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

6 months to
12 Jan 2026
Same period 2025 Same period 2024
Rank 295 371 331
Rank change year-on-year +76 -40 +57
Contract jobs citing Aerospace 316 156 276
As % of all contract jobs in the UK 0.87% 0.50% 0.64%
As % of the General category 1.45% 0.80% 1.09%
Number of daily rates quoted 100 45 80
10th Percentile £176 £336 £317
25th Percentile £313 £400 £450
Median daily rate (50th Percentile) £500 £548 £594
Median % change year-on-year -8.76% -7.71% +4.27%
75th Percentile £605 £671 £673
90th Percentile £675 £717 £750
UK excluding London median daily rate £485 £506 £575
% change year-on-year -4.20% -11.96% +0.98%
Number of hourly rates quoted 131 38 108
10th Percentile £30.00 £26.17 £27.13
25th Percentile £42.00 £41.19 £40.88
Median hourly rate £55.00 £61.50 £56.75
Median % change year-on-year -10.57% +8.37% -12.69%
75th Percentile £67.50 £69.69 £65.00
90th Percentile £76.25 £75.00 £73.06
UK excluding London median hourly rate £57.35 £62.50 £55.00
% change year-on-year -8.24% +13.64% -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 21,812 19,390 25,371
As % of all contract IT jobs advertised in the UK 60.18% 61.53% 59.08%
Number of daily rates quoted 13,672 11,541 16,651
10th Percentile £284 £283 £270
25th Percentile £400 £410 £413
Median daily rate (50th Percentile) £500 £525 £540
Median % change year-on-year -4.76% -2.78% -1.82%
75th Percentile £625 £650 £650
90th Percentile £728 £763 £750
UK excluding London median daily rate £475 £481 £500
% change year-on-year -1.14% -3.90% -
Number of hourly rates quoted 1,355 640 1,182
10th Percentile £13.80 £15.48 £14.00
25th Percentile £16.50 £19.52 £16.25
Median hourly rate £23.00 £27.19 £30.00
Median % change year-on-year -15.40% -9.38% +20.00%
75th Percentile £46.00 £52.81 £57.46
90th Percentile £70.00 £72.61 £70.45
UK excluding London median hourly rate £21.46 £26.00 £28.68
% change year-on-year -17.45% -9.36% +27.47%

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 12 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 12 January 2026.

Hourly rate histogram for Aerospace in the UK

Aerospace
Top 16 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 12 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
England +57 272 £510 -6.93% 406
UK excluding London +64 271 £485 -4.20% 419
East of England +28 76 £500 +25.00% 61
South West +18 75 £449 -18.08% 96
Work from Home -5 48 £480 -24.41% 130
South East +6 39 £578 +21.68% 116
Midlands -41 28 £559 +56.77% 45
London -3 26 £591 +1.81% 18
North of England -38 25 £345 -41.03% 81
Scotland +20 20 £65 -84.71% 19
East Midlands -14 17 £650 +73.33% 25
North West -29 17 £425 -27.35% 47
