Problem-Solving Job Trends in the North West

Problem Solving
England > North West

The table below provides summary statistics and salary benchmarking for jobs advertised in the North West requiring Problem-Solving skills. It covers permanent job vacancies from the 6 months leading up to 26 June 2026, with comparisons to the same periods in the previous two years.

6 months to
26 Jun 2026
Same period 2025 Same period 2024
Rank 14 7 7
Rank change year-on-year -7 0 +13
Permanent jobs citing Problem-Solving 752 998 1,468
As % of all permanent jobs in the North West 6.86% 20.90% 13.50%
As % of the Processes & Methodologies category 9.75% 22.21% 17.10%
Number of salaries quoted 603 500 888
10th Percentile £26,500 £25,000 £26,250
25th Percentile £31,250 £32,500 £32,500
Median annual salary (50th Percentile) £45,000 £46,000 £46,500
Median % change year-on-year -2.17% -1.08% -2.11%
75th Percentile £61,250 £63,313 £61,250
90th Percentile £75,000 £77,500 £77,500
England median annual salary £47,500 £50,000 £50,000
% change year-on-year -5.00% - -9.09%

All Process & Methodology Skills
North West

Problem-Solving falls under the Processes and Methodologies category. For comparison with the information above, the following table provides summary statistics for all permanent job vacancies requiring process or methodology skills in the North West.

Permanent vacancies with a requirement for process or methodology skills 7,714 4,494 8,585
As % of all permanent jobs advertised in the North West 70.40% 94.10% 78.96%
Number of salaries quoted 5,922 2,079 6,441
10th Percentile £30,000 £27,500 £27,750
25th Percentile £40,000 £36,250 £37,500
Median annual salary (50th Percentile) £55,000 £52,000 £50,000
Median % change year-on-year +5.77% +4.00% -9.09%
75th Percentile £73,750 £68,750 £65,000
90th Percentile £90,000 £82,751 £80,000
England median annual salary £60,000 £57,500 £55,000
% change year-on-year +4.35% +4.55% -12.00%

Problem-Solving
Job Vacancy Trend in the North West

Historical trend showing the proportion of permanent IT job postings citing Problem-Solving relative to all permanent IT jobs advertised in the North West.

Problem-Solving job vacancy trend in the North West

Problem-Solving
Salary Trend in the North West

Salary distribution trend for jobs in the North West citing Problem-Solving.

Salary distribution trend for jobs in the North West citing Problem-Solving

Problem-Solving
Salary Histogram in the North West

Salary distribution for jobs citing Problem-Solving in the North West over the 6 months to 26 June 2026.

Salary histogram for Problem-Solving in the North West

Problem-Solving
Job Locations in the North West

The table below looks at the demand and provides a guide to the median salaries quoted in IT jobs citing Problem-Solving within the North West region over the 6 months to 26 June 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
Manchester -13 402 £50,000 - 177
Merseyside -6 121 £42,500 +6.25% 20
Cheshire -10 118 £41,000 +9.33% 65
Lancashire +4 72 £41,500 +21.68% 65
Cumbria -8 34 £32,500 +0.62% 16
Problem-Solving
England

