Designer Job Trends in Manchester
Designer
North West > Manchester
The median Designer salary in Manchester is £52,500 per year, according to job vacancies posted during the 6 months leading to 9 November 2026.
The table below compares current salary benchmarking and summary statistics with the previous two years.
| 6 months to 9 Nov 2026 |
Same period 2025 | Same period 2024 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | 171 | 130 | 110 |
| Rank change year-on-year | -41 | -20 | +19 |
| Permanent Designer jobs | 43 | 9 | 68 |
| As % of all permanent jobs in Manchester | 0.55% | 0.37% | 1.87% |
| As % of the Job Titles category | 0.59% | 0.41% | 1.97% |
| Number of salaries quoted | 28 | 7 | 35 |
| 10th Percentile | £34,325 | £49,750 | £33,500 |
| 25th Percentile | £42,500 | £51,875 | £42,500 |
| Median annual salary (50th Percentile) | £52,500 | £60,000 | £45,000 |
| Median % change year-on-year | -12.50% | +33.33% | -10.00% |
| 75th Percentile | £70,000 | £76,350 | £47,500 |
| 90th Percentile | £90,500 | £86,870 | £71,000 |
| North West median annual salary | £45,000 | £60,000 | £45,000 |
| % change year-on-year | -25.00% | +33.33% | -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 adverts in Manchester matching a recognised job title. The table also shows what proportion of all permanent IT job adverts they make up.
| 6 months to 9 Nov 2026 |
Same period 2025 | Same period 2024 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Permanent job adverts in Manchester matching a recognised job title | 7,281 | 2,218 | 3,456 |
| % of permanent job adverts matching a recognised job title | 93.29% | 92.00% | 95.29% |
| Number of salaries quoted | 5,325 | 1,454 | 1,737 |
| 10th Percentile | £35,000 | £28,250 | £34,000 |
| 25th Percentile | £45,000 | £35,000 | £41,250 |
| Median annual salary (50th Percentile) | £60,000 | £51,000 | £55,000 |
| Median % change year-on-year | +17.65% | -7.27% | -6.38% |
| 75th Percentile | £80,000 | £70,000 | £70,000 |
| 90th Percentile | £95,000 | £85,000 | £83,850 |
| North West median annual salary | £55,000 | £48,979 | £50,000 |
| % change year-on-year | +12.29% | -2.04% | -9.09% |
Designer Job Vacancy Trend in Manchester
Historical trend showing the proportion of permanent Designer job postings 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 Designer jobs in Manchester over the 6 months to 9 November 2026.
Designer Job Locations in Manchester
The table below looks at the demand and provides a guide to the median salaries quoted in Designer jobs within the Manchester region over the 6 months to 9 November 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 |
Job Ads Past 6 Months |
Median Salary Past 6 Months |
Median Salary % Change on Same Period Last Year |
Live Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cheadle | - | 4 | £35,000 | - | |
| Bolton | - | 2 | £29,000 | - | |
| Oldham | - | 1 | - | - | |
| Designer North West |
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Designer Skill Set Top 30 Co-Occurring Skills & Capabilities in Manchester
For the 6 months to 9 November 2026, Designer job ads cited 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 Designer job ads across the Manchester region.
| Rank | Skill | Share | Job Ads |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Prototyping | 32.6% | 14 |
| 2 | Accessibility | 27.9% | 12 |
| 3 | User Experience | 25.6% | 11 |
| 4 | AI | 23.3% | 10 |
| 5 | Service Design | 20.9% | 9 |
| 6 | Customer Experience | 18.6% | 8 |
| 6 | Workshop Facilitation | 18.6% | 8 |
| 8 | Agile | 16.3% | 7 |
| 8 | SC Cleared | 16.3% | 7 |
| 8 | Security Cleared | 16.3% | 7 |
| 8 | UX Design | 16.3% | 7 |
| 12 | Co-Creation | 14.0% | 6 |
| 12 | Digital Customer Experience | 14.0% | 6 |
| 12 | Journey Map | 14.0% | 6 |
| 15 | CAD | 11.6% | 5 |
| 15 | User-Centered Design (UCD) | 11.6% | 5 |
| 17 | Analytics | 9.3% | 4 |
| 17 | Coaching | 9.3% | 4 |
| 17 | Commercial Awareness | 9.3% | 4 |
| 17 | Design Sprint | 9.3% | 4 |
| 17 | Human-Centred Design | 9.3% | 4 |
| 17 | Inclusive Design | 9.3% | 4 |
| 17 | Stakeholder Engagement | 9.3% | 4 |
| 17 | User Research | 9.3% | 4 |
| 25 | Content Strategy | 7.0% | 3 |
| 25 | Customer Service | 7.0% | 3 |
| 25 | Decision-Making | 7.0% | 3 |
| 25 | Figma | 7.0% | 3 |
| 25 | Instructional Design | 7.0% | 3 |
| 25 | Mentoring | 7.0% | 3 |
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 | Content Designer | 27.9% | 12 |
| 2 | Service Designer | 20.9% | 9 |
| 3 | Lead Designer | 11.6% | 5 |
| 3 | Senior Designer | 11.6% | 5 |
| 3 | UX Designer | 11.6% | 5 |
| 6 | CAD Designer | 9.3% | 4 |
| 6 | Systems Designer | 9.3% | 4 |
| 6 | UI/UX Designer | 9.3% | 4 |
| 9 | Development Consultant | 7.0% | 3 |
| 9 | Instructional Designer | 7.0% | 3 |
| 9 | Lead Service Designer | 7.0% | 3 |
| 12 | Digital Designer | 4.7% | 2 |
| 12 | Interaction Designer | 4.7% | 2 |
| 12 | Motion Graphics Designer | 4.7% | 2 |
| 12 | Network Designer | 4.7% | 2 |
| 12 | Senior Content Designer | 4.7% | 2 |
| 12 | Web Designer | 4.7% | 2 |
| 18 | Graphic Designer | 2.3% | 1 |
| 18 | Junior Designer | 2.3% | 1 |
| 18 | Senior Infrastructure Designer | 2.3% | 1 |