Creative Thinking Job Trends

Creative Thinking
UK

The table below provides summary statistics and salary benchmarking for jobs requiring Creative Thinking skills. It covers permanent job vacancies from the 6 months leading up to 14 February 2026, with comparisons to the same periods in the previous two years.

6 months to
14 Feb 2026
Same period 2025 Same period 2024
Rank 339 179 253
Rank change year-on-year -160 +74 +61
Permanent jobs citing Creative Thinking 377 843 896
As % of all permanent jobs in the UK 0.56% 1.70% 1.20%
As % of the Processes & Methodologies category 0.71% 1.84% 1.36%
Number of salaries quoted 109 98 345
10th Percentile £30,000 £38,100 £31,250
25th Percentile £40,000 £56,438 £42,500
Median annual salary (50th Percentile) £45,000 £65,000 £58,500
Median % change year-on-year -30.77% +11.11% -12.74%
75th Percentile £60,362 £82,500 £81,250
90th Percentile £93,550 £119,875 £105,000
UK excluding London median annual salary £45,000 £57,000 £47,500
% change year-on-year -21.05% +20.00% -20.20%

All Process & Methodology Skills
UK

Creative Thinking 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.

Permanent vacancies with a requirement for process or methodology skills 53,358 45,796 65,934
As % of all permanent jobs advertised in the UK 79.56% 92.23% 88.32%
Number of salaries quoted 31,921 22,329 51,135
10th Percentile £29,000 £35,000 £29,500
25th Percentile £38,000 £46,250 £40,000
Median annual salary (50th Percentile) £55,000 £60,001 £55,000
Median % change year-on-year -8.33% +9.09% -12.00%
75th Percentile £76,250 £81,250 £75,000
90th Percentile £97,500 £102,500 £95,000
UK excluding London median annual salary £50,000 £55,000 £50,000
% change year-on-year -9.09% +10.00% -9.09%

Creative Thinking
Job Vacancy Trend

Historical trend showing the proportion of permanent IT job postings citing Creative Thinking relative to all permanent IT jobs advertised.

Creative Thinking job vacancy trend in the UK

Creative Thinking
Salary Trend

Salary distribution trend for jobs in the UK citing Creative Thinking.

Salary distribution trend for jobs in the UK citing Creative Thinking

Creative Thinking
Salary Histogram

Salary distribution for jobs citing Creative Thinking over the 6 months to 14 February 2026.

Salary histogram for Creative Thinking in the UK

Creative Thinking
Top 16 Job Locations

The table below looks at the demand and provides a guide to the median salaries quoted in IT jobs citing Creative Thinking within the UK over the 6 months to 14 February 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
England -147 343 £45,000 -31.49% 70
UK excluding London -163 191 £45,000 -21.05% 54
London -58 162 £52,500 -34.38% 29
South East -12 82 £42,000 -26.32% 21
Work from Home -36 64 £48,445 -25.47% 35
North of England -65 40 £48,445 -11.92% 12
Midlands -121 29 £40,000 -29.82% 9
North West -34 26 £51,722 -13.80% 7
South West -31 24 £45,000 -32.20% 8
West Midlands -88 20 £40,000 -29.82% 7
Yorkshire -35 11 £48,445 -11.92% 3
East of England +12 10 £32,500 -43.48% 6
East Midlands -54 9 £40,000 +6.67% 2
Scotland -42 4 - - 1
North East -24 3 £48,445 +7.65% 2
Wales - 2 - -

