Microsoft Office Contract Job Trends

Microsoft Office
UK

The table below provides summary statistics and contractor rates for jobs requiring Microsoft Office skills. It covers contract job vacancies from the 6 months leading up to 11 May 2026, with comparisons to the same periods in the previous two years.

6 months to
11 May 2026
Same period 2025 Same period 2024
Rank 148 88 64
Rank change year-on-year -60 -24 +17
Contract jobs citing Microsoft Office 830 820 1,345
As % of all contract jobs in the UK 1.74% 2.79% 3.13%
As % of the Applications category 29.26% 33.48% 39.64%
Number of daily rates quoted 450 478 733
10th Percentile £163 £156 £140
25th Percentile £263 £208 £188
Median daily rate (50th Percentile) £373 £323 £263
Median % change year-on-year +15.50% +22.86% -30.00%
75th Percentile £533 £503 £496
90th Percentile £688 £606 £606
UK excluding London median daily rate £370 £250 £220
% change year-on-year +48.00% +13.64% -32.31%
Number of hourly rates quoted 126 89 302
10th Percentile £12.29 £13.78 £11.00
25th Percentile £14.03 £14.66 £12.51
Median hourly rate £18.50 £17.00 £15.93
Median % change year-on-year +8.82% +6.73% -30.04%
75th Percentile £28.85 £23.01 £23.46
90th Percentile £76.63 £26.21 £39.88
UK excluding London median hourly rate £17.57 £16.36 £14.94
% change year-on-year +7.38% +9.54% -26.25%

All Software Application Skills
UK

Microsoft Office falls under the Software Applications category. For comparison with the information above, the following table provides summary statistics for all contract job vacancies requiring software application skills.

Contract vacancies with a requirement for software application skills 2,837 2,449 3,393
As % of all contract IT jobs advertised in the UK 5.96% 8.33% 7.89%
Number of daily rates quoted 1,663 1,446 1,702
10th Percentile £250 £188 £163
25th Percentile £349 £263 £213
Median daily rate (50th Percentile) £450 £413 £400
Median % change year-on-year +9.09% +3.13% -5.88%
75th Percentile £565 £541 £538
90th Percentile £660 £650 £650
UK excluding London median daily rate £435 £375 £350
% change year-on-year +15.87% +7.14% -12.50%
Number of hourly rates quoted 315 251 628
10th Percentile £13.39 £14.20 £11.50
25th Percentile £16.35 £15.62 £14.00
Median hourly rate £20.35 £22.50 £17.50
Median % change year-on-year -9.56% +28.57% -51.39%
75th Percentile £34.46 £43.75 £39.19
90th Percentile £68.75 £73.75 £57.50
UK excluding London median hourly rate £20.00 £22.00 £16.06
% change year-on-year -9.09% +36.99% -50.28%

Microsoft Office
Job Vacancy Trend

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

Microsoft Office job vacancy trend in the UK

Microsoft Office
Daily Rate Trend

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

Contractor daily rate distribution trend for jobs in the UK citing Microsoft Office

Microsoft Office
Daily Rate Histogram

Daily rate distribution for jobs citing Microsoft Office over the 6 months to 11 May 2026.

Daily rate histogram for Microsoft Office in the UK

Microsoft Office
Hourly Rate Trend

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

Contractor hourly rate distribution trend for jobs in the UK citing Microsoft Office

Microsoft Office
Hourly Rate Histogram

Hourly rate distribution of jobs citing Microsoft Office over the 6 months to 11 May 2026.

