IBM Contract Job Trends

IBM
UK

The table below provides summary statistics for contract job vacancies requiring knowledge or experience of IBM products and/or services. It includes a benchmarking guide to contractor rates offered in vacancies that cited IBM over the 6 months leading up to 29 January 2026, comparing them to the same period in the previous two years.

The figures below represent the IT contractor job market in general and are not representative of contractor rates within the International Business Machines Corporation.

6 months to
29 Jan 2026
Same period 2025 Same period 2024
Rank 291 237 201
Rank change year-on-year -54 -36 +106
Contract jobs citing IBM 341 342 497
As % of all contract jobs in the UK 0.89% 1.09% 1.13%
As % of the Vendors category 1.94% 2.36% 2.58%
Number of daily rates quoted 213 165 309
10th Percentile £308 £319 £406
25th Percentile £394 £413 £442
Median daily rate (50th Percentile) £466 £500 £550
Median % change year-on-year -6.90% -9.09% +4.76%
75th Percentile £550 £611 £650
90th Percentile £688 £681 £770
UK excluding London median daily rate £448 £450 £500
% change year-on-year -0.44% -10.00% -
Number of hourly rates quoted 21 21 21
10th Percentile £25.77 - £62.50
25th Percentile £51.25 £24.18 £65.00
Median hourly rate £65.00 £46.18 £70.00
Median % change year-on-year +40.75% -34.03% +64.01%
75th Percentile £70.00 £68.75 -
90th Percentile - - -
UK excluding London median hourly rate £70.00 £46.18 £70.00
% change year-on-year +51.58% -34.03% +68.16%

All Vendors
UK

IBM falls under the Vendor Products and Services category. For comparison with the information above, the following table provides summary statistics for all contract job vacancies requiring knowledge or experience of all vendor products and services.

Contract vacancies with a requirement for knowledge or experience of vendor products and services 17,609 14,510 19,245
As % of all contract IT jobs advertised in the UK 45.75% 46.09% 43.90%
Number of daily rates quoted 11,336 8,569 12,142
10th Percentile £300 £284 £250
25th Percentile £410 £409 £400
Median daily rate (50th Percentile) £500 £523 £525
Median % change year-on-year -4.40% -0.38% -2.33%
75th Percentile £613 £625 £638
90th Percentile £700 £713 £725
UK excluding London median daily rate £500 £500 £500
% change year-on-year -0.10% - -
Number of hourly rates quoted 831 427 856
10th Percentile £15.00 £15.62 £13.05
25th Percentile £17.87 £20.00 £16.25
Median hourly rate £23.83 £27.50 £32.06
Median % change year-on-year -13.36% -14.22% +3.41%
75th Percentile £51.38 £62.00 £60.00
90th Percentile £72.50 £80.00 £70.66
UK excluding London median hourly rate £21.46 £25.00 £30.00
% change year-on-year -14.16% -16.67% +18.76%

IBM
Job Vacancy Trend

Historical trend showing the proportion of contract IT job postings citing IBM relative to all contract IT jobs advertised.

IBM job vacancy trend in the UK

IBM
Daily Rate Trend

Contractor daily rate distribution trend for jobs in the UK citing IBM.

Contractor daily rate distribution trend for jobs in the UK citing IBM

IBM
Daily Rate Histogram

Daily rate distribution for jobs citing IBM over the 6 months to 29 January 2026.

Daily rate histogram for IBM in the UK

IBM
Hourly Rate Trend

Contractor hourly rate distribution trend for jobs in the UK citing IBM.

Contractor hourly rate distribution trend for jobs in the UK citing IBM

IBM
Hourly Rate Histogram

Hourly rate distribution of jobs citing IBM over the 6 months to 29 January 2026.

