SQL Job Trends in the North West

SQL (Structured Query Language)
England > North West

The table below provides summary statistics and salary benchmarking for jobs advertised in the North West requiring SQL skills. It covers permanent job vacancies from the 6 months leading up to 15 January 2026, with comparisons to the same periods in the previous two years.

6 months to
15 Jan 2026
Same period 2025 Same period 2024
Rank 30 12 9
Rank change year-on-year -18 -3 -4
Permanent jobs citing SQL 324 545 585
As % of all permanent jobs in the North West 5.05% 10.76% 13.14%
As % of the Programming Languages category 36.57% 38.01% 36.20%
Number of salaries quoted 249 285 469
10th Percentile £35,000 £31,250 £35,000
25th Percentile £39,500 £37,500 £40,000
Median annual salary (50th Percentile) £53,000 £50,000 £52,500
Median % change year-on-year +6.00% -4.76% +5.00%
75th Percentile £63,750 £61,250 £71,250
90th Percentile £72,750 £73,831 £82,548
England median annual salary £57,500 £60,000 £60,000
% change year-on-year -4.17% - -

All Programming Languages
North West

SQL falls under the Programming Languages category. For comparison with the information above, the following table provides summary statistics for all permanent job vacancies requiring coding skills in the North West.

Permanent vacancies with a requirement for coding skills 886 1,434 1,616
As % of all permanent jobs advertised in the North West 13.82% 28.32% 36.29%
Number of salaries quoted 742 824 1,327
10th Percentile £32,500 £33,400 £35,000
25th Percentile £44,250 £42,500 £42,500
Median annual salary (50th Percentile) £57,500 £55,000 £55,000
Median % change year-on-year +4.55% - -
75th Percentile £72,500 £68,750 £70,000
90th Percentile £84,875 £83,750 £80,000
England median annual salary £62,500 £65,000 £62,500
% change year-on-year -3.85% +4.00% -3.85%

SQL
Job Vacancy Trend in the North West

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

SQL job vacancy trend in the North West

SQL
Salary Trend in the North West

Salary distribution trend for jobs in the North West citing SQL.

Salary distribution trend for jobs in the North West citing SQL

SQL
Salary Histogram in the North West

Salary distribution for jobs citing SQL in the North West over the 6 months to 15 January 2026.

Salary histogram for SQL in the North West

SQL
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 SQL within the North West region over the 6 months to 15 January 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 -15 183 £57,500 +9.52% 109
Cheshire -15 58 £48,979 -2.04% 36
Merseyside -9 49 £52,000 +60.00% 29
Lancashire +5 32 £39,466 -23.03% 65
SQL
England

