Problem-Solving Job Trends in the West Midlands

Problem Solving
England > West Midlands

The table below provides summary statistics and salary benchmarking for jobs advertised in the West Midlands requiring Problem-Solving skills. It covers permanent job vacancies from the 6 months leading up to 5 November 2025, with comparisons to the same periods in the previous two years.

6 months to
5 Nov 2025
Same period 2024 Same period 2023
Rank 3 4 8
Rank change year-on-year +1 +4 +1
Permanent jobs citing Problem-Solving 661 822 567
As % of all permanent jobs in the West Midlands 19.49% 15.23% 16.59%
As % of the Processes & Methodologies category 22.79% 18.54% 17.82%
Number of salaries quoted 410 287 467
10th Percentile £26,250 £32,250 £28,500
25th Percentile £30,750 £42,864 £33,500
Median annual salary (50th Percentile) £42,500 £52,500 £49,000
Median % change year-on-year -19.05% +7.14% +4.26%
75th Percentile £57,500 £65,000 £62,500
90th Percentile £72,525 £88,500 £70,500
England median annual salary £45,000 £55,000 £55,000
% change year-on-year -18.18% - -

All Process and Methodology Skills
West Midlands

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 West Midlands.

Permanent vacancies with a requirement for process or methodology skills 2,900 4,434 3,182
As % of all permanent jobs advertised in the West Midlands 85.52% 82.16% 93.12%
Number of salaries quoted 1,835 2,065 2,520
10th Percentile £29,000 £31,250 £26,500
25th Percentile £36,250 £40,000 £36,250
Median annual salary (50th Percentile) £51,000 £55,000 £50,000
Median % change year-on-year -7.27% +10.00% -0.10%
75th Percentile £67,500 £70,000 £63,795
90th Percentile £81,250 £81,250 £77,500
England median annual salary £55,000 £60,000 £60,000
% change year-on-year -8.33% - -

Problem-Solving
Job Vacancy Trend in the West Midlands

Historical trend showing the proportion of permanent IT job postings citing Problem-Solving relative to all permanent IT jobs advertised in the West Midlands.

Problem-Solving job vacancy trend in the West Midlands

Problem-Solving
Salary Trend in the West Midlands

Salary distribution trend for jobs in the West Midlands citing Problem-Solving.

Salary distribution trend for jobs in the West Midlands citing Problem-Solving

Problem-Solving
Salary Histogram in the West Midlands

Salary distribution for jobs citing Problem-Solving in the West Midlands over the 6 months to 5 November 2025.

Salary histogram for Problem-Solving in the West Midlands

Problem-Solving
Job Locations in the West Midlands

The table below looks at the demand and provides a guide to the median salaries quoted in IT jobs citing Problem-Solving within the West Midlands region over the 6 months to 5 November 2025. 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
Staffordshire +6 179 £42,500 -15.00% 70
Birmingham 0 162 £45,000 -20.70% 148
Warwickshire +9 73 £54,250 +8.50% 81
Worcestershire -2 59 £31,500 -42.73% 26
Coventry +5 33 £42,500 -19.05% 21
Herefordshire +6 32 £35,000 +33.58% 15
Shropshire -3 28 £47,500 -15.56% 51
Solihull -2 24 £65,000 - 14
Walsall +4 14 £45,000 +42.86% 2
Halesowen +2 11 £32,500 - 2
Wednesbury -1 6 £42,500 +13.33% 1
West Bromwich -2 2 £26,000 - 6
Kingswinford -1 1 £60,000 -
Dudley -2 1 £75,000 - 6
Wolverhampton -8 1 £65,000 +18.18% 6
Problem-Solving
England