Creative Thinking
Co-Occurring Skills & Capabilities 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 14 (3.71%) SharePoint
2 12 (3.18%) CMS
3 6 (1.59%) WordPress
4 5 (1.33%) Confluence
5 2 (0.53%) Anypoint
5 2 (0.53%) Drupal
5 2 (0.53%) Jupyter
5 2 (0.53%) Moodle
6 1 (0.27%) Oracle SOA Suite
6 1 (0.27%) SAS
Applications
1 24 (6.37%) Microsoft Excel
2 15 (3.98%) Microsoft PowerPoint
3 7 (1.86%) Microsoft Office
4 6 (1.59%) Adobe Creative Suite
5 5 (1.33%) Adobe Premiere
5 5 (1.33%) Photoshop
6 4 (1.06%) Adobe Illustrator
7 3 (0.80%) Final Cut Pro
8 2 (0.53%) Adobe After Effects
8 2 (0.53%) Adobe Captivate
8 2 (0.53%) Elementor
9 1 (0.27%) Adobe XD
9 1 (0.27%) Camtasia
9 1 (0.27%) InDesign
9 1 (0.27%) Navisworks
9 1 (0.27%) ProjectWise
9 1 (0.27%) Siemens NX
9 1 (0.27%) Sketch
9 1 (0.27%) Spreadsheet
9 1 (0.27%) Stata
Business Applications
1 3 (0.80%) Alphatax
2 2 (0.53%) Elite 3E
3 1 (0.27%) Dynamics CRM
3 1 (0.27%) Teamcenter
Cloud Services
1 87 (23.08%) Azure
2 36 (9.55%) Power Platform
3 31 (8.22%) Microsoft 365
4 23 (6.10%) AWS
4 23 (6.10%) Azure DevOps
5 19 (5.04%) PaaS
6 15 (3.98%) OCI
7 12 (3.18%) Azure Logic Apps
8 10 (2.65%) SaaS
9 8 (2.12%) Azure App Service
9 8 (2.12%) Azure Cosmos DB
9 8 (2.12%) Azure Functions
9 8 (2.12%) Cloud Computing
9 8 (2.12%) Entra ID
9 8 (2.12%) Serverless
10 7 (1.86%) Canva
10 7 (1.86%) Dynamics 365
11 6 (1.59%) Microsoft Purview
11 6 (1.59%) Mimecast
12 5 (1.33%) Sprout Social
Communications & Networking
1 22 (5.84%) Firewall
1 22 (5.84%) Wi-Fi
2 19 (5.04%) Wireless
3 15 (3.98%) NGFW
3 15 (3.98%) VXLAN
3 15 (3.98%) Wireshark
4 8 (2.12%) Broadband
5 7 (1.86%) DNS
6 6 (1.59%) DHCP
7 5 (1.33%) VoIP
8 3 (0.80%) DOCSIS
8 3 (0.80%) DSL
8 3 (0.80%) Internet
8 3 (0.80%) IPv4
8 3 (0.80%) IPv6
8 3 (0.80%) PPP
8 3 (0.80%) RTP
8 3 (0.80%) TCP/IP
8 3 (0.80%) VPN
8 3 (0.80%) WAN
Database & Business Intelligence
1 27 (7.16%) Power BI
2 5 (1.33%) Data Warehouse
2 5 (1.33%) Star Schema
3 3 (0.80%) GIS
4 2 (0.53%) NoSQL
4 2 (0.53%) PostgreSQL
5 1 (0.27%) Oracle Database
5 1 (0.27%) Relational Database
5 1 (0.27%) SQL Server Integration Services
5 1 (0.27%) Tableau
Development Applications
1 11 (2.92%) JIRA
2 9 (2.39%) Burp Suite
2 9 (2.39%) Metasploit
3 8 (2.12%) Git
4 6 (1.59%) GitLab
5 3 (0.80%) Jenkins
6 2 (0.53%) Balsamiq
6 2 (0.53%) Postman
7 1 (0.27%) JUnit
7 1 (0.27%) Oracle APEX
7 1 (0.27%) Selenium
General
1 181 (48.01%) Finance
2 129 (34.22%) Social Skills
3 100 (26.53%) Analytical Skills
4 80 (21.22%) Marketing
5 30 (7.96%) Legal
6 24 (6.37%) Public Sector