Hourly rate histogram for Microsoft Office in the UK

Microsoft Office
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 Microsoft Office within the UK over the 6 months to 11 May 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 -56 745 £404 +24.41% 577
UK excluding London -42 567 £370 +48.00% 522
London -71 220 £414 +6.77% 140
Work from Home -51 181 £375 -6.25% 211
South East -22 145 £438 +25.00% 147
North of England -66 126 £340 +44.68% 139
South West -16 99 £638 +142.86% 54
North West -22 81 £335 +34.00% 72
Midlands -45 74 £325 +3.50% 91
East of England -8 70 £325 +32.65% 56
West Midlands -48 46 £325 -18.75% 52
Yorkshire -78 39 £340 +44.68% 48
East Midlands -23 28 £325 +62.50% 39
Scotland -28 25 £275 +10.00% 27
Wales -4 17 £189 -45.09% 16
Northern Ireland +1 13 £350 +70.73% 10
North East -20 6 £263 +34.62% 22

Microsoft Office
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
1 127 (15.30%) SharePoint
2 78 (9.40%) Confluence
3 52 (6.27%) Microsoft Exchange
4 8 (0.96%) Skype for Business
5 7 (0.84%) Apache Airflow
5 7 (0.84%) CMS
6 4 (0.48%) HCL Notes
7 1 (0.12%) Adobe Experience Manager
7 1 (0.12%) Drupal
7 1 (0.12%) SAS
7 1 (0.12%) WordPress
Applications
1 318 (38.31%) Microsoft Excel
2 204 (24.58%) Microsoft PowerPoint
3 77 (9.28%) Microsoft Project
4 66 (7.95%) MS Visio
5 12 (1.45%) Spreadsheet
6 5 (0.60%) Trello
7 3 (0.36%) Adobe Creative Suite
7 3 (0.36%) Adobe Illustrator
8 1 (0.12%) AutoCAD
8 1 (0.12%) Photoshop
8 1 (0.12%) SOLIDWORKS
8 1 (0.12%) Windchill
Business Applications
1 23 (2.77%) SAP S/4HANA
2 10 (1.20%) Remedy ITSM
3 8 (0.96%) Primavera
4 6 (0.72%) Veritas eDiscovery
5 4 (0.48%) Finacle
5 4 (0.48%) Oracle Financials
5 4 (0.48%) Salesforce CRM
5 4 (0.48%) SAP Business One
6 3 (0.36%) Aladdin
6 3 (0.36%) Fidessa
6 3 (0.36%) Maximo
6 3 (0.36%) SAP MM
6 3 (0.36%) SimCorp Dimension
6 3 (0.36%) Teamcenter
7 2 (0.24%) assyst
7 2 (0.24%) Magento
7 2 (0.24%) Oracle Payables
7 2 (0.24%) Shopify
8 1 (0.12%) Payment Gateway
8 1 (0.12%) SystmOne
Cloud Services
1 155 (18.67%) Microsoft 365
2 90 (10.84%) Azure
3 53 (6.39%) Power Platform
4 34 (4.10%) AWS
5 19 (2.29%) Entra ID
5 19 (2.29%) Google Workspace
6 16 (1.93%) SaaS
7 12 (1.45%) Azure DevOps
8 11 (1.33%) GCP
9 7 (0.84%) Amazon SageMaker
9 7 (0.84%) Dagster
9 7 (0.84%) GitHub
9 7 (0.84%) GitHub Actions
9 7 (0.84%) Google Analytics
10 6 (0.72%) Dynamics 365
10 6 (0.72%) Google Docs
10 6 (0.72%) Google Tag Manager
10 6 (0.72%) Mimecast
10 6 (0.72%) OneDrive
11 5 (0.60%) Lucidchart
