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 15 July 2026, with comparisons to the same periods in the previous two years.

6 months to
15 Jul 2026
Same period 2025 Same period 2024
Rank 14 7 7
Rank change year-on-year -7 0 +8
Permanent jobs citing Problem-Solving 793 1,033 1,391
As % of all permanent jobs in the North West 7.03% 20.09% 13.55%
As % of the Processes & Methodologies category 9.90% 21.88% 17.15%
Number of salaries quoted 631 516 820
10th Percentile £26,500 £25,044 £26,250
25th Percentile £31,250 £32,500 £32,500
Median annual salary (50th Percentile) £45,000 £46,000 £47,500
Median % change year-on-year -2.17% -3.16% -
75th Percentile £61,250 £62,000 £62,500
90th Percentile £75,000 £77,500 £77,500
England median annual salary £47,500 £49,000 £50,000
% change year-on-year -3.06% -2.00% -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 8,010 4,721 8,112
As % of all permanent jobs advertised in the North West 70.99% 91.79% 79.00%
Number of salaries quoted 6,151 2,276 5,976
10th Percentile £30,000 £27,750 £28,250
25th Percentile £40,000 £35,500 £38,000
Median annual salary (50th Percentile) £55,000 £50,055 £50,000
Median % change year-on-year +9.88% +0.11% -9.09%
75th Percentile £75,000 £67,500 £65,000
90th Percentile £90,000 £81,750 £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 15 July 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 15 July 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 -11 421 £50,000 - 247
Cheshire -9 131 £41,000 +9.33% 106
Merseyside -8 125 £42,500 +1.80% 49
Lancashire +2 75 £40,000 +18.64% 159
Cumbria -8 35 £32,500 -0.31% 9
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 70 (8.83%) SharePoint
2 56 (7.06%) Microsoft Exchange
3 11 (1.39%) IIS
4 6 (0.76%) Confluence
5 5 (0.63%) Apache Spark
6 4 (0.50%) Moodle
6 4 (0.50%) Totara
7 2 (0.25%) Apache
7 2 (0.25%) ArcGIS
7 2 (0.25%) nginx
7 2 (0.25%) WordPress
8 1 (0.13%) CMS
8 1 (0.13%) Oracle SOA Suite
8 1 (0.13%) Umbraco
8 1 (0.13%) WebSphere
Applications
1 49 (6.18%) Microsoft Excel
2 32 (4.04%) Microsoft Office
3 12 (1.51%) MS Visio
4 5 (0.63%) Spreadsheet
5 3 (0.38%) Microsoft PowerPoint
6 2 (0.25%) Chatbot
6 2 (0.25%) Windchill
7 1 (0.13%) Acrobat
7 1 (0.13%) Microsoft Project
7 1 (0.13%) Simulink
Business Applications
1 23 (2.90%) SAP S/4HANA
2 13 (1.64%) SAP ERP
3 7 (0.88%) Magento
4 6 (0.76%) Dynamics CRM
4 6 (0.76%) Workday HCM
5 4 (0.50%) Dynamics AX
5 4 (0.50%) SAP PP
5 4 (0.50%) Shopify
6 2 (0.25%) Dynamics NAV
7 1 (0.13%) NEC Housing
7 1 (0.13%) Odoo
7 1 (0.13%) Oracle Applications
7 1 (0.13%) Oracle EBS
7 1 (0.13%) Salesforce CRM