7 23 (6.10%) Inclusion and Diversity
8 19 (5.04%) Organisational Skills
9 18 (4.77%) Advertising
10 16 (4.24%) Influencing Skills
10 16 (4.24%) Presentation Skills
11 9 (2.39%) Banking
12 8 (2.12%) Financial Institution
13 7 (1.86%) Telecoms
14 6 (1.59%) Multimedia
14 6 (1.59%) Retail
15 4 (1.06%) Law
15 4 (1.06%) Police
16 3 (0.80%) Automotive
16 3 (0.80%) Publishing
Job Titles
1 70 (18.57%) Senior
2 45 (11.94%) Analyst
3 31 (8.22%) Senior Manager
4 28 (7.43%) Lead
5 18 (4.77%) Developer
6 17 (4.51%) Designer
6 17 (4.51%) Development Manager
6 17 (4.51%) IT Analyst
7 16 (4.24%) Business Development Manager
7 16 (4.24%) Business Manager
8 15 (3.98%) Consultant
8 15 (3.98%) Network Manager
8 15 (3.98%) Network Operations Manager
8 15 (3.98%) Operations Manager
9 14 (3.71%) Architect
10 13 (3.45%) Risk Manager
10 13 (3.45%) Senior Business Development Manager
10 13 (3.45%) Senior Business Manager
10 13 (3.45%) Senior Development Manager
10 13 (3.45%) UX Designer
Libraries, Frameworks & Software Standards
1 14 (3.71%) React
2 11 (2.92%) HTML
3 9 (2.39%) YAML
4 8 (2.12%) .NET
4 8 (2.12%) .NET Framework
4 8 (2.12%) CSS
4 8 (2.12%) REST
5 6 (1.59%) ARM Templates
6 4 (1.06%) JBoss Seam
6 4 (1.06%) Microsoft Graph
6 4 (1.06%) SOAP
6 4 (1.06%) Web Services
6 4 (1.06%) XML
7 3 (0.80%) GraphQL
7 3 (0.80%) JSON
8 2 (0.53%) Kafka
8 2 (0.53%) OAuth
8 2 (0.53%) scikit-learn
8 2 (0.53%) Spring Boot
8 2 (0.53%) WebSockets
Miscellaneous
1 36 (9.55%) Social Media
2 32 (8.49%) Self-Motivation
3 28 (7.43%) Security Posture
4 26 (6.90%) Cyber Defence
5 19 (5.04%) Management Information System
5 19 (5.04%) Mobile App
6 17 (4.51%) Data Centre
6 17 (4.51%) Product Ownership
7 15 (3.98%) PKI
8 13 (3.45%) Algorithms
9 10 (2.65%) Data Protection Act
10 9 (2.39%) Onboarding
11 8 (2.12%) Analytical Mindset
11 8 (2.12%) Video Editing
12 7 (1.86%) Cloud Native
13 5 (1.33%) Blog
13 5 (1.33%) Driving Licence
14 4 (1.06%) Enterprise Software
14 4 (1.06%) SWIFT Messaging Network
14 4 (1.06%) Virtual Team
Operating Systems
1 22 (5.84%) Windows
2 12 (3.18%) Linux
3 8 (2.12%) Windows 10
4 3 (0.80%) Apple iOS
4 3 (0.80%) OpenWrt
4 3 (0.80%) Windows Server 2012
5 1 (0.27%) Windows Server
Processes & Methodologies
1 198 (52.52%) Agile
2 189 (50.13%) Mentoring
3 187 (49.60%) Coaching
4 114 (30.24%) Problem-Solving
5 69 (18.30%) AI
5 69 (18.30%) Analytics
6 54 (14.32%) Business Strategy
7 49 (13.00%) User Experience
8 48 (12.73%) Continuous Improvement
9 47 (12.47%) Business Development
10 46 (12.20%) Roadmaps