Communications & Networking
1 38 (4.58%) VPN
2 30 (3.61%) Firewall
2 30 (3.61%) TCP/IP
3 24 (2.89%) Skype
4 22 (2.65%) Wireless
5 20 (2.41%) DNS
6 17 (2.05%) Wi-Fi
7 16 (1.93%) Ethernet
7 16 (1.93%) LAN
8 15 (1.81%) Network Security
9 14 (1.69%) WAN
10 13 (1.57%) DHCP
11 7 (0.84%) Internet
12 6 (0.72%) BGP
12 6 (0.72%) Cisco IOS
12 6 (0.72%) MPLS
12 6 (0.72%) VoIP
13 5 (0.60%) NetScaler
13 5 (0.60%) TACACS
13 5 (0.60%) VLAN
Database & Business Intelligence
1 51 (6.14%) Power BI
2 16 (1.93%) SQL Server
3 10 (1.20%) Relational Database
4 9 (1.08%) Oracle Database
5 8 (0.96%) RDBMS
6 6 (0.72%) Tableau
7 5 (0.60%) Oracle Reports
8 4 (0.48%) Azure SQL Database
8 4 (0.48%) BigQuery
8 4 (0.48%) Looker
8 4 (0.48%) MySQL
8 4 (0.48%) SQLPlus
9 3 (0.36%) Data Mining
9 3 (0.36%) Metadata
9 3 (0.36%) Power Query
10 2 (0.24%) Data Warehouse
10 2 (0.24%) Electronic Patient Records
10 2 (0.24%) PowerPivot
11 1 (0.12%) EDRMS
11 1 (0.12%) Oracle Database 10g
Development Applications
1 98 (11.81%) JIRA
2 13 (1.57%) Burp Suite
2 13 (1.57%) Metasploit
3 10 (1.20%) Git
4 8 (0.96%) Toad
5 7 (0.84%) MLflow
6 6 (0.72%) Jenkins
6 6 (0.72%) Subversion
7 3 (0.36%) Android Studio
7 3 (0.36%) Bitbucket
7 3 (0.36%) SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS)
8 2 (0.24%) JMeter
8 2 (0.24%) Sonatype Nexus
8 2 (0.24%) Tricentis qTest
9 1 (0.12%) Atlassian Bamboo
9 1 (0.12%) LabVIEW
9 1 (0.12%) Rational DOORS
9 1 (0.12%) Rational Rhapsody
9 1 (0.12%) SoapUI
9 1 (0.12%) TestDirector
General
1 491 (59.16%) Social Skills
2 230 (27.71%) Finance
3 204 (24.58%) Analytical Skills
4 124 (14.94%) Organisational Skills
5 78 (9.40%) Public Sector
6 67 (8.07%) Banking
7 47 (5.66%) Legal
8 45 (5.42%) Military
9 42 (5.06%) Presentation Skills
10 30 (3.61%) Pharmaceutical
11 27 (3.25%) Manufacturing
12 26 (3.13%) Marketing
12 26 (3.13%) Telecoms
13 25 (3.01%) Documentation Skills
14 21 (2.53%) Inclusion and Diversity
15 20 (2.41%) Influencing Skills
16 18 (2.17%) Law
17 17 (2.05%) Investment Banking
17 17 (2.05%) Retail
18 14 (1.69%) Front Office
Job Titles
1 154 (18.55%) Analyst
2 54 (6.51%) Business Analyst
3 45 (5.42%) Administrator
3 45 (5.42%) Architect
4 44 (5.30%) IT Support
5 42 (5.06%) Senior
6 41 (4.94%) Support Officer
7 34 (4.10%) Project Officer
7 34 (4.10%) Support Engineer
8 33 (3.98%) Project Support Officer
9 31 (3.73%) Project Manager
10 30 (3.61%) Service Architect
11 27 (3.25%) Support Analyst
12 26 (3.13%) Technical Engineer
13 25 (3.01%) IT Analyst
14 23 (2.77%) Coordinator