Problem-Solving
Co-Occurring Skills & Capabilities in the North West 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 65 (8.64%) SharePoint
2 55 (7.31%) Microsoft Exchange
3 9 (1.20%) IIS
4 6 (0.80%) Confluence
5 4 (0.53%) Apache Spark
5 4 (0.53%) Moodle
5 4 (0.53%) Totara
6 2 (0.27%) Apache
6 2 (0.27%) ArcGIS
6 2 (0.27%) nginx
6 2 (0.27%) WordPress
7 1 (0.13%) CMS
7 1 (0.13%) Oracle SOA Suite
7 1 (0.13%) Umbraco
Applications
1 46 (6.12%) Microsoft Excel
2 27 (3.59%) Microsoft Office
3 9 (1.20%) MS Visio
4 5 (0.66%) Spreadsheet
5 2 (0.27%) Chatbot
5 2 (0.27%) Microsoft PowerPoint
5 2 (0.27%) Windchill
6 1 (0.13%) Acrobat
6 1 (0.13%) Simulink
Business Applications
1 24 (3.19%) SAP S/4HANA
2 13 (1.73%) SAP ERP
3 7 (0.93%) Magento
4 6 (0.80%) Workday HCM
5 5 (0.66%) Dynamics CRM
6 4 (0.53%) Dynamics AX
6 4 (0.53%) SAP PP
6 4 (0.53%) Shopify
7 2 (0.27%) Dynamics NAV
8 1 (0.13%) Odoo
8 1 (0.13%) Oracle Applications
8 1 (0.13%) Oracle EBS
8 1 (0.13%) Salesforce CRM
8 1 (0.13%) SAP ECC
Cloud Services
1 173 (23.01%) Azure
2 156 (20.74%) Microsoft 365
3 88 (11.70%) AWS
4 83 (11.04%) Power Platform
5 35 (4.65%) PowerApps
6 28 (3.72%) Dynamics 365
6 28 (3.72%) Power Automate
7 26 (3.46%) Azure DevOps
7 26 (3.46%) GitHub
8 25 (3.32%) GCP
8 25 (3.32%) SaaS
9 24 (3.19%) Entra ID
10 21 (2.79%) Microsoft Copilot
11 18 (2.39%) OneDrive
12 17 (2.26%) Microsoft Purview
13 16 (2.13%) Serverless
14 12 (1.60%) Boomi
15 8 (1.06%) Azure Data Factory
15 8 (1.06%) Azure Logic Apps
15 8 (1.06%) GitHub Actions
Communications & Networking
1 75 (9.97%) Firewall
2 52 (6.91%) DNS
3 48 (6.38%) DHCP
4 38 (5.05%) VPN
5 37 (4.92%) VLAN
6 35 (4.65%) TCP/IP
7 33 (4.39%) Wi-Fi
8 24 (3.19%) VoIP
9 21 (2.79%) Wireless
10 17 (2.26%) Network Security
11 15 (1.99%) WAN
12 14 (1.86%) Structured Cabling
13 13 (1.73%) LAN
14 10 (1.33%) Broadband
14 10 (1.33%) SD-WAN
15 6 (0.80%) IP Telephony
15 6 (0.80%) SAN
15 6 (0.80%) Wireshark
16 5 (0.66%) Unified Communications
17 4 (0.53%) OSPF
Database & Business Intelligence
1 54 (7.18%) Power BI
2 38 (5.05%) SQL Server
3 31 (4.12%) SQL Server Reporting Services
4 14 (1.86%) Data Warehouse
5 13 (1.73%) MySQL
6 12 (1.60%) PostgreSQL
7 10 (1.33%) NoSQL
8 9 (1.20%) SQL Server Integration Services
9 7 (0.93%) Big Data
10 5 (0.66%) MongoDB
10 5 (0.66%) Power Query
10 5 (0.66%) Tableau
11 4 (0.53%) Elasticsearch
11 4 (0.53%) Looker
11 4 (0.53%) Redis
12 3 (0.40%) Azure SQL Database
12 3 (0.40%) Neo4j
12 3 (0.40%) PowerPivot
12 3 (0.40%) SAP HANA
12 3 (0.40%) SQL Server Analysis Services
Development Applications
1 31 (4.12%) Git
2 26 (3.46%) JIRA
3 7 (0.93%) Jenkins
4 6 (0.80%) GitLab
5 5 (0.66%) Bitbucket
6 3 (0.40%) Claude Code
6 3 (0.40%) Cucumber
6 3 (0.40%) Cypress.io
6 3 (0.40%) Robot Framework
7 2 (0.27%) Rational DOORS
7 2 (0.27%) SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS)
8 1 (0.13%) Gemini Tracker
8 1 (0.13%) gulp
8 1 (0.13%) LabVIEW
8 1 (0.13%) Oracle Forms
