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 6 May 2026, with comparisons to the same periods in the previous two years.

6 months to
6 May 2026
Same period 2025 Same period 2024
Rank 24 10 8
Rank change year-on-year -14 -2 +13
Permanent jobs citing Problem-Solving 663 715 1,235
As % of all permanent jobs in the North West 6.30% 16.48% 13.33%
As % of the Processes & Methodologies category 8.57% 17.27% 16.22%
Number of salaries quoted 498 547 889
10th Percentile £27,250 £27,123 £26,250
25th Percentile £30,000 £35,174 £32,500
Median annual salary (50th Percentile) £44,000 £48,000 £45,000
Median % change year-on-year -8.33% +6.67% -5.26%
75th Percentile £60,000 £65,000 £61,250
90th Percentile £75,000 £77,500 £77,700
England median annual salary £47,500 £52,500 £50,000
% change year-on-year -9.52% +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 7,736 4,139 7,616
As % of all permanent jobs advertised in the North West 73.56% 95.41% 82.19%
Number of salaries quoted 4,608 2,189 6,046
10th Percentile £30,000 £31,000 £27,500
25th Percentile £40,000 £38,750 £37,500
Median annual salary (50th Percentile) £55,000 £52,500 £50,000
Median % change year-on-year +4.76% +5.00% -9.09%
75th Percentile £70,000 £71,250 £65,603
90th Percentile £89,500 £83,850 £80,000
England median annual salary £60,000 £60,000 £55,000
% change year-on-year - +9.09% -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 6 May 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 6 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
Permanent
IT Job Ads
Median Salary
Past 6 Months
Median Salary
% Change
on Same Period
Last Year
Live
Jobs
Manchester -22 317 £50,000 -3.85% 199
Merseyside +1 114 £40,000 +23.08% 41
Cheshire -15 107 £42,500 +16.44% 75
Lancashire +1 74 £36,500 -23.45% 79
Cumbria +3 49 £42,500 +10.39% 15
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 51 (7.69%) SharePoint
2 40 (6.03%) Microsoft Exchange
3 8 (1.21%) Confluence
4 4 (0.60%) Moodle
4 4 (0.60%) Totara
5 3 (0.45%) Apache Spark
5 3 (0.45%) WordPress
6 2 (0.30%) ArcGIS
6 2 (0.30%) CMS
7 1 (0.15%) Apache
7 1 (0.15%) Umbraco
Applications
1 39 (5.88%) Microsoft Excel
2 25 (3.77%) Microsoft Office
3 6 (0.90%) MS Visio
4 3 (0.45%) Simulink
4 3 (0.45%) Spreadsheet
5 1 (0.15%) Chatbot
5 1 (0.15%) Trello
Business Applications
1 25 (3.77%) SAP S/4HANA
2 13 (1.96%) SAP ERP
3 7 (1.06%) Magento
4 6 (0.90%) Workday HCM
5 5 (0.75%) Dynamics CRM
6 4 (0.60%) Dynamics AX
6 4 (0.60%) SAP PP
6 4 (0.60%) Shopify
7 1 (0.15%) Dynamics NAV
7 1 (0.15%) NetSuite
7 1 (0.15%) Salesforce CRM
Cloud Services
1 148 (22.32%) Azure
2 129 (19.46%) Microsoft 365
3 71 (10.71%) Power Platform
4 60 (9.05%) AWS
5 39 (5.88%) Entra ID
6 28 (4.22%) SaaS
7 27 (4.07%) Dynamics 365
7 27 (4.07%) GCP
8 25 (3.77%) GitHub
9 21 (3.17%) Power Automate
10 20 (3.02%) Azure DevOps
10 20 (3.02%) PowerApps
11 19 (2.87%) Microsoft Purview
12 12 (1.81%) Boomi
12 12 (1.81%) Serverless
13 10 (1.51%) Azure Monitor
13 10 (1.51%) Microsoft Copilot
13 10 (1.51%) OneDrive
14 8 (1.21%) Azure Logic Apps
14 8 (1.21%) Azure Sentinel
Communications & Networking
1 58 (8.75%) Firewall
2 33 (4.98%) DNS
3 31 (4.68%) DHCP
4 30 (4.52%) VLAN
5 28 (4.22%) VPN
6 25 (3.77%) Wi-Fi
7 21 (3.17%) Wireless
8 19 (2.87%) VoIP
9 18 (2.71%) TCP/IP
9 18 (2.71%) WAN
10 12 (1.81%) Structured Cabling