Problem-Solving
Co-Occurring Skills & Capabilities in the West Midlands 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 15 (2.27%) IIS
1 15 (2.27%) SharePoint
2 8 (1.21%) Microsoft Exchange
3 6 (0.91%) Apache
4 2 (0.30%) CMS
4 2 (0.30%) Confluence
4 2 (0.30%) Exchange Server 2007
4 2 (0.30%) Exchange Server 2010
4 2 (0.30%) Exchange Server 2013
4 2 (0.30%) HCL Notes
5 1 (0.15%) Apache Airflow
5 1 (0.15%) Apache Solr
5 1 (0.15%) Apache Spark
5 1 (0.15%) Appian
5 1 (0.15%) nginx
5 1 (0.15%) NServiceBus
5 1 (0.15%) Oracle SOA Suite
5 1 (0.15%) Oracle Workflow
5 1 (0.15%) WebLogic
Applications
1 76 (11.50%) Microsoft Excel
2 34 (5.14%) Microsoft Office
3 10 (1.51%) Microsoft PowerPoint
4 8 (1.21%) AutoCAD
4 8 (1.21%) SOLIDWORKS
5 3 (0.45%) Microsoft Project
5 3 (0.45%) Spreadsheet
6 2 (0.30%) MS Visio
6 2 (0.30%) Trello
7 1 (0.15%) Revit
Business Applications
1 18 (2.72%) Dynamics CRM
2 7 (1.06%) NetSuite
3 4 (0.61%) SAP FI
4 3 (0.45%) Dynamics NAV
4 3 (0.45%) Infor CloudSuite Industrial (formerly SyteLine)
4 3 (0.45%) iTrent
5 1 (0.15%) Elite 3E
5 1 (0.15%) Infor CloudSuite
5 1 (0.15%) Oracle EBS
5 1 (0.15%) Oracle EBS R12
5 1 (0.15%) Oracle SCM
5 1 (0.15%) Sage X3
Cloud Services
1 98 (14.83%) Azure
2 58 (8.77%) Power Platform
3 56 (8.47%) Microsoft 365
4 35 (5.30%) SaaS
5 23 (3.48%) AWS
6 21 (3.18%) Dynamics 365
7 12 (1.82%) Cloud Computing
8 11 (1.66%) GCP
8 11 (1.66%) Power Automate
8 11 (1.66%) PowerApps
9 10 (1.51%) Azure DevOps
10 8 (1.21%) Entra ID
11 7 (1.06%) Azure Data Factory
12 5 (0.76%) GitHub
12 5 (0.76%) Snowflake
13 4 (0.61%) Amazon EC2
13 4 (0.61%) Amazon S3
13 4 (0.61%) Azure Key Vault
13 4 (0.61%) Azure Synapse Analytics
13 4 (0.61%) OCI
Communications & Networking
1 36 (5.45%) Firewall
2 34 (5.14%) WAN
3 33 (4.99%) LAN
4 24 (3.63%) Wi-Fi
5 19 (2.87%) VPN
6 16 (2.42%) DNS
7 15 (2.27%) TCP/IP
8 13 (1.97%) DHCP
9 11 (1.66%) Wireless
10 9 (1.36%) Internet
10 9 (1.36%) Remote Desktop
11 8 (1.21%) ADSL
11 8 (1.21%) Ethernet
11 8 (1.21%) VDSL
11 8 (1.21%) VoIP
12 7 (1.06%) Broadband
12 7 (1.06%) Network Security
13 5 (0.76%) PBX
14 4 (0.61%) Bluetooth
15 3 (0.45%) SAN
Database & Business Intelligence
1 51 (7.72%) Power BI
2 37 (5.60%) SQL Server
3 19 (2.87%) MySQL
3 19 (2.87%) Relational Database
4 14 (2.12%) GIS
5 11 (1.66%) SQL Server Reporting Services
6 9 (1.36%) Tableau
7 8 (1.21%) PostgreSQL
8 7 (1.06%) BusinessObjects
8 7 (1.06%) Crystal Reports
8 7 (1.06%) Metadata
9 5 (0.76%) Amazon RDS