Hourly rate histogram for IBM in the UK

IBM
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 IBM within the UK over the 6 months to 29 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 -66 299 £471 -5.80% 80
UK excluding London -41 193 £448 -0.44% 62
London -44 108 £490 -6.67% 28
Work from Home -12 102 £484 -3.30% 37
North of England -59 56 £453 +9.82% 15
Midlands -27 49 £400 -13.04% 1
West Midlands -1 48 £400 -12.09% 1
North West -14 40 £453 +18.90% 12
East of England +8 29 £425 - 10
South East -51 25 £525 +24.26% 23
South West -27 21 £700 +16.67% 12
Scotland +3 16 £440 -2.33% 4
Yorkshire -59 16 £463 -3.65% 3
Wales -4 1 - - 1
East Midlands -32 1 £837 +74.27%

IBM
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 24 (7.04%) Confluence
2 23 (6.74%) WebSphere
3 14 (4.11%) Apache
4 12 (3.52%) JBoss
4 12 (3.52%) WebSphere Application Server
5 11 (3.23%) IIS
5 11 (3.23%) SharePoint
6 10 (2.93%) CICS
6 10 (2.93%) iPlanet
6 10 (2.93%) MQSeries
6 10 (2.93%) Oracle SOA Suite
7 8 (2.35%) WebLogic
8 6 (1.76%) ArcGIS
9 4 (1.17%) Anypoint
9 4 (1.17%) nginx
9 4 (1.17%) Tomcat
10 3 (0.88%) Apache Airflow
10 3 (0.88%) Apache Spark
10 3 (0.88%) SAS
11 2 (0.59%) FileNet
Applications
1 10 (2.93%) Microsoft Office
2 9 (2.64%) MS Visio
3 6 (1.76%) Microsoft Excel
4 1 (0.29%) Microsoft Project
Business Applications
1 29 (8.50%) Maximo
2 9 (2.64%) IBM Planning Analytics
3 7 (2.05%) BusinessWorks
4 4 (1.17%) Oracle 11i
5 3 (0.88%) SAP EWM
5 3 (0.88%) SAP PM
5 3 (0.88%) SAP PP
5 3 (0.88%) SAP QM
5 3 (0.88%) SAP S/4HANA
5 3 (0.88%) SAP WM
6 2 (0.59%) Oracle Procure-to-Pay
6 2 (0.59%) Oracle Subledger Accounting
7 1 (0.29%) Algo Collateral
7 1 (0.29%) Cognos Controller
7 1 (0.29%) Oracle General Ledger
7 1 (0.29%) Oracle Payables
7 1 (0.29%) Oracle Receivables
7 1 (0.29%) Temenos T24
7 1 (0.29%) TIBCO BusinessEvents
7 1 (0.29%) TRIRIGA
Cloud Services
1 93 (27.27%) AWS
2 60 (17.60%) Azure
3 27 (7.92%) OpenShift
4 14 (4.11%) Datadog
4 14 (4.11%) GCP
5 13 (3.81%) AWS CloudFormation
6 12 (3.52%) AWS Lambda
6 12 (3.52%) Serverless
7 11 (3.23%) Azure Sentinel
8 9 (2.64%) Azure API Management
8 9 (2.64%) SaaS
9 8 (2.35%) Azure AKS
9 8 (2.35%) Azure ExpressRoute
9 8 (2.35%) Azure Monitor
9 8 (2.35%) OCI
10 7 (2.05%) IBM Watson
10 7 (2.05%) Power Platform
11 6 (1.76%) Amazon CloudWatch
12 5 (1.47%) Azure DevOps
13 4 (1.17%) IBM Cloud
Communications & Networking
1 16 (4.69%) HTTPS
2 15 (4.40%) VSAN
3 13 (3.81%) VPN
4 12 (3.52%) SAN
