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 2 February 2026, comparing them to the same period in the previous two years.

6 months to
2 Feb 2026
Same period 2025 Same period 2024
Rank 293 392 296
Rank change year-on-year +99 -96 +106
Contract jobs citing Aerospace 333 141 349
As % of all contract jobs in the UK 0.87% 0.45% 0.77%
As % of the General category 1.47% 0.73% 1.32%
Number of daily rates quoted 104 36 82
10th Percentile £107 £363 £319
25th Percentile £361 £425 £450
Median daily rate (50th Percentile) £500 £548 £617
Median % change year-on-year -8.76% -11.15% +12.14%
75th Percentile £603 £646 £675
90th Percentile £696 £696 £749
UK excluding London median daily rate £478 £547 £600
% change year-on-year -12.61% -8.83% +8.11%
Number of hourly rates quoted 139 37 155
10th Percentile £31.30 £29.56 £21.25
25th Percentile £42.00 £39.68 £40.00
Median hourly rate £57.35 £60.00 £55.00
Median % change year-on-year -4.42% +9.09% -15.38%
75th Percentile £69.37 £67.50 £68.13
90th Percentile £76.50 £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 22,707 19,264 26,512
As % of all contract IT jobs advertised in the UK 59.09% 62.00% 58.82%
Number of daily rates quoted 14,252 11,463 17,188
10th Percentile £285 £281 £265
25th Percentile £400 £409 £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 £730 £763 £750
UK excluding London median daily rate £475 £481 £500
% change year-on-year -1.14% -3.90% -
Number of hourly rates quoted 1,385 621 1,614
10th Percentile £13.72 £15.62 £13.02
25th Percentile £16.25 £20.12 £15.13
Median hourly rate £22.50 £28.60 £25.71
Median % change year-on-year -21.33% +11.24% +2.84%
75th Percentile £47.00 £53.75 £55.00
90th Percentile £70.00 £74.75 £67.87
UK excluding London median hourly rate £21.28 £26.50 £24.65
% change year-on-year -19.72% +7.51% +7.91%

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 2 February 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 2 February 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 2 February 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 +65 285 £478 -12.61% 363
England +67 279 £500 -8.76% 371
South West +36 91 £450 -17.88% 87
East of England +28 74 £492 -18.00% 56
Work from Home +6 56 £450 -32.94% 127
South East +1 42 £581 +28.04% 106
Midlands -50 25 £650 +92.59% 37
Scotland +25 24 £65 -84.71% 20
London -16 24 £650 +7.88% 33
North of England -46 21 £164 -71.82% 65
East Midlands -15 16 £650 - 10
North West -31 14 £250 -57.08% 51
West Midlands -45 9 - - 27
Wales +5 8 £550 - 6
North East -8 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 (1.50%) SharePoint
2 4 (1.20%) CMS
3 3 (0.90%) Confluence
4 2 (0.60%) Apache
5 1 (0.30%) Alfresco
5 1 (0.30%) Apache Spark
5 1 (0.30%) Documentum
5 1 (0.30%) Jupyter
5 1 (0.30%) Oracle Workflow
Applications
1 12 (3.60%) Microsoft Excel
2 8 (2.40%) Microsoft Office
3 7 (2.10%) Simulink
4 5 (1.50%) Stateflow
5 4 (1.20%) FrameMaker
6 3 (0.90%) Microsoft PowerPoint
6 3 (0.90%) Siemens NX
7 2 (0.60%) Microsoft Project
8 1 (0.30%) CATIA
8 1 (0.30%) PTC Creo
8 1 (0.30%) Windchill
Business Applications
1 18 (5.41%) SAP S/4HANA
2 11 (3.30%) Teamcenter
3 9 (2.70%) SAP EHS
4 5 (1.50%) SAP HCM
