Microsoft Certification Contracts

Microsoft Certification
UK

The following table provides summary statistics for contract job vacancies with a requirement for Microsoft Certification qualifications. Included is a benchmarking guide to the contractor rates offered over the 6 months to 27 April 2024 with a comparison to the same period in the previous 2 years.

6 months to
27 Apr 2024
Same period 2023 Same period 2022
Rank 280 363 380
Rank change year-on-year +83 +17 -62
Contract jobs citing Microsoft Certification 368 402 612
As % of all contract jobs advertised in the UK 0.85% 0.67% 0.69%
As % of the Qualifications category 2.77% 2.46% 3.21%
Number of daily rates quoted 245 304 400
10th Percentile £175 £123 £132
25th Percentile £300 £322 £200
Median daily rate (50th Percentile) £475 £511 £425
Median % change year-on-year -7.09% +20.29% +0.59%
75th Percentile £575 £594 £538
90th Percentile £683 £675 £613
UK excluding London median daily rate £450 £480 £375
% change year-on-year -6.25% +28.00% -6.48%
Number of hourly rates quoted 66 23 40
10th Percentile £13.69 - £13.25
25th Percentile £14.16 £15.25 £15.25
Median hourly rate £16.30 £15.50 £15.50
Median % change year-on-year +5.16% - -26.56%
75th Percentile £21.37 £18.75 £21.05
90th Percentile £21.46 £19.85 £30.85
UK excluding London median hourly rate £16.30 £15.50 £15.50
% change year-on-year +5.16% - -18.42%

All Academic and Professional Certifications
UK

Microsoft Certification is in the Academic Qualifications and Professional Certifications category. The following table is for comparison with the above and provides summary statistics for all contract job vacancies with a requirement for academic qualifications or professional certifications.

Contract vacancies requiring academic qualifications or professional certifications 13,270 16,337 19,076
As % of all contract IT jobs advertised in the UK 30.65% 27.32% 21.47%
Number of daily rates quoted 8,165 10,899 12,575
10th Percentile £300 £325 £325
25th Percentile £425 £450 £425
Median daily rate (50th Percentile) £535 £550 £525
Median % change year-on-year -2.73% +4.76% +8.25%
75th Percentile £650 £650 £625
90th Percentile £738 £743 £700
UK excluding London median daily rate £530 £530 £500
% change year-on-year - +6.00% +11.11%
Number of hourly rates quoted 1,067 858 776
10th Percentile £13.86 £15.25 £13.46
25th Percentile £17.80 £20.06 £19.33
Median hourly rate £40.00 £54.00 £41.50
Median % change year-on-year -25.93% +30.12% +5.06%
75th Percentile £61.60 £68.25 £56.31
90th Percentile £75.25 £80.00 £66.00
UK excluding London median hourly rate £40.28 £50.00 £31.89
% change year-on-year -19.45% +56.79% -14.39%

Microsoft Certification
Job Vacancy Trend

Job postings citing Microsoft Certification as a proportion of all IT jobs advertised.

Job vacancy trend for Microsoft Certification in the UK

Microsoft Certification
Contractor Daily Rate Trend

3-month moving average daily rate quoted in jobs citing Microsoft Certification.

Daily rate trend for Microsoft Certification in the UK

Microsoft Certification
Daily Rate Histogram

Daily rate distribution for jobs citing Microsoft Certification over the 6 months to 27 April 2024.

Daily rate histogram for Microsoft Certification in the UK

Microsoft Certification
Contractor Hourly Rate Trend

3-month moving average hourly rates quoted in jobs citing Microsoft Certification.

Hourly rate trend for Microsoft Certification in the UK

Microsoft Certification
Hourly Rate Histogram

Hourly rate distribution of jobs citing Microsoft Certification over the 6 months to 27 April 2024.

Hourly rate histogram for Microsoft Certification in the UK

Microsoft Certification
Top 16 Contract Locations

The table below looks at the demand and provides a guide to the median contractor rates quoted in IT jobs citing Microsoft Certification within the UK over the 6 months to 27 April 2024. 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 +95 308 £500 -2.68% 252
UK excluding London +43 233 £450 -6.25% 203
London +110 101 £475 -7.32% 60
Work from Home +48 84 £500 -4.76% 105
East of England +27 55 £135 -58.46% 21
South West +27 50 £541 +5.61% 31
North of England +30 40 £400 -23.81% 58
South East +7 39 £425 -22.73% 37
Scotland +45 29 £325 +175.66% 21
North West +13 29 £381 -30.68% 37
Midlands +8 19 £618 +174.44% 28
West Midlands +23 11 £616 +173.89% 19
East Midlands +10 8 £625 +118.15% 9
Yorkshire +17 6 £438 +52.17% 16
North East +22 5 £475 +331.82% 6
Northern Ireland +8 2 - - 6