5 11 (3.23%) SSH
6 10 (2.93%) Kerberos
7 7 (2.05%) Fibre Channel
7 7 (2.05%) HTTP
8 6 (1.76%) iSCSI
8 6 (1.76%) NAS
8 6 (1.76%) TCP/IP
9 5 (1.47%) LAN
9 5 (1.47%) SNA
9 5 (1.47%) WAN
10 4 (1.17%) APPN
10 4 (1.17%) DWDM
10 4 (1.17%) Network Security
11 3 (0.88%) Firewall
11 3 (0.88%) Multicast
12 2 (0.59%) MPLS
Database & Business Intelligence
1 25 (7.33%) DB2
2 24 (7.04%) Oracle Database
3 23 (6.74%) SQL Server
4 13 (3.81%) Oracle Reports
4 13 (3.81%) Relational Database
5 11 (3.23%) Data Warehouse
5 11 (3.23%) NoSQL
6 10 (2.93%) DataStage
6 10 (2.93%) PostgreSQL
7 9 (2.64%) GIS
8 7 (2.05%) Amazon RDS
8 7 (2.05%) Amazon Redshift
9 6 (1.76%) Couchbase
9 6 (1.76%) Power BI
10 5 (1.47%) Big Data
10 5 (1.47%) DynamoDB
10 5 (1.47%) IBM InfoSphere
10 5 (1.47%) Metadata
11 4 (1.17%) Apache Hive
11 4 (1.17%) Oracle Database 10g
Development Applications
1 43 (12.61%) JIRA
2 24 (7.04%) Git
3 19 (5.57%) Jenkins
3 19 (5.57%) Rational DOORS
4 10 (2.93%) Bitbucket Server
4 10 (2.93%) CA Release Automation
4 10 (2.93%) GitLab
5 9 (2.64%) Sonatype Nexus
6 8 (2.35%) PVCS
7 6 (1.76%) SoapUI
8 4 (1.17%) Ant
8 4 (1.17%) Bitbucket
8 4 (1.17%) ERwin
8 4 (1.17%) JUnit
9 3 (0.88%) IBM UrbanCode
10 2 (0.59%) Rational Rhapsody
10 2 (0.59%) Selenium
11 1 (0.29%) ClearCase
11 1 (0.29%) Cucumber
11 1 (0.29%) SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS)
General
1 93 (27.27%) Finance
2 84 (24.63%) Social Skills
3 52 (15.25%) Banking
4 35 (10.26%) Analytical Skills
5 24 (7.04%) Public Sector
6 17 (4.99%) Documentation Skills
7 10 (2.93%) Presentation Skills
8 9 (2.64%) Electronics
9 8 (2.35%) Private Banking
10 7 (2.05%) Financial Institution
11 6 (1.76%) Aviation
12 5 (1.47%) Law
12 5 (1.47%) Retail
12 5 (1.47%) Telecoms
13 4 (1.17%) Investment Banking
13 4 (1.17%) Legal
14 3 (0.88%) Aerospace
14 3 (0.88%) Manufacturing
14 3 (0.88%) Pharmaceutical
15 2 (0.59%) Corporate Banking
Job Titles
1 65 (19.06%) Analyst
2 63 (18.48%) Developer
3 29 (8.50%) Architect
4 24 (7.04%) Infrastructure Analyst
5 22 (6.45%) Senior
6 19 (5.57%) Data Engineer
6 19 (5.57%) Storage Analyst
7 18 (5.28%) Solutions Architect
8 17 (4.99%) Software Engineer
9 13 (3.81%) DevOps Engineer
9 13 (3.81%) Lead
10 12 (3.52%) webMethods Developer
11 11 (3.23%) Platform Engineer
12 9 (2.64%) Consultant
12 9 (2.64%) Storage Engineer
13 8 (2.35%) Azure Engineer
13 8 (2.35%) C++ Software Engineer
13 8 (2.35%) Programmer
13 8 (2.35%) Systems Programmer
13 8 (2.35%) z/OS Systems Programmer