SQL
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 8 (2.47%) Apache Airflow
2 5 (1.54%) Apache Spark
3 4 (1.23%) Apache
3 4 (1.23%) Camunda
3 4 (1.23%) SharePoint
4 2 (0.62%) FactoryTalk
4 2 (0.62%) Microsoft Exchange
4 2 (0.62%) WinCC
5 1 (0.31%) CMS
5 1 (0.31%) Jupyter
5 1 (0.31%) LiveLink
5 1 (0.31%) SAS
Applications
1 72 (22.22%) Microsoft Excel
2 12 (3.70%) Microsoft Office
3 7 (2.16%) Microsoft PowerPoint
Business Applications
1 9 (2.78%) SAP Business One
2 7 (2.16%) Unit4 Business World
3 6 (1.85%) NEC Housing
4 3 (0.93%) Dynamics CRM
5 2 (0.62%) Oracle Applications
5 2 (0.62%) Payment Gateway
6 1 (0.31%) Advent Geneva
6 1 (0.31%) Loan IQ
6 1 (0.31%) NetSuite
Cloud Services
1 127 (39.20%) Azure
2 88 (27.16%) Power Platform
3 59 (18.21%) AWS
4 21 (6.48%) Azure AI
4 21 (6.48%) GCP
5 18 (5.56%) Microsoft 365
5 18 (5.56%) Snowflake
6 13 (4.01%) SaaS
7 10 (3.09%) Azure Data Factory
8 9 (2.78%) Azure Synapse Analytics
8 9 (2.78%) Entra ID
9 8 (2.47%) Azure AKS
10 6 (1.85%) Azure DevOps
10 6 (1.85%) Power Automate
11 5 (1.54%) Cloud Computing
11 5 (1.54%) PowerApps
11 5 (1.54%) Serverless
12 4 (1.23%) AWS Lambda
12 4 (1.23%) IaaS
12 4 (1.23%) Salesforce Service Cloud
Communications & Networking
1 7 (2.16%) Firewall
2 5 (1.54%) DMZ
2 5 (1.54%) VLAN
2 5 (1.54%) VPN
3 4 (1.23%) STUN
3 4 (1.23%) VoIP
4 2 (0.62%) Ethernet
4 2 (0.62%) Network Security
5 1 (0.31%) DAB
5 1 (0.31%) DHCP
5 1 (0.31%) DNS
5 1 (0.31%) FTP
5 1 (0.31%) HTTP
5 1 (0.31%) SD-WAN
5 1 (0.31%) TCAP
5 1 (0.31%) TCP/IP
5 1 (0.31%) WAN
Database & Business Intelligence
1 88 (27.16%) Power BI
2 59 (18.21%) SQL Server
2 59 (18.21%) Tableau
3 36 (11.11%) NoSQL
4 35 (10.80%) Data Warehouse
5 29 (8.95%) Data Mining
6 17 (5.25%) Data Lake
7 15 (4.63%) MySQL
8 14 (4.32%) Relational Database
9 13 (4.01%) Azure SQL Database
10 12 (3.70%) MongoDB
10 12 (3.70%) SQL Server Reporting Services
11 9 (2.78%) BigQuery
11 9 (2.78%) Crystal Reports
12 8 (2.47%) Amazon Redshift
13 7 (2.16%) PostgreSQL
14 6 (1.85%) Big Data
14 6 (1.85%) BusinessObjects
14 6 (1.85%) SQL Server Analysis Services
14 6 (1.85%) SQL Server Integration Services
Development Applications
1 16 (4.94%) GitLab
2 9 (2.78%) Git
2 9 (2.78%) Jenkins
3 7 (2.16%) Bitbucket
4 6 (1.85%) Sonatype Nexus
5 5 (1.54%) SonarQube
6 2 (0.62%) Oracle Forms
7 1 (0.31%) Atlassian Bamboo
7 1 (0.31%) CA Release Automation
7 1 (0.31%) Cucumber
7 1 (0.31%) JIRA
7 1 (0.31%) NUnit
7 1 (0.31%) Postman
7 1 (0.31%) Selenium
7 1 (0.31%) SoapUI
7 1 (0.31%) SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS)
7 1 (0.31%) TeamCity
General
1 105 (32.41%) Social Skills
2 87 (26.85%) Finance
3 79 (24.38%) Analytical Skills
4 18 (5.56%) Retail
5 13 (4.01%) Banking
6 12 (3.70%) Law
6 12 (3.70%) Marketing
7 10 (3.09%) Public Sector
8 9 (2.78%) Legal
9 7 (2.16%) Documentation Skills
10 6 (1.85%) Games
10 6 (1.85%) Investment Banking
11 5 (1.54%) Advertising
11 5 (1.54%) Inclusion and Diversity
11 5 (1.54%) Manufacturing
12 4 (1.23%) Presentation Skills
13 2 (0.62%) Billing
13 2 (0.62%) German Language
14 1 (0.31%) Military
14 1 (0.31%) Telecoms
Job Titles
1 100 (30.86%) Analyst
2 76 (23.46%) Developer
3 72 (22.22%) Senior
4 65 (20.06%) Data Analyst
5 49 (15.12%) Data Engineer
6 29 (8.95%) Software Developer
7 24 (7.41%) Trainee
7 24 (7.41%) Trainee Analyst
7 24 (7.41%) Trainee Data Analyst
8 23 (7.10%) Senior Data Engineer
9 21 (6.48%) Software Engineer
10 20 (6.17%) Junior
10 20 (6.17%) Junior Analyst
10 20 (6.17%) Junior Data Analyst
11 19 (5.86%) Senior Developer
12 18 (5.56%) Lead
12 18 (5.56%) Support Engineer
13 15 (4.63%) .NET Developer
14 14 (4.32%) Senior Analyst
15 13 (4.01%) Applications Support
Libraries, Frameworks & Software Standards
1 54 (16.67%) .NET
2 35 (10.80%) .NET Framework
3 25 (7.72%) .NET Core
4 21 (6.48%) ASP.NET
5 19 (5.86%) RESTful
6 18 (5.56%) REST
7 12 (3.70%) React
8 10 (3.09%) JSON
9 9 (2.78%) HTML
