11 15 (1.82%) Military
11 15 (1.82%) Telecoms
12 14 (1.69%) Organisational Skills
13 11 (1.33%) Documentation Skills
14 6 (0.73%) Presentation Skills
15 5 (0.61%) Inclusion and Diversity
15 5 (0.61%) Legal
16 4 (0.48%) Law
17 3 (0.36%) Pharmaceutical
17 3 (0.36%) Publishing
Job Titles
1 96 (11.62%) Lead
2 95 (11.50%) Systems Engineer
3 56 (6.78%) Architect
4 54 (6.54%) Senior
4 54 (6.54%) Software Engineer
5 42 (5.08%) Delivery Manager
6 41 (4.96%) Test Engineer
7 37 (4.48%) Developer
8 36 (4.36%) Quality Engineer
9 34 (4.12%) QA Engineer
10 32 (3.87%) Embedded Engineer
11 29 (3.51%) Embedded Software Engineer
12 28 (3.39%) Administrator
13 24 (2.91%) Product Manager
14 23 (2.78%) Analyst
14 23 (2.78%) Data Engineer
14 23 (2.78%) Product Delivery Manager
14 23 (2.78%) Programmer
14 23 (2.78%) Test Technician
15 21 (2.54%) Change Manager
Libraries, Frameworks & Software Standards
1 24 (2.91%) Terraform
2 14 (1.69%) Middleware
3 13 (1.57%) LDAP
4 10 (1.21%) AngularJS
5 8 (0.97%) React
5 8 (0.97%) Redux
5 8 (0.97%) REST
5 8 (0.97%) Vue
6 7 (0.85%) .NET
6 7 (0.85%) ARM Templates
6 7 (0.85%) Backbone.js
6 7 (0.85%) OAuth
6 7 (0.85%) SAML
7 6 (0.73%) Web Services
8 5 (0.61%) XML
9 4 (0.48%) OpenID
9 4 (0.48%) RESTful
9 4 (0.48%) Yocto
10 3 (0.36%) Hibernate
10 3 (0.36%) Spring Boot
Miscellaneous
1 32 (3.87%) Product Ownership
2 27 (3.27%) Management Information System
3 25 (3.03%) Self-Motivation
4 21 (2.54%) Embedded Systems
5 20 (2.42%) FPGA
6 16 (1.94%) Hybrid Cloud
7 14 (1.69%) Data Structures
8 12 (1.45%) Enterprise Software
9 11 (1.33%) Cyber Threat
9 11 (1.33%) PCIe
9 11 (1.33%) Virtual Team
10 10 (1.21%) Algorithms
10 10 (1.21%) Onboarding
11 9 (1.09%) Cloud Native
12 8 (0.97%) VHDL
13 7 (0.85%) Operational Technology
13 7 (0.85%) Verilog
14 6 (0.73%) Analogue Electronics
15 5 (0.61%) Enterprise Cloud
16 4 (0.48%) Greenfield Project
Operating Systems
1 29 (3.51%) Linux
2 21 (2.54%) Windows
3 13 (1.57%) Windows Server
4 8 (0.97%) Red Hat Enterprise Linux
5 6 (0.73%) Embedded Linux
6 5 (0.61%) CentOS
6 5 (0.61%) FreeRTOS
7 3 (0.36%) Mac OS
7 3 (0.36%) Ubuntu
8 2 (0.24%) Windows Server 2012
9 1 (0.12%) Unix
Processes & Methodologies
1 132 (15.98%) Stakeholder Management
2 118 (14.29%) Agile
3 101 (12.23%) Continuous Improvement
4 97 (11.74%) Software Engineering
5 83 (10.05%) Roadmaps
6 71 (8.60%) Cybersecurity
7 68 (8.23%) Problem-Solving
8 64 (7.75%) Digital Engineering
9 59 (7.14%) Stakeholder Engagement
10 56 (6.78%) Technical Leadership
11 55 (6.66%) DevOps
12 53 (6.42%) Validation
13 50 (6.05%) Risk Management
14 46 (5.57%) Systems Engineering
15 43 (5.21%) CI/CD
15 43 (5.21%) Computer Science