8 1 (0.13%) Rational Rhapsody
8 1 (0.13%) webpack
General
1 293 (38.96%) Social Skills
2 207 (27.53%) Analytical Skills
3 113 (15.03%) Finance
4 65 (8.64%) Manufacturing
5 60 (7.98%) Organisational Skills
6 54 (7.18%) Law
7 39 (5.19%) Retail
8 37 (4.92%) Legal
9 33 (4.39%) Marketing
10 30 (3.99%) Public Sector
11 17 (2.26%) Inclusion and Diversity
12 16 (2.13%) Documentation Skills
13 15 (1.99%) Banking
14 12 (1.60%) Games
14 12 (1.60%) Telecoms
15 9 (1.20%) Investment Banking
16 8 (1.06%) Influencing Skills
17 7 (0.93%) French Language
17 7 (0.93%) Italian Language
17 7 (0.93%) Presentation Skills
Job Titles
1 99 (13.16%) Senior
2 96 (12.77%) Developer
3 86 (11.44%) Analyst
4 84 (11.17%) IT Support
5 77 (10.24%) Support Engineer
6 51 (6.78%) IT Engineer
7 49 (6.52%) IT Support Engineer
8 43 (5.72%) Lead
9 40 (5.32%) Consultant
10 36 (4.79%) Support Technician
11 35 (4.65%) Software Engineer
12 34 (4.52%) Senior Developer
13 21 (2.79%) Business Analyst
14 19 (2.53%) Administrator
15 18 (2.39%) IT Support Technician
15 18 (2.39%) IT Technician
16 17 (2.26%) Infrastructure Engineer
17 16 (2.13%) 1st Line Support
17 16 (2.13%) Senior Analyst
17 16 (2.13%) Technical Analyst
Libraries, Frameworks & Software Standards
1 44 (5.85%) .NET
2 41 (5.45%) React
3 38 (5.05%) HTML
4 34 (4.52%) REST
5 23 (3.06%) AngularJS
5 23 (3.06%) CSS
5 23 (3.06%) Spring
5 23 (3.06%) Spring Boot
6 22 (2.93%) EDI
7 21 (2.79%) Middleware
8 20 (2.66%) Vue
9 16 (2.13%) SOAP
10 14 (1.86%) XML
11 13 (1.73%) JSON
11 13 (1.73%) Node.js
12 11 (1.46%) Next.js
12 11 (1.46%) Web Services
13 10 (1.33%) React Native
13 10 (1.33%) RESTful
14 9 (1.20%) SAP Fiori
Miscellaneous
1 71 (9.44%) Driving Licence
2 53 (7.05%) Onboarding
3 35 (4.65%) Product Ownership
4 34 (4.52%) Cloud Native
5 24 (3.19%) Data Centre
6 21 (2.79%) Distributed Systems
6 21 (2.79%) Self-Motivation
7 16 (2.13%) Mobile App
8 14 (1.86%) CCTV
9 11 (1.46%) Analytical Mindset
9 11 (1.46%) Foreign Exchange (FX)
10 10 (1.33%) Management Information System
10 10 (1.33%) Security Posture
11 9 (1.20%) Enterprise Cloud
11 9 (1.20%) Social Media
12 8 (1.06%) AI Agents
13 7 (0.93%) Low-Code
13 7 (0.93%) Replication
14 6 (0.80%) CMDB
14 6 (0.80%) Hybrid Cloud
Operating Systems
1 137 (18.22%) Windows
2 67 (8.91%) Windows Server
3 47 (6.25%) Windows 10
4 24 (3.19%) Apple iOS
4 24 (3.19%) Linux
5 18 (2.39%) Android
6 7 (0.93%) Windows 7
6 7 (0.93%) Windows 8
6 7 (0.93%) Windows Server 2016
7 6 (0.80%) Mac OS
8 5 (0.66%) Windows Server 2019
9 3 (0.40%) Red Hat Enterprise Linux
9 3 (0.40%) Unix
10 2 (0.27%) Solaris
11 1 (0.13%) CentOS
11 1 (0.13%) CoreOS
11 1 (0.13%) Ubuntu
11 1 (0.13%) VME
11 1 (0.13%) VMS
Processes & Methodologies
1 181 (24.07%) Continuous Improvement
2 166 (22.07%) Customer Service
3 115 (15.29%) Mentoring
4 86 (11.44%) Decision-Making
5 84 (11.17%) Agile
5 84 (11.17%) AI
5 84 (11.17%) Stakeholder Management
6 83 (11.04%) CI/CD
7 77 (10.24%) Roadmaps
8 71 (9.44%) CRM