West Midlands -37 11 £275 -18.52% 20
Wales +5 8 £550 - 17
North East -3 6 £70 - 7
Yorkshire - 2 £345 - 27

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 (1.58%) SharePoint
2 4 (1.27%) CMS
2 4 (1.27%) Confluence
3 3 (0.95%) Apache
4 1 (0.32%) Alfresco
4 1 (0.32%) Apache Spark
4 1 (0.32%) Documentum
4 1 (0.32%) Jupyter
4 1 (0.32%) Oracle Workflow
Applications
1 15 (4.75%) Microsoft Excel
2 10 (3.16%) Siemens NX
3 8 (2.53%) Microsoft Office
4 7 (2.22%) Simulink
5 6 (1.90%) FrameMaker
6 5 (1.58%) Stateflow
7 3 (0.95%) Microsoft PowerPoint
8 2 (0.63%) Microsoft Project
9 1 (0.32%) MS Visio
9 1 (0.32%) PTC Creo
9 1 (0.32%) Windchill
Business Applications
1 16 (5.06%) SAP S/4HANA
2 13 (4.11%) Teamcenter
3 9 (2.85%) SAP EHS
4 5 (1.58%) SAP HCM
5 4 (1.27%) Oracle ERP
5 4 (1.27%) Oracle SCM
6 3 (0.95%) SAP PS
7 2 (0.63%) SAP MM
7 2 (0.63%) SAP Oil and Gas
8 1 (0.32%) Primavera
8 1 (0.32%) Remedy ITSM
8 1 (0.32%) SAP Payroll
Cloud Services
1 13 (4.11%) Azure
2 7 (2.22%) AWS
3 6 (1.90%) Microsoft 365
3 6 (1.90%) Power Platform
4 4 (1.27%) Azure DevOps
4 4 (1.27%) Google Workspace
4 4 (1.27%) OCI
4 4 (1.27%) OpenShift
5 3 (0.95%) GitHub
5 3 (0.95%) GitHub Actions
6 2 (0.63%) Smartsheet
7 1 (0.32%) AWS CloudFormation
7 1 (0.32%) Azure ExpressRoute
7 1 (0.32%) Azure Monitor
7 1 (0.32%) Azure Sentinel
7 1 (0.32%) Entra ID
7 1 (0.32%) Lucidchart
Communications & Networking
1 8 (2.53%) Firewall
2 6 (1.90%) DHCP
2 6 (1.90%) DNS
2 6 (1.90%) PABX
3 4 (1.27%) VPN
4 3 (0.95%) Ethernet
4 3 (0.95%) TCP/IP
4 3 (0.95%) Wireless
5 2 (0.63%) Network Security
5 2 (0.63%) PBX
5 2 (0.63%) SD-WAN
5 2 (0.63%) SNMP
5 2 (0.63%) WAN
6 1 (0.32%) Cisco ASA
6 1 (0.32%) Cisco IOS
6 1 (0.32%) Cisco Wireless
6 1 (0.32%) NX-OS
6 1 (0.32%) RS-232
6 1 (0.32%) SAN
6 1 (0.32%) Wi-Fi
Database & Business Intelligence
1 6 (1.90%) Power BI
2 3 (0.95%) MongoDB
3 2 (0.63%) Metadata
4 1 (0.32%) Crystal Reports
4 1 (0.32%) Elasticsearch
4 1 (0.32%) Hadoop
4 1 (0.32%) PostgreSQL
4 1 (0.32%) SAP HANA
Development Applications
1 14 (4.43%) Git
2 12 (3.80%) GitLab
3 10 (3.16%) Rational DOORS
4 7 (2.22%) Jenkins
5 6 (1.90%) JIRA
6 5 (1.58%) Rational Team Concert
7 3 (0.95%) Maven
8 2 (0.63%) Artifactory
8 2 (0.63%) Rational Rhapsody
8 2 (0.63%) Visual Studio
9 1 (0.32%) Bitbucket
9 1 (0.32%) Selenium
9 1 (0.32%) SonarQube
9 1 (0.32%) Subversion
General
1 79 (25.00%) Manufacturing
2 70 (22.15%) Social Skills
3 26 (8.23%) Automotive
4 24 (7.59%) Analytical Skills
5 21 (6.65%) Aviation
6 16 (5.06%) Electronics
7 15 (4.75%) Organisational Skills
8 14 (4.43%) Finance
9 12 (3.80%) Documentation Skills
10 11 (3.48%) Pharmaceutical
11 10 (3.16%) Publishing
12 9 (2.85%) Military