5 3 (0.90%) 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%) 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 (3.90%) Azure
2 7 (2.10%) AWS
3 6 (1.80%) Microsoft 365
4 5 (1.50%) Power Platform
5 4 (1.20%) Azure DevOps
5 4 (1.20%) Google Workspace
5 4 (1.20%) OpenShift
6 3 (0.90%) GitHub
6 3 (0.90%) GitHub Actions
7 2 (0.60%) Smartsheet
8 1 (0.30%) AWS CloudFormation
8 1 (0.30%) Azure ExpressRoute
8 1 (0.30%) Azure Monitor
8 1 (0.30%) Azure Sentinel
8 1 (0.30%) Entra ID
8 1 (0.30%) SuccessFactors
Communications & Networking
1 8 (2.40%) Firewall
2 6 (1.80%) PABX
3 4 (1.20%) DHCP
3 4 (1.20%) DNS
4 3 (0.90%) Ethernet
4 3 (0.90%) Network Security
4 3 (0.90%) 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 5 (1.50%) Power BI
2 3 (0.90%) MongoDB
3 2 (0.60%) Metadata
3 2 (0.60%) SAP HANA
4 1 (0.30%) Elasticsearch
4 1 (0.30%) Hadoop
Development Applications
1 12 (3.60%) Git
1 12 (3.60%) Rational DOORS
2 10 (3.00%) GitLab
3 6 (1.80%) Jenkins
4 5 (1.50%) Rational Team Concert
5 3 (0.90%) Maven
6 2 (0.60%) JIRA
6 2 (0.60%) Rational Rhapsody
6 2 (0.60%) Visual Studio
7 1 (0.30%) Artifactory
7 1 (0.30%) SonarQube
7 1 (0.30%) Subversion
General
1 77 (23.12%) Manufacturing
2 68 (20.42%) Social Skills
3 24 (7.21%) Automotive
4 21 (6.31%) Aviation
5 18 (5.41%) Electronics
6 14 (4.20%) Documentation Skills
7 12 (3.60%) Analytical Skills
7 12 (3.60%) Organisational Skills
8 11 (3.30%) Pharmaceutical
9 10 (3.00%) Military
10 8 (2.40%) Finance
11 7 (2.10%) Publishing
12 5 (1.50%) Avionics
12 5 (1.50%) Legal
12 5 (1.50%) Public Sector
13 4 (1.20%) Environmental Health
13 4 (1.20%) Influencing Skills
14 3 (0.90%) Telecoms
15 2 (0.60%) Inclusion and Diversity
16 1 (0.30%) Presentation Skills
Job Titles
1 41 (12.31%) Software Engineer
2 40 (12.01%) Systems Engineer
3 34 (10.21%) Senior
4 24 (7.21%) Support Engineer
5 21 (6.31%) Lead
6 20 (6.01%) Principal Engineer
7 18 (5.41%) Architect
7 18 (5.41%) Technical Support
8 15 (4.50%) Consultant
8 15 (4.50%) Technical Engineer
9 14 (4.20%) Technical Support Engineer
10 13 (3.90%) Electrical Engineer
11 12 (3.60%) Administrator
12 11 (3.30%) Analyst
12 11 (3.30%) Test Engineer
13 9 (2.70%) IT Engineer
13 9 (2.70%) Principal Software Engineer
13 9 (2.70%) Project Engineer
14 8 (2.40%) Embedded Engineer
14 8 (2.40%) Project Manager
Libraries, Frameworks & Software Standards
1 12 (3.60%) SAP Fiori
2 10 (3.00%) Middleware
3 7 (2.10%) XML
4 5 (1.50%) LDAP
5 4 (1.20%) Elastic Stack
5 4 (1.20%) HTML
5 4 (1.20%) Kafka
5 4 (1.20%) REST
6 3 (0.90%) Flash
6 3 (0.90%) ModSecurity
6 3 (0.90%) OpenID
6 3 (0.90%) Qt
6 3 (0.90%) SAML
6 3 (0.90%) SGML
6 3 (0.90%) 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%) Quarkus
Miscellaneous
1 17 (5.11%) Self-Motivation
2 14 (4.20%) FPGA
3 12 (3.60%) Management Information System
4 10 (3.00%) Operational Technology
5 9 (2.70%) Legacy Systems
6 8 (2.40%) VHDL
7 7 (2.10%) Data Protection Act
7 7 (2.10%) SCADA
8 6 (1.80%) Data Centre
8 6 (1.80%) PCIe
8 6 (1.80%) Smartphone
9 5 (1.50%) Greenfield Project
9 5 (1.50%) Security Posture
10 4 (1.20%) Algorithms
10 4 (1.20%) Learning Management System
10 4 (1.20%) Product Ownership
11 3 (0.90%) CAN bus
11 3 (0.90%) State Machine
11 3 (0.90%) Verilog
12 2 (0.60%) Cloud Native
Operating Systems