Libraries, Frameworks & Software Standards
1 40 (11.73%) XML
2 28 (8.21%) Kafka
3 22 (6.45%) SOAP
4 21 (6.16%) JMS
5 20 (5.87%) Flash
6 19 (5.57%) Middleware
7 18 (5.28%) JSON
8 14 (4.11%) OAuth
9 13 (3.81%) XSLT
10 11 (3.23%) LDAP
10 11 (3.23%) OpenID
11 10 (2.93%) SAML
12 9 (2.64%) ARM Templates
12 9 (2.64%) REST
12 9 (2.64%) Web Services
13 8 (2.35%) XSD
14 7 (2.05%) J2EE
14 7 (2.05%) OC4J
14 7 (2.05%) TIBCO EMS
14 7 (2.05%) WSDL
Miscellaneous
1 40 (11.73%) Mainframe
2 34 (9.97%) Linux Command Line
2 34 (9.97%) Replication
3 21 (6.16%) Legacy Systems
4 13 (3.81%) Data Centre
5 11 (3.23%) AS400
5 11 (3.23%) Tandem
6 10 (2.93%) Enterprise Software
6 10 (2.93%) Hybrid Cloud
7 8 (2.35%) Algorithms
7 8 (2.35%) DataPower
8 7 (2.05%) Enterprise Storage
8 7 (2.05%) IBM Mainframe
8 7 (2.05%) Onboarding
9 6 (1.76%) iSeries
9 6 (1.76%) Management Information System
9 6 (1.76%) VSAM
10 5 (1.47%) CMDB
10 5 (1.47%) Product Ownership
10 5 (1.47%) SWIFT Messaging Network
Operating Systems
1 78 (22.87%) Linux
2 53 (15.54%) Windows
3 39 (11.44%) Unix
4 30 (8.80%) zOS
5 14 (4.11%) AIX
5 14 (4.11%) Windows Server
6 9 (2.64%) Windows Server 2016
7 7 (2.05%) Red Hat Enterprise Linux
7 7 (2.05%) Windows 10
7 7 (2.05%) Windows 7
7 7 (2.05%) Windows Server 2003
8 4 (1.17%) Solaris
9 3 (0.88%) Windows Server 2008
10 2 (0.59%) VMS
10 2 (0.59%) Windows Server 2019
11 1 (0.29%) MVS
11 1 (0.29%) SUSE Linux Enterprise Server
11 1 (0.29%) VME
Processes & Methodologies
1 75 (21.99%) Agile
2 58 (17.01%) Problem-Solving
3 48 (14.08%) DevOps
4 47 (13.78%) Migration
5 46 (13.49%) CI/CD
5 46 (13.49%) Stakeholder Management
6 35 (10.26%) ITIL
7 29 (8.50%) Performance Tuning
8 27 (7.92%) Analytics
8 27 (7.92%) Asset Management
9 25 (7.33%) ETL
9 25 (7.33%) Stakeholder Engagement
10 22 (6.45%) Data Modelling
11 21 (6.16%) Computer Science
11 21 (6.16%) Data Protection
11 21 (6.16%) High Availability
11 21 (6.16%) Infrastructure Engineering
11 21 (6.16%) Test Automation
11 21 (6.16%) Workflow
12 20 (5.87%) Continuous Improvement
Programming Languages
1 58 (17.01%) SQL
2 42 (12.32%) Python
3 35 (10.26%) Java
4 22 (6.45%) Shell Script
5 17 (4.99%) JCL
6 14 (4.11%) PL/SQL
6 14 (4.11%) REXX
7 13 (3.81%) C
8 11 (3.23%) Groovy
9 10 (2.93%) C++
9 10 (2.93%) COBOL
9 10 (2.93%) JavaScript
10 9 (2.64%) CLIST
11 8 (2.35%) Bicep
11 8 (2.35%) RPG
12 7 (2.05%) Embedded C
12 7 (2.05%) Embedded C++
12 7 (2.05%) Korn
12 7 (2.05%) Perl
12 7 (2.05%) XPath
Qualifications
