Exploratory Testing Job Trends
Exploratory Testing
UK
The table below provides summary statistics and salary benchmarking for jobs citing Exploratory Testing skills. It covers permanent job vacancies from the 6 months leading up to 7 November 2026, with comparisons to the same periods in the previous two years.
| 6 months to 7 Nov 2026 |
Same period 2025 | Same period 2024 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | 773 | 636 | 707 |
| Rank change year-on-year | -137 | +71 | -20 |
| Permanent jobs citing Exploratory Testing | 58 | 30 | 40 |
| As % of all permanent jobs in the UK | 0.047% | 0.059% | 0.059% |
| As % of the Processes & Methodologies category | 0.064% | 0.068% | 0.072% |
| Number of salaries quoted | 42 | 28 | 19 |
| 10th Percentile | £41,250 | £30,475 | £36,250 |
| 25th Percentile | £46,250 | £40,000 | £41,875 |
| Median annual salary (50th Percentile) | £50,000 | £50,000 | £60,000 |
| Median % change year-on-year | - | -16.67% | +23.08% |
| 75th Percentile | £61,250 | £62,813 | £78,125 |
| 90th Percentile | - | £64,300 | £80,000 |
| UK excluding London median annual salary | £50,000 | £50,000 | £42,500 |
| % change year-on-year | - | +17.65% | -6.59% |
All Process & Methodology Skills
UK
Exploratory Testing falls under the Processes and Methodologies category. For comparison with the information above, the following table provides summary statistics for all permanent job vacancies citing process or methodology skills.
| 6 months to 7 Nov 2026 |
Same period 2025 | Same period 2024 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Permanent vacancies citing process or methodology skills | 90,176 | 44,303 | 55,891 |
| As % of all permanent jobs advertised in the UK | 73.60% | 86.66% | 82.63% |
| Number of salaries quoted | 60,204 | 26,710 | 29,381 |
| 10th Percentile | £31,250 | £28,250 | £33,875 |
| 25th Percentile | £41,500 | £35,500 | £45,000 |
| Median annual salary (50th Percentile) | £59,000 | £54,000 | £60,000 |
| Median % change year-on-year | +9.26% | -10.00% | - |
| 75th Percentile | £77,500 | £75,000 | £78,750 |
| 90th Percentile | £100,000 | £95,000 | £97,500 |
| UK excluding London median annual salary | £55,000 | £46,750 | £54,000 |
| % change year-on-year | +17.65% | -13.43% | +2.86% |
Exploratory Testing Job Vacancy Trend
Historical trend showing the proportion of permanent IT job postings citing Exploratory Testing relative to all permanent IT jobs advertised.
Exploratory Testing Salary Trend
Salary distribution trend for jobs in the UK citing Exploratory Testing.
Exploratory Testing Salary Histogram
Salary distribution for jobs citing Exploratory Testing over the 6 months to 7 November 2026.
Exploratory Testing Top 14 Job Locations
The table below looks at the demand and provides a guide to the median salaries quoted in IT jobs citing Exploratory Testing within the UK over the 6 months to 7 November 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 |
Job Ads Past 6 Months |
Median Salary Past 6 Months |
Median Salary % Change on Same Period Last Year |
Live Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| England | -145 | 52 | £50,000 | - | 13 |
| UK excluding London | -147 | 46 | £50,000 | - | 12 |
| North of England | -66 | 15 | £50,000 | +88.68% | 1 |
| South East | -70 | 15 | £57,500 | +15.00% | 2 |
| Work from Home | -76 | 13 | £44,500 | -6.32% | 15 |
| North East | - | 12 | £50,000 | - | |
| South West | -78 | 8 | £50,000 | +8.11% | 2 |
| London | -85 | 8 | £45,000 | +5.88% | 6 |
| West Midlands | -51 | 3 | £47,500 | -9.52% | 3 |
| East of England | -62 | 3 | £28,500 | -52.50% | 1 |
| Midlands | -80 | 3 | £47,500 | -9.52% | 3 |
| North West | -50 | 2 | £38,750 | -26.19% | |
| Wales | - | 2 | £42,111 | - | 2 |
| Yorkshire | -40 | 1 | £60,000 | +126.42% | 1 |
Exploratory Testing Co-Occurring Skills & Capabilities by Category
The table below expands on the one above by listing co-occurrences one category at a time. It covers the same employment type, locality and period, with up to 20 co-occurrences in each category.
Processes & Methodologies
| Rank | Skill | Share | Job Ads |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Test Automation | 96.6% | 56 |
| 2 | Agile | 86.2% | 50 |
| 3 | Regression Testing | 60.3% | 35 |
| 4 | Problem-Solving | 55.2% | 32 |
| 5 | CI/CD | 53.4% | 31 |
| 6 | SDLC | 46.6% | 27 |
| 7 | Continuous Improvement | 37.9% | 22 |
| 7 | Validation | 37.9% | 22 |
| 9 | Manual Testing | 34.5% | 20 |
| 9 | Sprint Planning | 34.5% | 20 |
| 11 | Software Testing | 32.8% | 19 |
| 12 | AI | 29.3% | 17 |
| 13 | Defect Management | 27.6% | 16 |
| 14 | Functional Testing | 25.9% | 15 |
| 15 | Test Planning | 24.1% | 14 |
| 15 | Test Strategy | 24.1% | 14 |
| 17 | API Testing | 20.7% | 12 |
| 17 | Software Engineering | 20.7% | 12 |
| 19 | DevOps | 19.0% | 11 |
| 19 | End-to-End Testing | 19.0% | 11 |