9 5 (0.76%) Data Mining
9 5 (0.76%) Oracle Reports
10 4 (0.61%) SQL Server Integration Services
11 3 (0.45%) Azure SQL Database
11 3 (0.45%) Data Lake
11 3 (0.45%) Data Warehouse
11 3 (0.45%) MS Access
12 2 (0.30%) Power Query
Development Applications
1 14 (2.12%) Git
2 12 (1.82%) JIRA
3 3 (0.45%) Jenkins
4 2 (0.30%) Appcelerator Titanium
4 2 (0.30%) Maven
4 2 (0.30%) Subversion
4 2 (0.30%) Vagrant
4 2 (0.30%) Visual Studio
4 2 (0.30%) Visual Studio Code
5 1 (0.15%) Cypress.io
5 1 (0.15%) ERwin
5 1 (0.15%) JUnit
5 1 (0.15%) Mockito
5 1 (0.15%) Oracle Forms
5 1 (0.15%) Postman
5 1 (0.15%) Rational DOORS
5 1 (0.15%) Snyk
5 1 (0.15%) SoapUI
5 1 (0.15%) Sonatype Nexus
5 1 (0.15%) TestComplete
General
1 282 (42.66%) Social Skills
2 175 (26.48%) Manufacturing
3 163 (24.66%) Retail
4 162 (24.51%) Finance
5 126 (19.06%) Analytical Skills
6 33 (4.99%) Inclusion and Diversity
6 33 (4.99%) Legal
7 29 (4.39%) Public Sector
8 28 (4.24%) Dutch Language
8 28 (4.24%) Finnish Language
8 28 (4.24%) Norwegian Language
9 27 (4.08%) Digital Health
9 27 (4.08%) Marketing
10 24 (3.63%) Law
10 24 (3.63%) Organisational Skills
11 14 (2.12%) Fire and Rescue
12 12 (1.82%) Presentation Skills
12 12 (1.82%) Telecoms
13 11 (1.66%) Banking
14 9 (1.36%) Electronics
Job Titles
1 110 (16.64%) Trainer
2 77 (11.65%) Support Engineer
3 75 (11.35%) Analyst
4 70 (10.59%) IT Support
5 62 (9.38%) Developer
6 57 (8.62%) Technical Support
7 56 (8.47%) Technical Engineer
8 54 (8.17%) Technical Support Engineer
9 44 (6.66%) Senior
10 30 (4.54%) 2nd Line Support
11 26 (3.93%) Lead
12 21 (3.18%) Applications Support
12 21 (3.18%) Architect
13 19 (2.87%) Support Analyst
14 16 (2.42%) Network Engineer
15 14 (2.12%) Administrator
15 14 (2.12%) Support Technician
16 13 (1.97%) Applications Support Analyst
17 10 (1.51%) Consultant
17 10 (1.51%) Solutions Architect
Libraries, Frameworks & Software Standards
1 34 (5.14%) .NET
2 26 (3.93%) React
3 21 (3.18%) REST
4 18 (2.72%) HTML
5 16 (2.42%) AngularJS
6 15 (2.27%) JSON
7 14 (2.12%) CSS
8 13 (1.97%) Razor View Engine
9 7 (1.06%) .NET Framework
9 7 (1.06%) Web Services
10 6 (0.91%) EDI
10 6 (0.91%) LAMP
10 6 (0.91%) Vue
11 5 (0.76%) Entity Framework
12 4 (0.61%) jQuery
12 4 (0.61%) Laravel
12 4 (0.61%) Node.js
12 4 (0.61%) RESTful
12 4 (0.61%) SOAP
12 4 (0.61%) XML
Miscellaneous
1 105 (15.89%) Robotics
2 40 (6.05%) Onboarding
3 36 (5.45%) Driving Licence
4 30 (4.54%) Self-Motivation
5 28 (4.24%) FMCG