15 43 (5.21%) Digital Transformation Programme
16 40 (4.84%) ITIL
17 39 (4.72%) Decision-Making
18 36 (4.36%) PRINCE2
Programming Languages
1 52 (6.30%) Python
2 30 (3.63%) SQL
3 23 (2.78%) C
4 21 (2.54%) PowerShell
5 20 (2.42%) MATLAB
6 19 (2.30%) Ada
7 17 (2.06%) C++
8 15 (1.82%) Java
8 15 (1.82%) JavaScript
9 11 (1.33%) Bash
10 9 (1.09%) C#
11 8 (0.97%) Bicep
12 7 (0.85%) SystemVerilog
13 4 (0.48%) Shell Script
13 4 (0.48%) X++
14 2 (0.24%) Rust
15 1 (0.12%) ABAP
15 1 (0.12%) Ada 95
15 1 (0.12%) Embedded C++
15 1 (0.12%) Scala
Qualifications
1 322 (38.98%) Security Cleared
2 249 (30.15%) SC Cleared
3 116 (14.04%) Degree
4 39 (4.72%) BPSS Clearance
5 33 (4.00%) CISSP
6 31 (3.75%) DV Cleared
7 29 (3.51%) Azure Certification
8 15 (1.82%) Computer Science Degree
9 14 (1.69%) HNC
9 14 (1.69%) PMI Certification
10 13 (1.57%) PMP
11 12 (1.45%) Cisco Certification
11 12 (1.45%) Microsoft Certification
12 11 (1.33%) Chartered Engineer
12 11 (1.33%) CISM
13 10 (1.21%) (ISC)2 CCSP
13 10 (1.21%) TOGAF Certification
14 9 (1.09%) CEH
14 9 (1.09%) NVQ Level 4
15 8 (0.97%) CompTIA Security+
Quality Assurance & Compliance
1 45 (5.45%) QA
2 34 (4.12%) ISO/IEC 27001
3 25 (3.03%) NIST
4 23 (2.78%) Def Stans
5 16 (1.94%) GRC
6 15 (1.82%) GDPR
7 14 (1.69%) Data Quality
8 12 (1.45%) NCSC
9 9 (1.09%) IEC 61508
9 9 (1.09%) NIST 800
10 8 (0.97%) DO-254
10 8 (0.97%) SLA
11 7 (0.85%) ISO 9001
12 6 (0.73%) PMO
13 4 (0.48%) Cyber Essentials
13 4 (0.48%) Cyber Essentials PLUS
14 3 (0.36%) DO-160
14 3 (0.36%) JSP 440
15 2 (0.24%) ARP4761
15 2 (0.24%) MIL-STD-1553
System Software
1 21 (2.54%) Active Directory
2 16 (1.94%) Docker
3 15 (1.82%) Firmware
4 10 (1.21%) VMware Infrastructure
5 7 (0.85%) Hyper-V
6 6 (0.73%) Embedded Firmware
7 3 (0.36%) vSphere
8 2 (0.24%) Virtual Machines
8 2 (0.24%) VMware ESXi
9 1 (0.12%) IAG
9 1 (0.12%) NFS
Systems Management
1 25 (3.03%) Kubernetes
2 21 (2.54%) Ansible
3 7 (0.85%) Functional Safety
4 4 (0.48%) Grafana
5 3 (0.36%) Check_MK
5 3 (0.36%) Istio
5 3 (0.36%) Jamf Pro
5 3 (0.36%) MOM
5 3 (0.36%) Podman
5 3 (0.36%) Red Hat Satellite
6 2 (0.24%) Active Directory Federation Services
6 2 (0.24%) Argo
6 2 (0.24%) Prometheus
6 2 (0.24%) Single Sign-On
7 1 (0.12%) Nagios
7 1 (0.12%) PTC Integrity
7 1 (0.12%) RSA Archer
7 1 (0.12%) SolarWinds Orion
Vendors
1 90 (10.90%) Microsoft
2 71 (8.60%) SAP
3 24 (2.91%) EMC
4 16 (1.94%) Google
5 14 (1.69%) VMware
6 10 (1.21%) Xilinx
7 8 (0.97%) Red Hat
8 6 (0.73%) Altera
8 6 (0.73%) Intel
8 6 (0.73%) Microsemi
8 6 (0.73%) Oracle
8 6 (0.73%) PTC
8 6 (0.73%) ServiceNow
8 6 (0.73%) Siemens
9 5 (0.61%) Adobe
9 5 (0.61%) IBM
10 4 (0.48%) Cisco
10 4 (0.48%) Okta
10 4 (0.48%) Ping Identity
10 4 (0.48%) Workday