11 11 (1.66%) Broadband
11 11 (1.66%) LAN
11 11 (1.66%) Unified Communications
12 10 (1.51%) SD-WAN
13 8 (1.21%) Network Security
14 7 (1.06%) Telepresence
14 7 (1.06%) WebEx
15 6 (0.90%) IP Telephony
16 5 (0.75%) Ethernet
Database & Business Intelligence
1 49 (7.39%) Power BI
2 27 (4.07%) SQL Server Reporting Services
3 17 (2.56%) SQL Server
4 10 (1.51%) NoSQL
5 9 (1.36%) MySQL
5 9 (1.36%) PostgreSQL
6 8 (1.21%) MongoDB
7 6 (0.90%) SQL Server Integration Services
8 4 (0.60%) Looker
9 3 (0.45%) Azure SQL Database
9 3 (0.45%) Big Data
9 3 (0.45%) DynamoDB
9 3 (0.45%) Elasticsearch
9 3 (0.45%) Relational Database
9 3 (0.45%) SAP HANA
10 2 (0.30%) Data Warehouse
10 2 (0.30%) Hadoop
10 2 (0.30%) Power Query
11 1 (0.15%) BusinessObjects Business Intelligence
11 1 (0.15%) Tableau
Development Applications
1 29 (4.37%) Git
2 26 (3.92%) JIRA
3 7 (1.06%) Bitbucket
3 7 (1.06%) GitLab
4 3 (0.45%) Jenkins
5 1 (0.15%) Claude Code
5 1 (0.15%) gulp
5 1 (0.15%) LabVIEW
5 1 (0.15%) Rational DOORS
5 1 (0.15%) SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS)
5 1 (0.15%) TeamCity
5 1 (0.15%) webpack
General
1 293 (44.19%) Social Skills
2 181 (27.30%) Analytical Skills
3 114 (17.19%) Finance
4 57 (8.60%) Organisational Skills
5 51 (7.69%) Manufacturing
6 36 (5.43%) Retail
7 33 (4.98%) Marketing
7 33 (4.98%) Public Sector
8 31 (4.68%) Law
9 25 (3.77%) Legal
10 24 (3.62%) Automotive
11 23 (3.47%) Inclusion and Diversity
12 16 (2.41%) Telecoms
13 13 (1.96%) Advertising
13 13 (1.96%) Banking
14 10 (1.51%) Documentation Skills
14 10 (1.51%) French Language
15 9 (1.36%) Games
15 9 (1.36%) Presentation Skills
16 8 (1.21%) Investment Banking
Job Titles
1 84 (12.67%) Analyst
2 81 (12.22%) Senior
3 79 (11.92%) IT Support
3 79 (11.92%) Support Engineer
4 57 (8.60%) Developer
5 48 (7.24%) IT Engineer
6 46 (6.94%) IT Support Engineer
7 35 (5.28%) Support Technician
8 31 (4.68%) Consultant
9 30 (4.52%) Lead
10 28 (4.22%) Business Analyst
11 26 (3.92%) Senior Developer
12 21 (3.17%) Architect
13 19 (2.87%) Infrastructure Engineer
13 19 (2.87%) Software Engineer
14 18 (2.71%) Solutions Architect
15 17 (2.56%) IT Support Technician
15 17 (2.56%) IT Technician
16 16 (2.41%) Technical Engineer
16 16 (2.41%) Technical Support Engineer
Libraries, Frameworks & Software Standards
1 27 (4.07%) React
2 25 (3.77%) .NET
2 25 (3.77%) REST
3 23 (3.47%) HTML
4 22 (3.32%) EDI
5 21 (3.17%) Spring
5 21 (3.17%) Spring Boot
6 15 (2.26%) CSS
7 14 (2.11%) SOAP
7 14 (2.11%) XML
8 13 (1.96%) AngularJS
8 13 (1.96%) Middleware
9 12 (1.81%) JSON
10 11 (1.66%) SAP Fiori
11 10 (1.51%) Vue
12 9 (1.36%) Node.js
12 9 (1.36%) RESTful
13 8 (1.21%) Web Services
14 7 (1.06%) OAuth
14 7 (1.06%) OAuth2
Miscellaneous
1 83 (12.52%) Driving Licence
2 50 (7.54%) Onboarding
3 22 (3.32%) Self-Motivation
4 17 (2.56%) Analytical Mindset
5 16 (2.41%) Distributed Systems
6 15 (2.26%) CCTV
6 15 (2.26%) Data Centre
7 13 (1.96%) Enterprise Software
7 13 (1.96%) Product Ownership
8 11 (1.66%) Cloud Native
8 11 (1.66%) Management Information System
8 11 (1.66%) Social Media
9 10 (1.51%) EPoS
10 9 (1.36%) CMDB
10 9 (1.36%) Enterprise Cloud
10 9 (1.36%) FMCG
11 7 (1.06%) Security Posture
11 7 (1.06%) Virtual Team
12 6 (0.90%) AI Agents
12 6 (0.90%) Renewable Energy
Operating Systems
1 114 (17.19%) Windows
2 50 (7.54%) Windows Server
3 35 (5.28%) Windows 10
