Designer Job Trends in Manchester
Designer
North West > Manchester
The median Designer salary in Manchester is £50,000 per year, according to job vacancies posted during the 6 months leading to 19 October 2026.
The table below compares current salary benchmarking and summary statistics with the previous two years.
| 6 months to 19 Oct 2026 |
Same period 2025 | Same period 2024 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | 143 | 143 | 110 |
| Rank change year-on-year | 0 | -33 | +37 |
| Permanent jobs requiring a Designer | 65 | 10 | 67 |
| As % of all permanent jobs in Manchester | 0.84% | 0.44% | 1.77% |
| As % of the Job Titles category | 0.90% | 0.48% | 1.87% |
| Number of salaries quoted | 48 | 7 | 34 |
| 10th Percentile | £32,675 | £45,000 | £33,500 |
| 25th Percentile | £35,000 | £48,750 | £42,500 |
| Median annual salary (50th Percentile) | £50,000 | £52,500 | £45,000 |
| Median % change year-on-year | -4.76% | +16.67% | -10.00% |
| 75th Percentile | £68,125 | £61,875 | £46,875 |
| 90th Percentile | £75,000 | £74,750 | £72,000 |
| North West median annual salary | £45,000 | £51,250 | £45,000 |
| % change year-on-year | -12.20% | +13.89% | -10.00% |
All Permanent IT Job Roles
Manchester
For comparison with the information above, the following table provides summary statistics for all permanent IT job vacancies in Manchester. Most job vacancies include a discernible job title that can be normalized. As such, the figures in the second row provide an indication of the number of permanent jobs in our overall sample.
| 6 months to 19 Oct 2026 |
Same period 2025 | Same period 2024 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Permanent vacancies in Manchester with a recognized job title | 7,220 | 2,079 | 3,582 |
| % of permanent jobs with a recognized job title | 93.45% | 91.75% | 94.59% |
| Number of salaries quoted | 5,396 | 1,280 | 1,846 |
| 10th Percentile | £33,750 | £28,250 | £33,625 |
| 25th Percentile | £45,000 | £35,000 | £41,500 |
| Median annual salary (50th Percentile) | £60,000 | £51,000 | £55,000 |
| Median % change year-on-year | +17.65% | -7.27% | -8.33% |
| 75th Percentile | £78,750 | £69,250 | £69,800 |
| 90th Percentile | £96,250 | £85,000 | £84,750 |
| North West median annual salary | £55,000 | £49,500 | £50,000 |
| % change year-on-year | +11.11% | -1.00% | -9.09% |
Designer Job Vacancy Trend in Manchester
Historical trend showing the proportion of permanent IT job postings featuring 'Designer' in the job title relative to all permanent IT jobs advertised in Manchester.
Designer Salary Trend in Manchester
Salary distribution trend for Designer job vacancies in Manchester.
Designer Salary Histogram in Manchester
Salary distribution for jobs citing Designer in Manchester over the 6 months to 19 October 2026.
Designer Job Locations in Manchester
The table below looks at the demand and provides a guide to the median salaries quoted in IT jobs citing Designer within the Manchester region over the 6 months to 19 October 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 Permanent IT Job Ads |
Median Salary Past 6 Months |
Median Salary % Change on Same Period Last Year |
Live Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cheadle | - | 5 | £35,000 | - | |
| Bolton | - | 1 | £32,000 | - | |
| Designer North West |
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Designer Skill Set Top 30 Co-Occurring Skills & Capabilities in Manchester
For the 6 months to 19 October 2026, Designer job roles required the following skills and capabilities in order of popularity. The figures indicate the absolute number of co-occurrences and as a proportion of all permanent job ads across the Manchester region featuring Designer in the job title.
| Rank | Skill | Share | Job Ads |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | User Experience | 27.7% | 18 |
| 2 | Prototyping | 21.5% | 14 |
| 3 | UX Design | 20.0% | 13 |
| 4 | Accessibility | 18.5% | 12 |
| 5 | AI | 15.4% | 10 |
| 6 | Security Cleared | 13.8% | 9 |
| 6 | User-Centered Design (UCD) | 13.8% | 9 |
| 8 | Customer Experience | 12.3% | 8 |
| 8 | Service Design | 12.3% | 8 |
| 8 | Workshop Facilitation | 12.3% | 8 |
| 11 | Aruba | 10.8% | 7 |
| 11 | Cisco | 10.8% | 7 |
| 11 | Fortinet | 10.8% | 7 |
| 11 | Wireless | 10.8% | 7 |
| 15 | Agile | 9.2% | 6 |
| 15 | Broadband | 9.2% | 6 |
| 15 | Co-Creation | 9.2% | 6 |
| 15 | Digital Customer Experience | 9.2% | 6 |
| 15 | Figma | 9.2% | 6 |
| 15 | Journey Map | 9.2% | 6 |
| 15 | SC Cleared | 9.2% | 6 |
| 15 | Workflow | 9.2% | 6 |
| 23 | Analytics | 7.7% | 5 |
| 23 | CAD | 7.7% | 5 |
| 23 | User Research | 7.7% | 5 |
| 23 | Wireframes | 7.7% | 5 |
| 27 | Coaching | 6.2% | 4 |
| 27 | Commercial Awareness | 6.2% | 4 |
| 27 | Human-Centred Design | 6.2% | 4 |
| 27 | Interaction Design | 6.2% | 4 |
Designer Skill Set Co-Occurring Skills & Capabilities in Manchester by Category
The table below expands on the one above by listing co-occurrences one category at a time. It covers the same employment type, locality and period, with up to 20 co-occurrences in each category.
Job Titles
| Rank | Job Title | Share | Job Ads |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | UX Designer | 18.5% | 12 |
| 2 | Content Designer | 16.9% | 11 |
| 3 | Digital Designer | 12.3% | 8 |
| 3 | Service Designer | 12.3% | 8 |
| 5 | Network Designer | 10.8% | 7 |
| 6 | Solutions Designer | 9.2% | 6 |
| 7 | CAD Designer | 7.7% | 5 |
| 7 | Lead Designer | 7.7% | 5 |
| 7 | Motion Graphics Designer | 7.7% | 5 |
| 7 | Senior Designer | 7.7% | 5 |
| 7 | Systems Designer | 7.7% | 5 |
| 12 | Product Designer | 6.2% | 4 |
| 12 | UI/UX Designer | 6.2% | 4 |
| 14 | Development Consultant | 4.6% | 3 |
| 14 | Instructional Designer | 4.6% | 3 |
| 14 | Interaction Designer | 4.6% | 3 |
| 14 | Lead Service Designer | 4.6% | 3 |
| 14 | Product Developer | 4.6% | 3 |
| 19 | Junior UX Designer | 3.1% | 2 |
| 19 | Senior Content Designer | 3.1% | 2 |