9 70 (9.31%) Analytics
10 67 (8.91%) DevOps
11 66 (8.78%) Software Engineering
12 60 (7.98%) User Experience
13 59 (7.85%) ERP
14 55 (7.31%) Collaborative Working
15 51 (6.78%) Test Automation
16 45 (5.98%) Business Intelligence
17 44 (5.85%) Stakeholder Engagement
18 43 (5.72%) Cybersecurity
Programming Languages
1 129 (17.15%) SQL
2 94 (12.50%) Python
3 54 (7.18%) C#
4 49 (6.52%) JavaScript
5 38 (5.05%) Java
6 24 (3.19%) PowerShell
7 16 (2.13%) TypeScript
8 15 (1.99%) Bash
9 13 (1.73%) PHP
10 12 (1.60%) C++
11 10 (1.33%) T-SQL
12 8 (1.06%) Ruby
13 7 (0.93%) Kotlin
14 6 (0.80%) R
14 6 (0.80%) Shell Script
15 5 (0.66%) Bicep
15 5 (0.66%) C
15 5 (0.66%) Data Analysis Expressions
16 4 (0.53%) Apex Code
17 3 (0.40%) SOQL
Qualifications
1 87 (11.57%) Degree
2 38 (5.05%) Security Cleared
3 23 (3.06%) DBS Check
3 23 (3.06%) SC Cleared
4 20 (2.66%) Microsoft Certification
5 15 (1.99%) BPSS Clearance
6 13 (1.73%) Computer Science Degree
7 12 (1.60%) Cisco Certification
7 12 (1.60%) HNC
8 11 (1.46%) DV Cleared
9 8 (1.06%) Azure Certification
9 8 (1.06%) CCNP
10 7 (0.93%) CCNA
10 7 (0.93%) MCSA
10 7 (0.93%) Postgraduate
11 5 (0.66%) CompTIA Security+
11 5 (0.66%) Master's Degree
11 5 (0.66%) Network+ Certification
12 4 (0.53%) ITIL Certification
12 4 (0.53%) VMware Certified Professional (VCP)
Quality Assurance & Compliance
1 40 (5.32%) Data Quality
2 30 (3.99%) QA
3 27 (3.59%) SLA
4 25 (3.32%) GDPR
5 23 (3.06%) Accessibility
6 15 (1.99%) ISO/IEC 27001
7 12 (1.60%) TickIT
8 8 (1.06%) ISO 9001
9 7 (0.93%) Cyber Essentials
10 4 (0.53%) ISO/IEC 14443
10 4 (0.53%) ISO/IEC 7816
10 4 (0.53%) NIST
11 2 (0.27%) Actionable Recommendations
11 2 (0.27%) WCAG
12 1 (0.13%) DICOM
12 1 (0.13%) GMP
12 1 (0.13%) IFRS
12 1 (0.13%) NEBOSH
12 1 (0.13%) PMO
12 1 (0.13%) Software Quality Assurance
System Software
1 95 (12.63%) Active Directory
2 34 (4.52%) VMware Infrastructure
3 32 (4.26%) Docker
4 22 (2.93%) Hyper-V
5 7 (0.93%) VMware Workstation
6 4 (0.53%) VMware ESXi
7 3 (0.40%) Virtual Desktop
7 3 (0.40%) Virtual Machines
8 2 (0.27%) Firmware
Systems Management
1 31 (4.12%) Kubernetes
2 29 (3.86%) Microsoft Intune
3 25 (3.32%) Terraform
4 17 (2.26%) SCCM
5 12 (1.60%) Ansible
6 11 (1.46%) Grafana
6 11 (1.46%) Prometheus
7 9 (1.20%) FortiGate
8 8 (1.06%) Autotask
9 4 (0.53%) Argo
9 4 (0.53%) Microsoft Clustering
10 3 (0.40%) Jamf Pro
11 2 (0.27%) Nagios
11 2 (0.27%) Podman
12 1 (0.13%) Istio
12 1 (0.13%) linkerd
12 1 (0.13%) Rancher
12 1 (0.13%) SCVMM
12 1 (0.13%) Single Sign-On
12 1 (0.13%) vCenter Server
Vendors
1 264 (35.11%) Microsoft
2 38 (5.05%) VMware
3 30 (3.99%) SAP
4 16 (2.13%) Google
5 12 (1.60%) HubSpot
6 10 (1.33%) Aruba
6 10 (1.33%) Cisco
6 10 (1.33%) iManage
6 10 (1.33%) ServiceNow
7 9 (1.20%) Adobe
7 9 (1.20%) Salesforce
7 9 (1.20%) SonicWALL
7 9 (1.20%) Sophos
8 8 (1.06%) Meraki
8 8 (1.06%) Oracle
9 7 (0.93%) Apple
9 7 (0.93%) ESET
10 6 (0.80%) Intapp
10 6 (0.80%) Juniper
10 6 (0.80%) Workday