7 1 (0.13%) SAP ECC
Cloud Services
1 186 (23.46%) Azure
2 165 (20.81%) Microsoft 365
3 97 (12.23%) AWS
4 89 (11.22%) Power Platform
5 40 (5.04%) PowerApps
6 31 (3.91%) Power Automate
7 29 (3.66%) SaaS
8 28 (3.53%) Dynamics 365
9 27 (3.40%) GCP
10 26 (3.28%) Azure DevOps
10 26 (3.28%) GitHub
11 25 (3.15%) Microsoft Copilot
12 24 (3.03%) Entra ID
13 22 (2.77%) OneDrive
14 19 (2.40%) Microsoft Purview
15 16 (2.02%) Serverless
16 12 (1.51%) Boomi
17 10 (1.26%) Copilot Studio
18 9 (1.13%) Azure Data Factory
19 8 (1.01%) Azure Logic Apps
Communications & Networking
1 75 (9.46%) Firewall
2 54 (6.81%) DNS
3 50 (6.31%) DHCP
4 40 (5.04%) VPN
5 39 (4.92%) TCP/IP
6 35 (4.41%) VLAN
7 34 (4.29%) Wi-Fi
8 25 (3.15%) VoIP
9 24 (3.03%) Wireless
10 20 (2.52%) Network Security
11 18 (2.27%) WAN
12 16 (2.02%) LAN
13 13 (1.64%) Structured Cabling
14 12 (1.51%) Broadband
14 12 (1.51%) SD-WAN
15 6 (0.76%) IP Telephony
15 6 (0.76%) SAN
16 5 (0.63%) Unified Communications
16 5 (0.63%) Wireshark
17 4 (0.50%) OSPF
Database & Business Intelligence
1 55 (6.94%) Power BI
2 41 (5.17%) SQL Server
3 32 (4.04%) SQL Server Reporting Services
4 16 (2.02%) MySQL
5 15 (1.89%) Data Warehouse
6 13 (1.64%) PostgreSQL
7 10 (1.26%) Big Data
7 10 (1.26%) NoSQL
8 9 (1.13%) SQL Server Integration Services
9 6 (0.76%) MongoDB
10 5 (0.63%) Elasticsearch
10 5 (0.63%) Power Query
10 5 (0.63%) Tableau
11 4 (0.50%) Looker
11 4 (0.50%) Neo4j
11 4 (0.50%) Redis
12 3 (0.38%) Azure SQL Database
12 3 (0.38%) PowerPivot
12 3 (0.38%) Relational Database
12 3 (0.38%) SAP HANA
Development Applications
1 30 (3.78%) Git
2 27 (3.40%) JIRA
3 7 (0.88%) Jenkins
4 6 (0.76%) GitLab
5 5 (0.63%) Bitbucket
6 4 (0.50%) Cucumber
6 4 (0.50%) Cypress.io
6 4 (0.50%) Robot Framework
7 3 (0.38%) Claude Code
8 2 (0.25%) Rational DOORS
8 2 (0.25%) SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS)
9 1 (0.13%) Gemini Tracker
9 1 (0.13%) gulp
9 1 (0.13%) LabVIEW
9 1 (0.13%) Oracle Forms
9 1 (0.13%) Rational Rhapsody
9 1 (0.13%) webpack
General
1 315 (39.72%) Social Skills
2 218 (27.49%) Analytical Skills
3 116 (14.63%) Finance
4 67 (8.45%) Manufacturing
5 64 (8.07%) Organisational Skills
6 59 (7.44%) Law
7 43 (5.42%) Legal
8 40 (5.04%) Retail
9 33 (4.16%) Marketing
10 30 (3.78%) Public Sector
11 17 (2.14%) Inclusion and Diversity
12 16 (2.02%) Documentation Skills
13 15 (1.89%) Banking
13 15 (1.89%) Telecoms
14 12 (1.51%) Games
15 10 (1.26%) Aerospace
16 9 (1.13%) Investment Banking
17 8 (1.01%) Influencing Skills
18 7 (0.88%) Portuguese Language
18 7 (0.88%) Spanish Language
Job Titles
1 109 (13.75%) Senior