Microsoft Certification
Co-occurring Skills and Capabilities by Category

The follow tables expand on the table above by listing co-occurrences grouped by category. The same employment type, locality and period is covered with up to 20 co-occurrences shown in each of the following categories:

Application Platforms
1 57 (15.49%) Microsoft Exchange
2 42 (11.41%) SharePoint
3 16 (4.35%) Confluence
4 8 (2.17%) IIS
5 4 (1.09%) Skype for Business
6 2 (0.54%) Exchange Server 2007
6 2 (0.54%) Exchange Server 2010
7 1 (0.27%) Apache Spark
7 1 (0.27%) Exchange Server 2003
7 1 (0.27%) Exchange Server 2013
Applications
1 32 (8.70%) Microsoft Office
2 18 (4.89%) Microsoft Excel
3 14 (3.80%) Microsoft PowerPoint
4 1 (0.27%) Acrobat
4 1 (0.27%) Adobe Creative Suite
Business Applications
1 5 (1.36%) Dynamics CRM
2 3 (0.82%) Dynamics GP
3 2 (0.54%) Eikon
4 1 (0.27%) Dynamics AX
Cloud Services
1 135 (36.68%) Microsoft 365
2 120 (32.61%) Azure
3 33 (8.97%) Dynamics 365
4 30 (8.15%) AWS
5 28 (7.61%) Entra ID
6 27 (7.34%) Power Platform
7 16 (4.35%) Azure Sentinel
8 10 (2.72%) Azure DevOps
9 9 (2.45%) OneDrive
9 9 (2.45%) Power Automate
10 8 (2.17%) WhatsApp
11 7 (1.90%) GCP
11 7 (1.90%) IaaS
12 5 (1.36%) Azure Data Factory
12 5 (1.36%) Azure Synapse Analytics
12 5 (1.36%) Cloud Computing
12 5 (1.36%) GitHub
12 5 (1.36%) PowerApps
13 4 (1.09%) Azure Key Vault
14 3 (0.82%) Azure Cosmos DB
Communications & Networking
1 50 (13.59%) DNS
2 44 (11.96%) Wi-Fi
3 42 (11.41%) DHCP
4 35 (9.51%) Firewall
5 23 (6.25%) SAN
5 23 (6.25%) VPN
6 20 (5.43%) Network Security
7 18 (4.89%) LAN
8 17 (4.62%) WAN
9 15 (4.08%) TCP/IP
10 8 (2.17%) NAS
11 7 (1.90%) SSL
12 6 (1.63%) Fibre Channel
12 6 (1.63%) VoIP
13 5 (1.36%) iSCSI
13 5 (1.36%) Remote Desktop
13 5 (1.36%) VLAN
13 5 (1.36%) Wireless
14 4 (1.09%) Skype
15 3 (0.82%) Structured Cabling
Database & Business Intelligence
1 25 (6.79%) SQL Server
2 8 (2.17%) Data Warehouse
3 7 (1.90%) Power BI
4 5 (1.36%) MySQL
4 5 (1.36%) Relational Database
5 4 (1.09%) Big Data
5 4 (1.09%) SQL Server Integration Services
6 3 (0.82%) Azure SQL Data Warehouse
6 3 (0.82%) Azure SQL Database
6 3 (0.82%) Data Lake
6 3 (0.82%) Microsoft Analysis Services
6 3 (0.82%) PostgreSQL
6 3 (0.82%) SQL Server Analysis Services
6 3 (0.82%) SQL Server Reporting Services
7 1 (0.27%) Delta Lake
7 1 (0.27%) NoSQL
7 1 (0.27%) Oracle Database
7 1 (0.27%) Spark SQL
7 1 (0.27%) Tableau
7 1 (0.27%) ThoughtSpot
Development Applications
1 20 (5.43%) JIRA
2 6 (1.63%) Git
3 1 (0.27%) Appium
3 1 (0.27%) Jenkins
3 1 (0.27%) MSI
3 1 (0.27%) Selenium
3 1 (0.27%) Visual Studio
3 1 (0.27%) Visual Studio Code
General
1 125 (33.97%) Social Skills
2 77 (20.92%) Analytical Skills
3 61 (16.58%) Finance
4 58 (15.76%) Public Sector
5 35 (9.51%) Retail
6 21 (5.71%) Banking
7 16 (4.35%) Marketing