1 70 (20.53%) Security Cleared
2 45 (13.20%) SC Cleared
3 30 (8.80%) Degree
4 19 (5.57%) Computer Science Degree
5 15 (4.40%) Azure Certification
6 13 (3.81%) AWS Certification
6 13 (3.81%) DV Cleared
7 12 (3.52%) BPSS Clearance
8 11 (3.23%) CISM
8 11 (3.23%) CISSP
9 9 (2.64%) Microsoft Certification
10 8 (2.35%) ISO 27001 Lead Implementer
11 7 (2.05%) IBM Certification
11 7 (2.05%) Master's Degree
12 5 (1.47%) ITIL Foundation Certificate
13 4 (1.17%) ITIL Certification
13 4 (1.17%) PMI Certification
13 4 (1.17%) PMP
14 3 (0.88%) ISTQB
14 3 (0.88%) PRINCE2 Certification
Quality Assurance & Compliance
1 16 (4.69%) QA
2 13 (3.81%) Data Quality
3 10 (2.93%) ISO/IEC 27001
4 9 (2.64%) NIST
4 9 (2.64%) SLA
5 8 (2.35%) NIST 800
6 4 (1.17%) Basel III
6 4 (1.17%) ISO 20022
6 4 (1.17%) PCI DSS
6 4 (1.17%) Sarbanes-Oxley
6 4 (1.17%) SEPA
7 3 (0.88%) GDPR
8 2 (0.59%) ISO/IEC 19770
9 1 (0.29%) Def Stans
9 1 (0.29%) HIPAA
9 1 (0.29%) IEC 61508
9 1 (0.29%) IFRS
9 1 (0.29%) IFRS 9
9 1 (0.29%) MISRA
9 1 (0.29%) MISRA C
System Software
1 42 (12.32%) VMware Infrastructure
2 31 (9.09%) vSphere
3 25 (7.33%) NFS
4 21 (6.16%) GPFS
5 20 (5.87%) VMware ESXi
6 17 (4.99%) Docker
7 12 (3.52%) Active Directory
8 11 (3.23%) RACF
8 11 (3.23%) Virtual Machines
9 8 (2.35%) Tivoli Directory Server
10 7 (2.05%) Job Entry Subsystem
11 4 (1.17%) Time Sharing Option
12 3 (0.88%) VMware NSX
13 2 (0.59%) Hyper-V
13 2 (0.59%) KVM
14 1 (0.29%) Ceph
14 1 (0.29%) Lustre
14 1 (0.29%) SRDF
14 1 (0.29%) Veritas Cluster Server
14 1 (0.29%) Xen
Systems Management
1 30 (8.80%) vRealize
2 29 (8.50%) Terraform
3 22 (6.45%) Kubernetes
4 18 (5.28%) Ansible
5 14 (4.11%) VxRail
6 10 (2.93%) CA Single Sign-On
6 10 (2.93%) CA Wily
7 9 (2.64%) Progress Chef
8 8 (2.35%) Control-M
8 8 (2.35%) Tivoli
9 7 (2.05%) TIBCO Hawk
10 6 (1.76%) OMEGAMON
11 5 (1.47%) Single Sign-On
11 5 (1.47%) Tivoli NetView
11 5 (1.47%) Tivoli Storage Manager
12 4 (1.17%) QRadar
13 3 (0.88%) IBM BigFix
13 3 (0.88%) zSecure
14 2 (0.59%) EMC NetWorker
14 2 (0.59%) SCCM
Vendors
1 81 (23.75%) Oracle
2 50 (14.66%) Microsoft
3 47 (13.78%) VMware
4 46 (13.49%) Cisco
5 35 (10.26%) ServiceNow
6 24 (7.04%) AppDynamics
7 21 (6.16%) Dell
7 21 (6.16%) SAP
8 18 (5.28%) HP
9 16 (4.69%) Broadcom
10 15 (4.40%) Splunk
11 14 (4.11%) Commvault
11 14 (4.11%) Google
11 14 (4.11%) Red Hat
11 14 (4.11%) SolarWinds
12 12 (3.52%) Software AG
12 12 (3.52%) webMethods
13 11 (3.23%) EMC
14 10 (2.93%) Cognos
15 9 (2.64%) Citrix