2 104 (13.11%) Developer
3 94 (11.85%) Analyst
4 84 (10.59%) IT Support
5 76 (9.58%) Support Engineer
6 50 (6.31%) IT Engineer
7 48 (6.05%) IT Support Engineer
8 44 (5.55%) Lead
9 38 (4.79%) Consultant
9 38 (4.79%) Senior Developer
9 38 (4.79%) Software Engineer
10 35 (4.41%) Support Technician
11 19 (2.40%) Administrator
11 19 (2.40%) Senior Analyst
12 18 (2.27%) Infrastructure Engineer
12 18 (2.27%) Support Analyst
13 17 (2.14%) Business Analyst
13 17 (2.14%) IT Support Technician
13 17 (2.14%) IT Technician
13 17 (2.14%) Technical Analyst
Libraries, Frameworks & Software Standards
1 48 (6.05%) .NET
2 43 (5.42%) React
3 42 (5.30%) HTML
4 33 (4.16%) REST
5 24 (3.03%) AngularJS
5 24 (3.03%) CSS
5 24 (3.03%) Spring
6 23 (2.90%) Middleware
7 22 (2.77%) Spring Boot
7 22 (2.77%) Vue
8 20 (2.52%) EDI
9 16 (2.02%) SOAP
10 15 (1.89%) XML
11 13 (1.64%) JSON
11 13 (1.64%) Node.js
12 11 (1.39%) Next.js
12 11 (1.39%) RESTful
12 11 (1.39%) Web Services
13 10 (1.26%) React Native
14 8 (1.01%) SAP Fiori
Miscellaneous
1 69 (8.70%) Driving Licence
2 55 (6.94%) Onboarding
3 36 (4.54%) Cloud Native
4 35 (4.41%) Product Ownership
5 23 (2.90%) Data Centre
6 21 (2.65%) Distributed Systems
6 21 (2.65%) Self-Motivation
7 15 (1.89%) Mobile App
8 14 (1.77%) Foreign Exchange (FX)
9 13 (1.64%) CCTV
9 13 (1.64%) Security Posture
10 11 (1.39%) Management Information System
11 9 (1.13%) Analytical Mindset
11 9 (1.13%) Enterprise Cloud
11 9 (1.13%) Social Media
12 8 (1.01%) AI Agents
13 7 (0.88%) Legacy Systems
13 7 (0.88%) Low-Code
13 7 (0.88%) Replication
14 6 (0.76%) CMDB
Operating Systems
1 143 (18.03%) Windows
2 68 (8.58%) Windows Server
3 47 (5.93%) Windows 10
4 25 (3.15%) Linux
5 24 (3.03%) Apple iOS
6 19 (2.40%) Android
7 7 (0.88%) Windows 7
7 7 (0.88%) Windows 8
7 7 (0.88%) Windows Server 2016
8 6 (0.76%) Mac OS
9 5 (0.63%) Windows Server 2019
10 3 (0.38%) Red Hat Enterprise Linux
10 3 (0.38%) Unix
11 2 (0.25%) Solaris
12 1 (0.13%) CentOS
12 1 (0.13%) CoreOS
12 1 (0.13%) Ubuntu
12 1 (0.13%) VME
12 1 (0.13%) VMS
Processes & Methodologies
1 196 (24.72%) Continuous Improvement
2 178 (22.45%) Customer Service
3 115 (14.50%) Mentoring
4 97 (12.23%) Agile
5 92 (11.60%) Decision-Making
6 90 (11.35%) CI/CD
7 89 (11.22%) AI
7 89 (11.22%) Stakeholder Management
8 81 (10.21%) Roadmaps
9 77 (9.71%) CRM
10 73 (9.21%) Analytics
10 73 (9.21%) Software Engineering
11 72 (9.08%) DevOps
12 64 (8.07%) User Experience
13 63 (7.94%) ERP
14 60 (7.57%) Collaborative Working
15 52 (6.56%) Test Automation
16 49 (6.18%) Cybersecurity
17 47 (5.93%) Stakeholder Engagement
18 46 (5.80%) Business Intelligence