13 6 (1.90%) Influencing Skills
14 5 (1.58%) Public Sector
15 4 (1.27%) Environmental Health
15 4 (1.27%) Legal
16 3 (0.95%) Avionics
16 3 (0.95%) Telecoms
17 2 (0.63%) Inclusion and Diversity
18 1 (0.32%) Presentation Skills
Job Titles
1 37 (11.71%) Systems Engineer
2 32 (10.13%) Senior
3 31 (9.81%) Software Engineer
4 21 (6.65%) Architect
4 21 (6.65%) Lead
4 21 (6.65%) Support Engineer
5 13 (4.11%) Administrator
5 13 (4.11%) Analyst
5 13 (4.11%) Electrical Engineer
6 12 (3.80%) Consultant
6 12 (3.80%) Test Engineer
7 11 (3.48%) Principal Engineer
8 10 (3.16%) Technical Engineer
8 10 (3.16%) Technical Support
9 9 (2.85%) IT Engineer
9 9 (2.85%) Technical Support Engineer
10 7 (2.22%) Business Analyst
10 7 (2.22%) C++ Software Engineer
10 7 (2.22%) Desktop Engineer
10 7 (2.22%) Desktop Support Engineer
Libraries, Frameworks & Software Standards
1 11 (3.48%) SAP Fiori
2 10 (3.16%) XML
3 9 (2.85%) Middleware
4 6 (1.90%) SGML
5 5 (1.58%) Kafka
5 5 (1.58%) LDAP
6 4 (1.27%) Elastic Stack
6 4 (1.27%) HTML
6 4 (1.27%) REST
7 3 (0.95%) Apache NiFi
7 3 (0.95%) Flash
7 3 (0.95%) ModSecurity
7 3 (0.95%) OpenID
7 3 (0.95%) SAML
7 3 (0.95%) Spring Boot
8 2 (0.63%) Qt
8 2 (0.63%) SailPoint
8 2 (0.63%) Unity (Game Engine)
8 2 (0.63%) Unreal Engine
9 1 (0.32%) AngularJS
Miscellaneous
1 17 (5.38%) Self-Motivation
2 13 (4.11%) FPGA
3 12 (3.80%) Management Information System
4 10 (3.16%) Operational Technology
5 9 (2.85%) Analytical Mindset
5 9 (2.85%) Legacy Systems
6 8 (2.53%) PCIe
7 7 (2.22%) Data Protection Act
7 7 (2.22%) Product Ownership
7 7 (2.22%) SCADA
7 7 (2.22%) VHDL
8 6 (1.90%) Data Centre
8 6 (1.90%) Smartphone
9 5 (1.58%) Greenfield Project
9 5 (1.58%) State Machine
10 4 (1.27%) Learning Management System
11 2 (0.63%) Algorithms
11 2 (0.63%) CAN bus
11 2 (0.63%) Cloud Native
11 2 (0.63%) Industrial Internet of Things
Operating Systems
1 30 (9.49%) Windows
2 21 (6.65%) Linux
3 6 (1.90%) Red Hat Enterprise Linux
3 6 (1.90%) Windows 10
4 5 (1.58%) CentOS
4 5 (1.58%) Windows Server
5 3 (0.95%) Ubuntu
5 3 (0.95%) Windows Server 2016
5 3 (0.95%) Windows Server 2019
6 2 (0.63%) Debian
6 2 (0.63%) Mac OS
7 1 (0.32%) FreeRTOS
7 1 (0.32%) Windows Server 2003
7 1 (0.32%) Windows Server 2008
Processes & Methodologies
1 41 (12.97%) Software Engineering
2 30 (9.49%) Continuous Improvement
3 27 (8.54%) Problem-Solving
4 25 (7.91%) Stakeholder Management
5 24 (7.59%) Systems Engineering
6 23 (7.28%) Validation
7 22 (6.96%) Stakeholder Engagement
8 20 (6.33%) Cybersecurity
9 18 (5.70%) Agile
9 18 (5.70%) Mentoring
9 18 (5.70%) PLM
10 17 (5.38%) Project Management
11 16 (5.06%) Software Testing
12 15 (4.75%) AI
12 15 (4.75%) Use Case
12 15 (4.75%) Workflow