14 23 (2.77%) Lead
15 22 (2.65%) Service Analyst
16 20 (2.41%) PMO Analyst
17 19 (2.29%) Microsoft 365 Engineer
Libraries, Frameworks & Software Standards
1 8 (0.96%) Web Services
2 7 (0.84%) NumPy
2 7 (0.84%) Pandas
2 7 (0.84%) REST
2 7 (0.84%) scikit-learn
2 7 (0.84%) Seaborn
2 7 (0.84%) SOAP
3 5 (0.60%) JDO
4 4 (0.48%) .NET
4 4 (0.48%) NETCONF
4 4 (0.48%) OpenConfig
4 4 (0.48%) RESTCONF
4 4 (0.48%) YANG
5 3 (0.36%) HTML
5 3 (0.36%) Microsoft Graph
5 3 (0.36%) VML
5 3 (0.36%) XML
6 2 (0.24%) ADO
6 2 (0.24%) Middleware
6 2 (0.24%) Oracle Fusion
Miscellaneous
1 56 (6.75%) Onboarding
2 48 (5.78%) Self-Motivation
3 41 (4.94%) Management Information System
4 40 (4.82%) Product Ownership
5 20 (2.41%) Robotics
6 18 (2.17%) Data Protection Act
6 18 (2.17%) Social Media
7 16 (1.93%) Data Centre
7 16 (1.93%) Industry 4.0
8 14 (1.69%) Analytical Mindset
9 13 (1.57%) Security Posture
10 12 (1.45%) Enterprise Software
11 11 (1.33%) Driving Licence
11 11 (1.33%) Life Science
11 11 (1.33%) PMI
11 11 (1.33%) Virtual Team
12 9 (1.08%) Insider Threat
12 9 (1.08%) NHS
13 8 (0.96%) e-Learning
13 8 (0.96%) Video Conferencing
Operating Systems
1 187 (22.53%) Windows
2 85 (10.24%) Windows 10
3 34 (4.10%) Android
4 22 (2.65%) Linux
5 17 (2.05%) Windows 7
6 15 (1.81%) Windows Server
7 13 (1.57%) Apple iOS
8 12 (1.45%) Mac OS
9 10 (1.20%) Windows Server 2016
10 9 (1.08%) Unix
11 8 (0.96%) Windows Server 2019
12 3 (0.36%) AIX
12 3 (0.36%) Ubuntu
13 2 (0.24%) Solaris
14 1 (0.12%) FreeRTOS
14 1 (0.12%) MVS
14 1 (0.12%) Windows Server 2012
14 1 (0.12%) zOS
Processes & Methodologies
1 224 (26.99%) Problem-Solving
2 151 (18.19%) Agile
3 147 (17.71%) Project Management
4 123 (14.82%) Customer Service
5 120 (14.46%) Stakeholder Management
6 103 (12.41%) ITIL
7 101 (12.17%) Continuous Improvement
8 100 (12.05%) Project Delivery
9 85 (10.24%) Service Management
10 78 (9.40%) Decision-Making
11 69 (8.31%) Change Management
12 68 (8.19%) PRINCE2
13 65 (7.83%) AI
13 65 (7.83%) Analytical Thinking
14 64 (7.71%) Stakeholder Engagement
15 59 (7.11%) Time Management
16 58 (6.99%) Waterfall
17 53 (6.39%) Acceptance Criteria
18 48 (5.78%) Critical Thinking
19 47 (5.66%) Data Protection
Programming Languages
1 56 (6.75%) SQL
2 36 (4.34%) PowerShell
3 25 (3.01%) Python
4 16 (1.93%) VB
5 10 (1.20%) PHP
6 8 (0.96%) PL/SQL
6 8 (0.96%) VBScript
7 7 (0.84%) JavaScript
8 5 (0.60%) Java
8 5 (0.60%) Perl
8 5 (0.60%) VBA
9 4 (0.48%) C
10 3 (0.36%) C++
10 3 (0.36%) Kusto Query Language
10 3 (0.36%) T-SQL