Programming Languages
1 138 (17.40%) SQL
2 100 (12.61%) Python
3 58 (7.31%) C#
4 54 (6.81%) JavaScript
5 41 (5.17%) Java
6 28 (3.53%) PowerShell
7 17 (2.14%) TypeScript
8 16 (2.02%) Bash
9 14 (1.77%) PHP
10 12 (1.51%) C++
11 10 (1.26%) T-SQL
12 8 (1.01%) Ruby
13 6 (0.76%) Kotlin
13 6 (0.76%) R
13 6 (0.76%) Shell Script
14 5 (0.63%) Bicep
14 5 (0.63%) C
14 5 (0.63%) Data Analysis Expressions
15 4 (0.50%) Apex Code
16 3 (0.38%) SOQL
Qualifications
1 92 (11.60%) Degree
2 43 (5.42%) Security Cleared
3 26 (3.28%) DBS Check
4 23 (2.90%) SC Cleared
5 20 (2.52%) Microsoft Certification
6 15 (1.89%) BPSS Clearance
6 15 (1.89%) Cisco Certification
6 15 (1.89%) Computer Science Degree
7 14 (1.77%) DV Cleared
8 12 (1.51%) HNC
9 11 (1.39%) CCNP
10 9 (1.13%) Azure Certification
11 8 (1.01%) CCNA
11 8 (1.01%) Master's Degree
12 7 (0.88%) MCSA
12 7 (0.88%) Postgraduate
13 6 (0.76%) PMI Certification
14 5 (0.63%) ACCA
14 5 (0.63%) CompTIA Security+
15 4 (0.50%) ITIL Certification
Quality Assurance & Compliance
1 41 (5.17%) Data Quality
2 34 (4.29%) QA
3 32 (4.04%) GDPR
4 28 (3.53%) Accessibility
5 27 (3.40%) SLA
6 18 (2.27%) ISO/IEC 27001
7 12 (1.51%) TickIT
8 8 (1.01%) ISO 9001
9 7 (0.88%) NIST
10 5 (0.63%) Cyber Essentials
11 4 (0.50%) ISO/IEC 14443
11 4 (0.50%) ISO/IEC 7816
12 2 (0.25%) Actionable Recommendations
12 2 (0.25%) WCAG
13 1 (0.13%) DICOM
13 1 (0.13%) IFRS
13 1 (0.13%) IFRS 9
13 1 (0.13%) NEBOSH
13 1 (0.13%) PCI DSS
13 1 (0.13%) PMO
System Software
1 99 (12.48%) Active Directory
2 37 (4.67%) VMware Infrastructure
3 35 (4.41%) Docker
4 25 (3.15%) Hyper-V
5 7 (0.88%) VMware Workstation
6 4 (0.50%) Virtual Machines
6 4 (0.50%) VMware ESXi
7 3 (0.38%) Virtual Desktop
8 2 (0.25%) Firmware
Systems Management
1 35 (4.41%) Kubernetes
2 31 (3.91%) Microsoft Intune
3 25 (3.15%) Terraform
4 17 (2.14%) SCCM
5 13 (1.64%) Grafana
6 12 (1.51%) Ansible
7 11 (1.39%) Prometheus
8 10 (1.26%) FortiGate
9 8 (1.01%) Autotask
10 4 (0.50%) Argo
10 4 (0.50%) Microsoft Clustering
11 3 (0.38%) Jamf Pro
12 2 (0.25%) Nagios
12 2 (0.25%) Podman
12 2 (0.25%) Single Sign-On
13 1 (0.13%) Istio
13 1 (0.13%) linkerd
13 1 (0.13%) McAfee ePO
13 1 (0.13%) SCVMM
13 1 (0.13%) ZABBIX
Vendors
1 285 (35.94%) Microsoft
2 41 (5.17%) VMware
3 29 (3.66%) SAP
4 18 (2.27%) Google
5 13 (1.64%) Cisco
5 13 (1.64%) ServiceNow
6 11 (1.39%) Aruba
6 11 (1.39%) HubSpot
6 11 (1.39%) iManage
7 10 (1.26%) Adobe
7 10 (1.26%) Salesforce
8 9 (1.13%) SonicWALL
8 9 (1.13%) Sophos
9 8 (1.01%) Meraki
10 7 (0.88%) ESET
10 7 (0.88%) Juniper
10 7 (0.88%) OpenAI
10 7 (0.88%) Oracle
10 7 (0.88%) Tanium
10 7 (0.88%) Workday