10 8 (2.47%) CSS
11 7 (2.16%) Web Services
12 6 (1.85%) Kafka
12 6 (1.85%) Vue
12 6 (1.85%) XML
13 5 (1.54%) Django
13 5 (1.54%) Node.js
13 5 (1.54%) PySpark
14 4 (1.23%) FastAPI
14 4 (1.23%) Flask
14 4 (1.23%) FreeSWITCH
Miscellaneous
1 22 (6.79%) Cloud Native
2 17 (5.25%) Analytical Mindset
3 11 (3.40%) Self-Motivation
4 10 (3.09%) Data Structures
5 9 (2.78%) Distributed Computing
5 9 (2.78%) Distributed Systems
5 9 (2.78%) Driving Licence
5 9 (2.78%) Greenfield Project
5 9 (2.78%) Product Ownership
6 5 (1.54%) Data Protection Act
6 5 (1.54%) Legacy Systems
6 5 (1.54%) Low-Code
6 5 (1.54%) Onboarding
7 3 (0.93%) Enterprise Software
7 3 (0.93%) Management Information System
7 3 (0.93%) Operational Technology
7 3 (0.93%) SCADA
8 2 (0.62%) Mobile App
8 2 (0.62%) Private Cloud
8 2 (0.62%) Public Cloud
Operating Systems
1 22 (6.79%) Windows
2 10 (3.09%) Windows Server
3 8 (2.47%) Linux
4 7 (2.16%) Mac OS
4 7 (2.16%) Windows 10
5 4 (1.23%) Debian
6 2 (0.62%) Android
6 2 (0.62%) Apple iOS
Processes & Methodologies
1 96 (29.63%) Business Intelligence
2 73 (22.53%) Problem-Solving
3 64 (19.75%) Agile
4 58 (17.90%) Analytics
5 48 (14.81%) AI
5 48 (14.81%) CI/CD
6 47 (14.51%) Data Analysis
7 41 (12.65%) DevOps
8 38 (11.73%) Decision-Making
9 37 (11.42%) Data Modelling
10 36 (11.11%) Data Pipeline
10 36 (11.11%) Data Science
11 34 (10.49%) ETL
12 33 (10.19%) Data Analytics
12 33 (10.19%) Project Management
12 33 (10.19%) Software Engineering
13 32 (9.88%) Data Engineering
14 25 (7.72%) Containerisation
14 25 (7.72%) Mentoring
15 24 (7.41%) Business Analysis
Programming Languages
1 116 (35.80%) Python
2 49 (15.12%) C#
3 25 (7.72%) Java
4 15 (4.63%) JavaScript
5 12 (3.70%) PowerShell
6 10 (3.09%) PL/SQL
7 9 (2.78%) Data Analysis Expressions
8 8 (2.47%) TypeScript
9 7 (2.16%) ANSI SQL
9 7 (2.16%) Go
9 7 (2.16%) VBScript
10 6 (1.85%) Bash
10 6 (1.85%) VBA
11 5 (1.54%) PHP
12 4 (1.23%) R
13 3 (0.93%) Scala
14 2 (0.62%) T-SQL
15 1 (0.31%) Groovy
15 1 (0.31%) MATLAB
15 1 (0.31%) VB
Qualifications
1 41 (12.65%) Degree
2 23 (7.10%) Azure Certification
3 11 (3.40%) Security Cleared
4 9 (2.78%) SC Cleared
5 7 (2.16%) Computer Science Degree
5 7 (2.16%) Master's Degree
6 3 (0.93%) DBS Check
7 2 (0.62%) BPSS Clearance
7 2 (0.62%) DV Cleared
7 2 (0.62%) Numerate Degree
7 2 (0.62%) Six Sigma Green Belt
8 1 (0.31%) AWS Certification
8 1 (0.31%) AWS Certified Solutions Architect
8 1 (0.31%) ITIL Certification
8 1 (0.31%) ITIL Foundation Certificate
8 1 (0.31%) MBA
8 1 (0.31%) Microsoft Certification
8 1 (0.31%) PhD
8 1 (0.31%) Postgraduate
8 1 (0.31%) Tableau Certification
Quality Assurance & Compliance
1 16 (4.94%) Data Quality
2 11 (3.40%) ISO/IEC 27001
3 5 (1.54%) Cyber Essentials
3 5 (1.54%) GDPR
4 4 (1.23%) ISO 9001
4 4 (1.23%) QA
5 3 (0.93%) HL7
6 2 (0.62%) Accessibility
6 2 (0.62%) Actionable Recommendations
6 2 (0.62%) Disclosure Scotland
6 2 (0.62%) NIST
7 1 (0.31%) HIPAA
7 1 (0.31%) IASME
7 1 (0.31%) NCSC
7 1 (0.31%) PCI DSS
System Software
1 22 (6.79%) Docker
2 14 (4.32%) Active Directory
3 9 (2.78%) Virtual Machines
3 9 (2.78%) VMware Infrastructure
4 6 (1.85%) Hyper-V
5 4 (1.23%) Kamailio
6 2 (0.62%) Virtual Desktop
6 2 (0.62%) VMware ESXi
7 1 (0.31%) Firmware
Systems Management
1 26 (8.02%) Kubernetes
2 10 (3.09%) Microsoft Intune
3 6 (1.85%) Terraform
4 4 (1.23%) SCCM
5 3 (0.93%) Ansible
6 2 (0.62%) AssetCenter
6 2 (0.62%) BMC PATROL
6 2 (0.62%) FortiGate
6 2 (0.62%) Grafana
6 2 (0.62%) Rancher
7 1 (0.31%) Jamf Pro
Vendors
1 120 (37.04%) Microsoft
2 18 (5.56%) Databricks
3 14 (4.32%) Oracle
4 12 (3.70%) Google
5 11 (3.40%) VMware
6 9 (2.78%) SAP
7 7 (2.16%) HubSpot
7 7 (2.16%) Northgate
7 7 (2.16%) Salesforce
7 7 (2.16%) Veeam
8 5 (1.54%) ServiceNow
9 4 (1.23%) Cisco
9 4 (1.23%) Facebook
10 3 (0.93%) Dell
10 3 (0.93%) LexisNexis
10 3 (0.93%) MuleSoft
10 3 (0.93%) Sitecore
11 2 (0.62%) Alteryx
11 2 (0.62%) SnapLogic
11 2 (0.62%) Xamarin