1 24 (7.21%) Windows
2 19 (5.71%) Linux
3 6 (1.80%) Red Hat Enterprise Linux
3 6 (1.80%) Windows 10
4 5 (1.50%) CentOS
4 5 (1.50%) Windows Server
5 3 (0.90%) Ubuntu
5 3 (0.90%) Windows Server 2016
5 3 (0.90%) 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 53 (15.92%) Software Engineering
2 31 (9.31%) Continuous Improvement
2 31 (9.31%) Validation
3 28 (8.41%) Problem-Solving
4 27 (8.11%) Stakeholder Engagement
5 26 (7.81%) Stakeholder Management
6 25 (7.51%) Systems Engineering
7 23 (6.91%) Cybersecurity
8 21 (6.31%) Configuration Management
9 20 (6.01%) Agile
10 19 (5.71%) Project Management
11 17 (5.11%) Data Management
12 16 (4.80%) PLM
12 16 (4.80%) Risk Management
13 15 (4.50%) Analytics
13 15 (4.50%) Software Testing
14 14 (4.20%) Verification and Validation
14 14 (4.20%) Workflow
15 13 (3.90%) AI
15 13 (3.90%) Logistics
Programming Languages
1 26 (7.81%) Ada
2 24 (7.21%) C++
3 23 (6.91%) C
4 17 (5.11%) Python
5 16 (4.80%) MATLAB
6 9 (2.70%) C#
7 7 (2.10%) PowerShell
8 6 (1.80%) Shell Script
9 5 (1.50%) Fortran
9 5 (1.50%) Java
10 4 (1.20%) JavaScript
11 3 (0.90%) Bash
11 3 (0.90%) SQL
11 3 (0.90%) SystemVerilog
12 1 (0.30%) ABAP
12 1 (0.30%) Embedded C++
12 1 (0.30%) Google Apps Script
12 1 (0.30%) SAPscript
12 1 (0.30%) TypeScript
12 1 (0.30%) VBA
Qualifications
1 154 (46.25%) Security Cleared
2 101 (30.33%) SC Cleared
3 34 (10.21%) Degree
4 22 (6.61%) DV Cleared
5 19 (5.71%) BPSS Clearance
6 5 (1.50%) Microsoft Certification
7 4 (1.20%) CISM
7 4 (1.20%) CISSP
7 4 (1.20%) HNC
7 4 (1.20%) PMP
8 3 (0.90%) AWS Certification
8 3 (0.90%) Azure Certification
8 3 (0.90%) Cisco Certification
8 3 (0.90%) CompTIA Security+
8 3 (0.90%) Computer Science Degree
8 3 (0.90%) HND
8 3 (0.90%) 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 (5.41%) Def Stans
2 17 (5.11%) QA
3 10 (3.00%) NIST
4 8 (2.40%) SLA
5 6 (1.80%) Cyber Essentials
5 6 (1.80%) ECSS
5 6 (1.80%) ISO 9001
6 5 (1.50%) Cyber Essentials PLUS
6 5 (1.50%) NCSC
7 4 (1.20%) IEC 61508
7 4 (1.20%) JSP 440
7 4 (1.20%) NIST 800
8 3 (0.90%) GRC
8 3 (0.90%) ISO/IEC 27001
8 3 (0.90%) MISRA
8 3 (0.90%) MISRA C
9 2 (0.60%) Data Quality
9 2 (0.60%) DO-254
9 2 (0.60%) MIL-STD-1553
9 2 (0.60%) PMO
System Software
1 14 (4.20%) Active Directory
2 7 (2.10%) VMware Infrastructure
3 5 (1.50%) Docker
3 5 (1.50%) Firmware
4 4 (1.20%) 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 (3.30%) Ansible
2 8 (2.40%) Kubernetes
2 8 (2.40%) Podman
3 5 (1.50%) Check_MK
3 5 (1.50%) Red Hat Satellite
4 4 (1.20%) Grafana
4 4 (1.20%) Prometheus
4 4 (1.20%) Terraform
5 3 (0.90%) Microsoft Data Protection Manager
5 3 (0.90%) PingFederate
6 2 (0.60%) Cisco Prime
7 1 (0.30%) Argo
7 1 (0.30%) Iperf
7 1 (0.30%) Kibana
7 1 (0.30%) logstash
7 1 (0.30%) MOM
7 1 (0.30%) Nmap
7 1 (0.30%) Single Sign-On
7 1 (0.30%) Wonderware InTouch
Vendors
1 37 (11.11%) SAP
2 23 (6.91%) VMware
3 15 (4.50%) Microsoft
4 11 (3.30%) ServiceNow
5 10 (3.00%) Cisco
5 10 (3.00%) Red Hat
5 10 (3.00%) Siemens
6 8 (2.40%) Twitter
7 5 (1.50%) MathWorks
7 5 (1.50%) Xilinx
8 4 (1.20%) Google
8 4 (1.20%) Oracle
9 3 (0.90%) Altera
9 3 (0.90%) Databricks
9 3 (0.90%) HubSpot
9 3 (0.90%) Intel
9 3 (0.90%) Palo Alto
9 3 (0.90%) Ping Identity
9 3 (0.90%) Salesforce
9 3 (0.90%) Veeam