11 43 (11.41%) DevOps
12 39 (10.34%) Decision-Making
13 37 (9.81%) Stakeholder Management
14 36 (9.55%) B2B
14 36 (9.55%) Business Transformation
14 36 (9.55%) Cybersecurity
14 36 (9.55%) Internal Audit
14 36 (9.55%) Project Management
15 34 (9.02%) UX Design
Programming Languages
1 62 (16.45%) Python
2 35 (9.28%) SQL
3 21 (5.57%) PowerShell
4 15 (3.98%) JavaScript
5 10 (2.65%) C#
6 9 (2.39%) Bash
7 8 (2.12%) Bicep
8 5 (1.33%) Java
9 3 (0.80%) C
9 3 (0.80%) C++
10 2 (0.53%) DataWeave
10 2 (0.53%) Kusto Query Language
10 2 (0.53%) TypeScript
11 1 (0.27%) Data Analysis Expressions
11 1 (0.27%) MATLAB
11 1 (0.27%) PHP
11 1 (0.27%) PL/SQL
11 1 (0.27%) R
11 1 (0.27%) VBA
Qualifications
1 52 (13.79%) Degree
2 28 (7.43%) CREST Certified
2 28 (7.43%) OSCP
3 22 (5.84%) CISM
3 22 (5.84%) CISSP
3 22 (5.84%) Security Cleared
4 21 (5.57%) DBS Check
5 18 (4.77%) CCSAM
5 18 (4.77%) CHECK Team Leader
5 18 (4.77%) CHECK Team Member
6 17 (4.51%) CRISC
7 15 (3.98%) Master's Degree
8 12 (3.18%) CEH
9 11 (2.92%) Computer Science Degree
10 7 (1.86%) CISA
11 2 (0.53%) Cisco Certification
11 2 (0.53%) Microsoft Certified Professional
11 2 (0.53%) Network+ Certification
11 2 (0.53%) PMI Certification
11 2 (0.53%) PMP
Quality Assurance & Compliance
1 32 (8.49%) ISO/IEC 27001
2 18 (4.77%) Data Quality
3 17 (4.51%) Cyber Essentials
3 17 (4.51%) QA
4 15 (3.98%) NIST
5 10 (2.65%) Cyber Essentials PLUS
5 10 (2.65%) ISO/IEC 27002 (supersedes ISO/IEC 17799)
5 10 (2.65%) PMO
6 9 (2.39%) NCSC
7 8 (2.12%) Accessibility
8 5 (1.33%) Sarbanes-Oxley
9 4 (1.06%) GDPR
9 4 (1.06%) ITGC
9 4 (1.06%) SEPA
9 4 (1.06%) TARGET2
10 3 (0.80%) GRC
10 3 (0.80%) PSD2
11 2 (0.53%) Actionable Recommendations
11 2 (0.53%) SLA
12 1 (0.27%) COBIT
System Software
1 21 (5.57%) Active Directory
2 4 (1.06%) VMware Infrastructure
3 3 (0.80%) BitLocker
3 3 (0.80%) Virtual Desktop
4 2 (0.53%) VMware ESXi
5 1 (0.27%) Hyper-V
Systems Management
1 17 (4.51%) Ansible
2 15 (3.98%) Terraform
3 9 (2.39%) Nessus
4 6 (1.59%) SCCM
5 3 (0.80%) Kubernetes
5 3 (0.80%) Microsoft Intune
6 2 (0.53%) Grafana
6 2 (0.53%) vCenter Server
7 1 (0.27%) VxRail
Vendors
1 86 (22.81%) Microsoft
2 21 (5.57%) Databricks
3 16 (4.24%) Adobe
4 15 (3.98%) Arista
4 15 (3.98%) Aruba
4 15 (3.98%) NetScout
5 10 (2.65%) Instagram
6 9 (2.39%) ServiceNow
7 7 (1.86%) Facebook
8 6 (1.59%) Hootsuite
8 6 (1.59%) Salesforce
8 6 (1.59%) Sophos
8 6 (1.59%) YouTube
9 5 (1.33%) TikTok
9 5 (1.33%) VMware
9 5 (1.33%) Wrike
10 4 (1.06%) Cisco
10 4 (1.06%) Google
10 4 (1.06%) Oracle
11 3 (0.80%) iManage