Physics Job Trends in the South East

Physics
England > South East

The table below provides summary statistics and salary benchmarking for jobs advertised in the South East requiring Physics skills. It covers permanent job vacancies from the 6 months leading up to 8 June 2026, with comparisons to the same periods in the previous two years.

6 months to
8 Jun 2026
Same period 2025 Same period 2024
Rank 218 164 179
Rank change year-on-year -54 +15 +105
Permanent jobs citing Physics 82 115 261
As % of all permanent jobs in the South East 0.57% 1.47% 1.45%
As % of the Processes & Methodologies category 0.79% 1.62% 1.77%
Number of salaries quoted 46 69 208
10th Percentile £26,000 £31,750 £32,500
25th Percentile £31,250 £38,750 £39,000
Median annual salary (50th Percentile) £52,500 £55,000 £50,000
Median % change year-on-year -4.55% +10.00% +5.26%
75th Percentile £62,875 £67,500 £68,750
90th Percentile £68,750 £75,000 £80,000
England median annual salary £57,661 £54,793 £53,818
% change year-on-year +5.23% +1.81% -17.20%

All Process & Methodology Skills
South East

Physics 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 South East.

Permanent vacancies with a requirement for process or methodology skills 10,428 7,088 14,750
As % of all permanent jobs advertised in the South East 71.87% 90.33% 82.12%
Number of salaries quoted 7,190 3,389 10,273
10th Percentile £30,000 £27,000 £27,750
25th Percentile £39,280 £35,000 £37,000
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 £67,500 £65,000
90th Percentile £85,000 £81,250 £78,750
England median annual salary £60,000 £58,000 £55,000
% change year-on-year +3.45% +5.45% -12.00%

Physics
Job Vacancy Trend in the South East

Historical trend showing the proportion of permanent IT job postings citing Physics relative to all permanent IT jobs advertised in the South East.

Physics job vacancy trend in the South East

Physics
Salary Trend in the South East

Salary distribution trend for jobs in the South East citing Physics.

Salary distribution trend for jobs in the South East citing Physics

Physics
Salary Histogram in the South East

Salary distribution for jobs citing Physics in the South East over the 6 months to 8 June 2026.

Salary histogram for Physics in the South East

Physics
Job Locations in the South East

The table below looks at the demand and provides a guide to the median salaries quoted in IT jobs citing Physics within the South East region over the 6 months to 8 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
Kent -16 42 £52,500 -4.55% 5
Hampshire -54 15 £26,000 -35.16% 17
Thames Valley -15 13 £40,750 -6.77% 18
Oxfordshire -12 10 £29,000 -44.76% 11
West Sussex - 6 £32,500 - 1
Surrey -30 5 £52,500 -22.22% 3
Berkshire -9 3 £75,000 +71.59% 6
Isle of Wight -2 1 £68,250 -9.00%
Physics
England

Physics
Co-Occurring Skills & Capabilities in the South East 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 4 (4.88%) IIS
2 1 (1.22%) Microsoft Exchange
Applications
1 34 (41.46%) Simulink
2 11 (13.41%) Microsoft Office
Communications & Networking
1 4 (4.88%) VPN
Database & Business Intelligence
1 4 (4.88%) GIS
1 4 (4.88%) SQL Server
Development Applications
1 39 (47.56%) Rational DOORS
2 3 (3.66%) Rational Rhapsody
3 1 (1.22%) Visual Studio
General
1 34 (41.46%) Electronics
2 30 (36.59%) Aerospace
3 24 (29.27%) Military
4 14 (17.07%) Analytical Skills
4 14 (17.07%) Finance
4 14 (17.07%) Social Skills
5 8 (9.76%) Manufacturing
6 3 (3.66%) Documentation Skills
6 3 (3.66%) Marketing
7 1 (1.22%) Retail
Job Titles
1 45 (54.88%) Systems Engineer
2 24 (29.27%) Senior
3 19 (23.17%) Senior Systems Engineer
4 16 (19.51%) Lead
5 10 (12.20%) Team Leader
6 8 (9.76%) Lead Systems Engineer
6 8 (9.76%) Software Engineer
7 6 (7.32%) Analyst
7 6 (7.32%) Graduate
7 6 (7.32%) Graduate Analyst
7 6 (7.32%) Graduate Support Analyst
7 6 (7.32%) Support Analyst
8 5 (6.10%) Principal Engineer
9 4 (4.88%) Support Engineer
9 4 (4.88%) Technical Engineer
9 4 (4.88%) Technical Support
9 4 (4.88%) Technical Support Engineer
10 3 (3.66%) Developer
10 3 (3.66%) Sales Executive
10 3 (3.66%) Senior Software Engineer
Miscellaneous
1 18 (21.95%) Management Information System
2 7 (8.54%) Acoustics
3 6 (7.32%) Self-Motivation
4 4 (4.88%) Analytical Mindset
4 4 (4.88%) Driving Licence
5 3 (3.66%) 3D Printing
5 3 (3.66%) Web Conferencing
6 1 (1.22%) SCADA
Operating Systems
1 5 (6.10%) Windows
2 4 (4.88%) Windows Server
3 3 (3.66%) Linux
Processes & Methodologies
1 59 (71.95%) Mathematics
2 50 (60.98%) Systems Engineering
3 24 (29.27%) Requirements Management
4 23 (28.05%) Cybersecurity
4 23 (28.05%) Information Assurance
5 21 (25.61%) Coaching
5 21 (25.61%) Software Engineering
5 21 (25.61%) SysML
6 20 (24.39%) Agile
6 20 (24.39%) Model-Based Systems Engineering
7 10 (12.20%) Problem-Solving
8 8 (9.76%) Computer Science
9 7 (8.54%) CRM
10 6 (7.32%) Technical Leadership
11 5 (6.10%) Collaborative Working
11 5 (6.10%) Mentoring
11 5 (6.10%) Software Testing
12 4 (4.88%) Business Development
12 4 (4.88%) Rapid Prototyping
12 4 (4.88%) Software Architecture
Programming Languages
1 39 (47.56%) MATLAB
2 12 (14.63%) C++
3 11 (13.41%) C
4 7 (8.54%) Python
5 6 (7.32%) C#
6 4 (4.88%) Embedded C
6 4 (4.88%) Embedded C++
6 4 (4.88%) SQL
7 3 (3.66%) Java
8 1 (1.22%) Assembly Language
Qualifications
1 70 (85.37%) Degree
2 39 (47.56%) BPSS Clearance
3 13 (15.85%) Security Cleared
4 10 (12.20%) SC Cleared
5 1 (1.22%) HND
5 1 (1.22%) Master's Degree
5 1 (1.22%) PhD
Quality Assurance & Compliance
1 5 (6.10%) Def Stans
2 3 (3.66%) DO-178B
2 3 (3.66%) GDPR
2 3 (3.66%) ISO/IEC 15288
3 2 (2.44%) NCSC
4 1 (1.22%) IEC 61508
4 1 (1.22%) QA
System Software
1 4 (4.88%) Active Directory
2 3 (3.66%) Firmware
Vendors
1 33 (40.24%) Siemens
2 11 (13.41%) Microsoft
3 4 (4.88%) Citrix
3 4 (4.88%) EMC
3 4 (4.88%) Facebook
3 4 (4.88%) Instagram