8 15 (4.08%) Military
9 12 (3.26%) Telecoms
10 9 (2.45%) Manufacturing
11 8 (2.17%) Police
12 7 (1.90%) Documentation Skills
13 6 (1.63%) Front Office
13 6 (1.63%) Presentation Skills
14 4 (1.09%) Advertising
14 4 (1.09%) Legal
14 4 (1.09%) Pharmaceutical
15 3 (0.82%) Electronics
15 3 (0.82%) General Ledger
15 3 (0.82%) Investment Banking
Job Titles
1 62 (16.85%) Analyst
2 48 (13.04%) Service Analyst
2 48 (13.04%) Service Desk Analyst
3 35 (9.51%) Support Engineer
4 33 (8.97%) Consultant
4 33 (8.97%) Senior
5 30 (8.15%) Architect
6 26 (7.07%) Infrastructure Engineer
7 20 (5.43%) Dynamics 365 Consultant
8 17 (4.62%) Solutions Architect
9 16 (4.35%) Desktop Support
9 16 (4.35%) Test Engineer
10 15 (4.08%) Integration Engineer
10 15 (4.08%) IT Engineer
10 15 (4.08%) IT Support
10 15 (4.08%) Test and Integration Engineer
11 14 (3.80%) 1st Line Service Desk Analyst
11 14 (3.80%) Desktop Engineer
12 13 (3.53%) Functional Consultant
12 13 (3.53%) SOC Engineer
Libraries, Frameworks & Software Standards
1 8 (2.17%) LDAP
1 8 (2.17%) XML
2 6 (1.63%) JSON
3 5 (1.36%) RESTful
3 5 (1.36%) SOAP
3 5 (1.36%) Web Services
4 4 (1.09%) .NET
4 4 (1.09%) SPFx
5 3 (0.82%) CSS
6 2 (0.54%) OAuth
6 2 (0.54%) OAuth2
6 2 (0.54%) OLE
6 2 (0.54%) Software Packaging
6 2 (0.54%) YAML
7 1 (0.27%) ADO
7 1 (0.27%) ARM Templates
7 1 (0.27%) React
7 1 (0.27%) REST
7 1 (0.27%) SAML
7 1 (0.27%) Spark Streaming
Miscellaneous
1 46 (12.50%) PKI
2 29 (7.88%) Management Information System
3 24 (6.52%) Data Centre
4 16 (4.35%) Driving Licence
4 16 (4.35%) Security Operations Centre
4 16 (4.35%) Security Posture
5 15 (4.08%) Clustering
6 8 (2.17%) NHS
7 7 (1.90%) Analytical Mindset
7 7 (1.90%) Public Cloud
7 7 (1.90%) Self-Motivation
8 5 (1.36%) Low-Code
8 5 (1.36%) Team-Oriented Environment
9 4 (1.09%) Cyber Threat
9 4 (1.09%) Data Protection Act
9 4 (1.09%) Video Conferencing
10 3 (0.82%) Enterprise Software
10 3 (0.82%) Grid Computing
10 3 (0.82%) Replication
10 3 (0.82%) Smartphone
Operating Systems
1 155 (42.12%) Windows
2 83 (22.55%) Windows Server
3 38 (10.33%) Windows 10
4 27 (7.34%) Windows Server 2012
5 22 (5.98%) Linux
6 11 (2.99%) Windows 7
7 9 (2.45%) Windows Server 2016
8 8 (2.17%) Mac OS
9 7 (1.90%) CentOS
9 7 (1.90%) Unix
9 7 (1.90%) Windows Server 2008
10 6 (1.63%) Debian
11 5 (1.36%) Windows 8
11 5 (1.36%) Windows Server 2019
12 4 (1.09%) Android
12 4 (1.09%) Apple iOS
12 4 (1.09%) VMS
13 3 (0.82%) Ubuntu
14 2 (0.54%) Windows Server 2003
15 1 (0.27%) Red Hat Enterprise Linux
Processes & Methodologies
1 118 (32.07%) ITIL
2 93 (25.27%) Problem-Solving
3 83 (22.55%) Customer Service
4 47 (12.77%) Incident Management
5 44 (11.96%) Computer Science
6 41 (11.14%) Agile
7 36 (9.78%) Service Management
8 29 (7.88%) Cybersecurity
8 29 (7.88%) Infrastructure Engineering
9 27 (7.34%) Migration