13 14 (4.43%) Analytics
13 14 (4.43%) Coaching
13 14 (4.43%) Configuration Management
13 14 (4.43%) Knowledge Management
Programming Languages
1 23 (7.28%) C++
2 20 (6.33%) C
3 19 (6.01%) Python
4 15 (4.75%) Ada
5 13 (4.11%) MATLAB
6 11 (3.48%) C#
7 8 (2.53%) PowerShell
8 6 (1.90%) Shell Script
9 5 (1.58%) Fortran
9 5 (1.58%) Java
10 4 (1.27%) JavaScript
10 4 (1.27%) SQL
11 2 (0.63%) Bash
11 2 (0.63%) SystemVerilog
12 1 (0.32%) Embedded C++
12 1 (0.32%) Go
12 1 (0.32%) Google Apps Script
12 1 (0.32%) SAPscript
12 1 (0.32%) TypeScript
12 1 (0.32%) VBA
Qualifications
1 138 (43.67%) Security Cleared
2 102 (32.28%) SC Cleared
3 43 (13.61%) Degree
4 20 (6.33%) BPSS Clearance
5 11 (3.48%) DV Cleared
6 7 (2.22%) HNC
6 7 (2.22%) Microsoft Certification
7 6 (1.90%) HND
8 4 (1.27%) Computer Science Degree
9 3 (0.95%) AWS Certification
9 3 (0.95%) Azure Certification
9 3 (0.95%) CISM
9 3 (0.95%) CISSP
9 3 (0.95%) CompTIA Security+
9 3 (0.95%) PMI Certification
9 3 (0.95%) PMP
10 2 (0.63%) A+ Certification
10 2 (0.63%) CCNA
10 2 (0.63%) Cisco Certification
10 2 (0.63%) Master's Degree
Quality Assurance & Compliance
1 18 (5.70%) QA
2 15 (4.75%) Def Stans
3 11 (3.48%) NIST
4 8 (2.53%) SLA
5 6 (1.90%) Cyber Essentials
5 6 (1.90%) ECSS
5 6 (1.90%) ISO 9001
6 5 (1.58%) Cyber Essentials PLUS
6 5 (1.58%) ISO/IEC 27001
6 5 (1.58%) JSP 440
6 5 (1.58%) NCSC
6 5 (1.58%) NIST 800
7 4 (1.27%) GDPR
8 3 (0.95%) IEC 61508
8 3 (0.95%) MISRA
8 3 (0.95%) MISRA C
9 2 (0.63%) Actionable Recommendations
9 2 (0.63%) ISO/IEC 42001
9 2 (0.63%) PMO
9 2 (0.63%) Software Quality Assurance
System Software
1 14 (4.43%) Active Directory
2 7 (2.22%) VMware Infrastructure
3 6 (1.90%) Firmware
4 5 (1.58%) Docker
5 4 (1.27%) Hyper-V
6 2 (0.63%) QEMU
7 1 (0.32%) Slurm Workload Manager
7 1 (0.32%) Terminal Services
7 1 (0.32%) Virtual Machines
Systems Management
1 12 (3.80%) Ansible
2 9 (2.85%) Kubernetes
3 8 (2.53%) Podman
4 5 (1.58%) Check_MK
4 5 (1.58%) Red Hat Satellite
4 5 (1.58%) Terraform
5 4 (1.27%) Grafana
5 4 (1.27%) Prometheus
6 3 (0.95%) Microsoft Data Protection Manager
6 3 (0.95%) PingFederate
7 2 (0.63%) Argo
8 1 (0.32%) Cisco Prime
8 1 (0.32%) Kibana
8 1 (0.32%) logstash
8 1 (0.32%) MOM
8 1 (0.32%) Single Sign-On
8 1 (0.32%) Wonderware InTouch
Vendors
1 36 (11.39%) SAP
2 23 (7.28%) VMware
3 19 (6.01%) Microsoft
4 14 (4.43%) Siemens
5 13 (4.11%) ServiceNow
6 11 (3.48%) Cisco
6 11 (3.48%) Red Hat
7 8 (2.53%) Oracle
8 5 (1.58%) MathWorks
9 4 (1.27%) Google
9 4 (1.27%) Palo Alto
9 4 (1.27%) Twitter
9 4 (1.27%) Xilinx
10 3 (0.95%) Databricks
10 3 (0.95%) HubSpot
10 3 (0.95%) IBM
10 3 (0.95%) Ping Identity
10 3 (0.95%) Salesforce
10 3 (0.95%) Veeam
11 2 (0.63%) CheckPoint