4 22 (3.32%) Apple iOS
5 20 (3.02%) Linux
6 14 (2.11%) Android
7 8 (1.21%) Windows 7
7 8 (1.21%) Windows 8
7 8 (1.21%) Windows Server 2016
8 7 (1.06%) Mac OS
9 5 (0.75%) Windows Server 2019
10 4 (0.60%) Red Hat Enterprise Linux
10 4 (0.60%) Unix
11 3 (0.45%) Solaris
12 1 (0.15%) CentOS
12 1 (0.15%) CoreOS
12 1 (0.15%) Ubuntu
12 1 (0.15%) VME
Processes & Methodologies
1 139 (20.97%) Customer Service
2 118 (17.80%) Continuous Improvement
3 93 (14.03%) Mentoring
4 78 (11.76%) Decision-Making
4 78 (11.76%) Stakeholder Management
5 74 (11.16%) Agile
6 69 (10.41%) AI
7 54 (8.14%) DevOps
8 53 (7.99%) CI/CD
9 50 (7.54%) CRM
9 50 (7.54%) Project Management
10 49 (7.39%) ERP
10 49 (7.39%) Roadmaps
11 48 (7.24%) Collaborative Working
12 47 (7.09%) User Experience
13 44 (6.64%) Analytics
14 43 (6.49%) Software Engineering
15 42 (6.33%) Coaching
16 41 (6.18%) Business Intelligence
17 39 (5.88%) ITIL
Programming Languages
1 84 (12.67%) SQL
2 51 (7.69%) Python
3 32 (4.83%) C#
4 31 (4.68%) JavaScript
5 29 (4.37%) Java
6 14 (2.11%) PowerShell
7 10 (1.51%) TypeScript
8 9 (1.36%) Kotlin
9 8 (1.21%) Bash
10 6 (0.90%) C++
10 6 (0.90%) PHP
11 5 (0.75%) T-SQL
12 4 (0.60%) Bicep
12 4 (0.60%) C
13 3 (0.45%) Go
13 3 (0.45%) MATLAB
13 3 (0.45%) Scala
13 3 (0.45%) Shell Script
13 3 (0.45%) Swift
14 2 (0.30%) VBA
Qualifications
1 78 (11.76%) Degree
2 24 (3.62%) DBS Check
3 20 (3.02%) BPSS Clearance
4 16 (2.41%) Security Cleared
5 11 (1.66%) Microsoft Certification
6 9 (1.36%) HNC
6 9 (1.36%) SC Cleared
7 8 (1.21%) Cisco Certification
7 8 (1.21%) Computer Science Degree
7 8 (1.21%) Network+ Certification
8 6 (0.90%) CCNA
8 6 (0.90%) DV Cleared
9 5 (0.75%) CompTIA Security+
10 4 (0.60%) Azure Certification
10 4 (0.60%) HND
10 4 (0.60%) ITIL Certification
10 4 (0.60%) MCSA
11 3 (0.45%) CCNP
11 3 (0.45%) PMI Certification
11 3 (0.45%) PMP
Quality Assurance & Compliance
1 35 (5.28%) QA
2 27 (4.07%) SLA
3 25 (3.77%) Data Quality
4 20 (3.02%) GDPR
5 12 (1.81%) TickIT
6 10 (1.51%) ISO/IEC 27001
7 9 (1.36%) Cyber Essentials
8 8 (1.21%) ISO 9001
9 6 (0.90%) Accessibility
10 2 (0.30%) PCI DSS
11 1 (0.15%) DICOM
11 1 (0.15%) GMP
11 1 (0.15%) ISO/IEC 14443
11 1 (0.15%) ISO/IEC 7816
11 1 (0.15%) NEBOSH
System Software
1 91 (13.73%) Active Directory
2 23 (3.47%) Docker
2 23 (3.47%) Hyper-V
3 18 (2.71%) VMware Infrastructure
4 8 (1.21%) VMware Workstation
5 4 (0.60%) Virtual Desktop
6 3 (0.45%) Virtual Machines
7 2 (0.30%) Firmware
8 1 (0.15%) VMware ESXi
Systems Management
1 34 (5.13%) Microsoft Intune
2 31 (4.68%) Terraform
3 22 (3.32%) Kubernetes
4 20 (3.02%) BMC PATROL
4 20 (3.02%) SCCM
5 12 (1.81%) Ansible
6 10 (1.51%) Single Sign-On
7 9 (1.36%) Autotask
8 7 (1.06%) Cisco CUCM
9 5 (0.75%) FortiGate
10 4 (0.60%) Grafana
10 4 (0.60%) Jamf Pro
10 4 (0.60%) Prometheus
11 3 (0.45%) Podman
11 3 (0.45%) Rancher
12 2 (0.30%) cPanel
12 2 (0.30%) Plesk
13 1 (0.15%) McAfee ePO
13 1 (0.15%) Nagios
13 1 (0.15%) SCVMM
Vendors
1 211 (31.83%) Microsoft
2 27 (4.07%) SAP
3 20 (3.02%) VMware
4 17 (2.56%) Google
5 14 (2.11%) Oracle
6 13 (1.96%) Cisco
7 11 (1.66%) Apple
7 11 (1.66%) ServiceNow
7 11 (1.66%) Workday
8 9 (1.36%) iManage
8 9 (1.36%) Meraki
9 8 (1.21%) ESET
9 8 (1.21%) New Relic
9 8 (1.21%) Splunk
10 7 (1.06%) Aruba
11 5 (0.75%) Adobe
11 5 (0.75%) BiZZdesign
11 5 (0.75%) HubSpot
11 5 (0.75%) OpenAI
11 5 (0.75%) Siemens