11 2 (0.24%) R
11 2 (0.24%) Shell Script
12 1 (0.12%) Bash
12 1 (0.12%) JCL
12 1 (0.12%) Korn
Qualifications
1 306 (36.87%) Degree
2 210 (25.30%) Security Cleared
3 164 (19.76%) SC Cleared
4 41 (4.94%) DV Cleared
5 30 (3.61%) TOGAF Certification
6 26 (3.13%) PMI Certification
6 26 (3.13%) PMP
7 21 (2.53%) Microsoft Certification
8 19 (2.29%) Computer Science Degree
9 16 (1.93%) DBS Check
10 15 (1.81%) BPSS Clearance
11 14 (1.69%) Cisco Certification
12 13 (1.57%) APMP
12 13 (1.57%) CHECK Team Member
12 13 (1.57%) PRINCE2 Practitioner
13 12 (1.45%) A+ Certification
13 12 (1.45%) CBAP
14 11 (1.33%) CREST Certified
14 11 (1.33%) Cyber Scheme
14 11 (1.33%) Postgraduate
Quality Assurance & Compliance
1 88 (10.60%) PMO
2 43 (5.18%) QA
3 35 (4.22%) SLA
4 26 (3.13%) GDPR
5 25 (3.01%) Data Quality
6 24 (2.89%) ISO/IEC 27001
7 18 (2.17%) PCI DSS
8 11 (1.33%) Accessibility
9 8 (0.96%) Cyber Essentials
10 6 (0.72%) ISO 9001
10 6 (0.72%) NIST
10 6 (0.72%) P3O
11 5 (0.60%) MiFID
12 3 (0.36%) ISO/IEC 42001
12 3 (0.36%) WCAG
13 2 (0.24%) EMIR
13 2 (0.24%) GRC
13 2 (0.24%) HL7
13 2 (0.24%) ISO 20022
13 2 (0.24%) SOC 2
System Software
1 90 (10.84%) Active Directory
2 11 (1.33%) VMware Infrastructure
3 9 (1.08%) BitLocker
3 9 (1.08%) Docker
4 6 (0.72%) Virtual Desktop
5 5 (0.60%) Hyper-V
5 5 (0.60%) VMware ESXi
5 5 (0.60%) XenApp
5 5 (0.60%) XenDesktop
6 3 (0.36%) vSphere
7 1 (0.12%) Citrix Presentation Server
7 1 (0.12%) Firmware
7 1 (0.12%) Job Entry Subsystem
7 1 (0.12%) Microsoft Virtual Server
7 1 (0.12%) Virtual Servers
7 1 (0.12%) VMware NSX
Systems Management
1 40 (4.82%) SCCM
2 30 (3.61%) OPNET
3 29 (3.49%) Microsoft Intune
4 13 (1.57%) Nmap
5 10 (1.20%) Ansible
6 8 (0.96%) Active Directory Federation Services
7 7 (0.84%) HP Quality Center
8 5 (0.60%) SCVMM
8 5 (0.60%) TeamSite
8 5 (0.60%) vCenter Server
9 4 (0.48%) HP ALM
9 4 (0.48%) Terraform
10 3 (0.36%) Cisco Prime
10 3 (0.36%) PaperCut
10 3 (0.36%) SCOM
10 3 (0.36%) SCSM
10 3 (0.36%) Single Sign-On
10 3 (0.36%) Systems Management Server (SMS)
11 2 (0.24%) Cisco CUCM
12 1 (0.12%) Puppet
Vendors
1 557 (67.11%) Microsoft
2 87 (10.48%) ServiceNow
3 56 (6.75%) SAP
4 50 (6.02%) Remedy
5 42 (5.06%) Atlassian
6 36 (4.34%) Cisco
7 31 (3.73%) Google
8 30 (3.61%) Oracle
9 22 (2.65%) Citrix
10 18 (2.17%) Apple
11 16 (1.93%) HP
12 15 (1.81%) Siemens
13 13 (1.57%) Adobe
13 13 (1.57%) VMware
14 10 (1.20%) Salesforce
15 9 (1.08%) Planview
16 7 (0.84%) Workday
17 6 (0.72%) Ariba
17 6 (0.72%) Splunk
18 5 (0.60%) Dell