10 25 (6.79%) Service Delivery
11 24 (6.52%) Identity Access Management
11 24 (6.52%) Security Operations
12 21 (5.71%) Cloud Security
13 20 (5.43%) Project Management
14 19 (5.16%) Disaster Recovery
14 19 (5.16%) High Availability
15 18 (4.89%) Analytics
15 18 (4.89%) Data Modelling
16 17 (4.62%) SIEM
Programming Languages
1 54 (14.67%) PowerShell
2 45 (12.23%) SQL
3 16 (4.35%) Kusto Query Language
4 6 (1.63%) Python
5 5 (1.36%) C#
5 5 (1.36%) JavaScript
6 4 (1.09%) Bash
7 3 (0.82%) VB.NET
8 2 (0.54%) Bicep
8 2 (0.54%) C++
8 2 (0.54%) X++
9 1 (0.27%) Java
9 1 (0.27%) R
9 1 (0.27%) Scala
9 1 (0.27%) VB
Qualifications
1 103 (27.99%) MCSE
2 93 (25.27%) Degree
3 88 (23.91%) Security Cleared
4 86 (23.37%) MCSA
5 79 (21.47%) A+ Certification
6 74 (20.11%) SC Cleared
7 43 (11.68%) Azure Certification
8 40 (10.87%) Cisco Certification
9 34 (9.24%) CCNA
9 34 (9.24%) MCP
10 31 (8.42%) Computer Science Degree
11 28 (7.61%) VMware Certified Professional (VCP)
12 21 (5.71%) CISSP
13 17 (4.62%) CompTIA Security+
13 17 (4.62%) DV Cleared
14 14 (3.80%) MCITP
15 13 (3.53%) ITIL Certification
15 13 (3.53%) Network+ Certification
16 12 (3.26%) CCNP
17 8 (2.17%) MCTS
Quality Assurance & Compliance
1 15 (4.08%) JSP 440
1 15 (4.08%) SLA
2 5 (1.36%) Cyber Essentials
2 5 (1.36%) NIST
3 4 (1.09%) Disclosure Scotland
3 4 (1.09%) ISO/IEC 27001
4 3 (0.82%) GDPR
4 3 (0.82%) ISO 9001
4 3 (0.82%) ISO/IEC 20000
4 3 (0.82%) NCSC
5 2 (0.54%) Cyber Essentials PLUS
6 1 (0.27%) HIPAA
6 1 (0.27%) PCI DSS
6 1 (0.27%) SOC 2
System Software
1 141 (38.32%) Active Directory
2 54 (14.67%) VMware Infrastructure
3 23 (6.25%) Hyper-V
4 17 (4.62%) vSphere
5 6 (1.63%) KVM
6 5 (1.36%) Virtual Machines
7 4 (1.09%) Firmware
7 4 (1.09%) Virtual Servers
7 4 (1.09%) VMware ESXi
8 2 (0.54%) Docker
8 2 (0.54%) VMware Workstation
9 1 (0.27%) Microsoft Virtual Server
9 1 (0.27%) Terminal Services
9 1 (0.27%) XenApp
9 1 (0.27%) XenDesktop
Systems Management
1 36 (9.78%) SCCM
2 20 (5.43%) Microsoft Intune
3 16 (4.35%) OPNET
4 8 (2.17%) SCOM
4 8 (2.17%) WSUS
5 6 (1.63%) Terraform
6 4 (1.09%) Kubernetes
6 4 (1.09%) Single Sign-On
7 3 (0.82%) vCenter Server
8 2 (0.54%) Active Directory Federation Services
8 2 (0.54%) Backup Exec
8 2 (0.54%) CA Single Sign-On
8 2 (0.54%) Jamf Pro
9 1 (0.27%) Failover Clustering
9 1 (0.27%) Grafana
9 1 (0.27%) Nagios
9 1 (0.27%) Nessus
9 1 (0.27%) Prometheus
9 1 (0.27%) ZABBIX
Vendors
1 303 (82.34%) Microsoft
2 72 (19.57%) VMware
3 57 (15.49%) ServiceNow
4 51 (13.86%) Citrix
5 21 (5.71%) Dell
6 13 (3.53%) Cisco
7 8 (2.17%) CA
7 8 (2.17%) HP
7 8 (2.17%) Red Hat
8 7 (1.90%) Apple
8 7 (1.90%) Google
9 5 (1.36%) Bloomberg
9 5 (1.36%) SolarWinds
9 5 (1.36%) Veeam
10 4 (1.09%) Databricks
11 3 (0.82%) Refinitiv
11 3 (0.82%) SAP
12 2 (0.54%) Adobe
12 2 (0.54%) Oracle
12 2 (0.54%) Reuters