6 19 (2.87%) Analytical Mindset
7 16 (2.42%) SCADA
8 15 (2.27%) Operational Technology
9 14 (2.12%) Management Information System
10 12 (1.82%) Data Centre
11 11 (1.66%) EPoS
12 9 (1.36%) Foreign Exchange (FX)
13 8 (1.21%) Legacy Systems
13 8 (1.21%) Linux Command Line
13 8 (1.21%) Product Ownership
13 8 (1.21%) Security Posture
14 7 (1.06%) Cyber Threat
14 7 (1.06%) Data Structures
14 7 (1.06%) IoT
14 7 (1.06%) iPad
Operating Systems
1 80 (12.10%) Windows
2 35 (5.30%) Windows 10
3 20 (3.03%) Linux
4 4 (0.61%) Apple iOS
4 4 (0.61%) Unix
4 4 (0.61%) Windows Server
5 2 (0.30%) VMS
5 2 (0.30%) Windows 7
6 1 (0.15%) Android
6 1 (0.15%) Ubuntu
6 1 (0.15%) Windows Mobile
Processes & Methodologies
1 138 (20.88%) Continuous Improvement
2 128 (19.36%) AI
3 112 (16.94%) Machine Learning
4 105 (15.89%) Generative AI
4 105 (15.89%) LLM
4 105 (15.89%) Red Team
5 83 (12.56%) Customer Service
5 83 (12.56%) Data Privacy
6 69 (10.44%) Agile
7 60 (9.08%) Project Management
8 58 (8.77%) Business Intelligence
9 51 (7.72%) Decision-Making
10 48 (7.26%) ITIL
11 43 (6.51%) Analytics
12 41 (6.20%) Logistics
13 39 (5.90%) Mentoring
14 37 (5.60%) CRM
14 37 (5.60%) Data Analysis
15 36 (5.45%) Cybersecurity
16 34 (5.14%) ERP
Programming Languages
1 104 (15.73%) SQL
2 46 (6.96%) Python
3 45 (6.81%) C#
4 41 (6.20%) JavaScript
5 21 (3.18%) Java
6 19 (2.87%) PHP
6 19 (2.87%) PowerShell
7 14 (2.12%) T-SQL
8 7 (1.06%) Data Analysis Expressions
9 6 (0.91%) C++
10 5 (0.76%) TypeScript
11 4 (0.61%) Bash
11 4 (0.61%) Ladder Logic
11 4 (0.61%) R
12 3 (0.45%) VB.NET
13 2 (0.30%) Apex Code
13 2 (0.30%) C
13 2 (0.30%) Delphi
13 2 (0.30%) Go
13 2 (0.30%) Kusto Query Language
Qualifications
1 208 (31.47%) Degree
2 50 (7.56%) Security Cleared
3 30 (4.54%) SC Cleared
4 24 (3.63%) Computer Science Degree
5 16 (2.42%) ACCA
5 16 (2.42%) CIMA
6 15 (2.27%) BPSS Clearance
7 10 (1.51%) CISSP
7 10 (1.51%) DV Cleared
8 9 (1.36%) Master's Degree
9 8 (1.21%) Cisco Certification
9 8 (1.21%) Microsoft Certification
10 7 (1.06%) AAT
10 7 (1.06%) DBS Check
11 5 (0.76%) (ISC)2 CCSP
11 5 (0.76%) CCSP
11 5 (0.76%) CISM
11 5 (0.76%) ITIL Certification
12 4 (0.61%) ITIL Foundation Certificate
12 4 (0.61%) Network+ Certification
Quality Assurance & Compliance
1 18 (2.72%) Data Quality
2 15 (2.27%) SLA
3 10 (1.51%) GDPR
3 10 (1.51%) QA
4 5 (0.76%) ISO/IEC 27001
4 5 (0.76%) NIST
4 5 (0.76%) PMO
5 3 (0.45%) Actionable Recommendations
5 3 (0.45%) Cyber Essentials
6 2 (0.30%) COBIT
6 2 (0.30%) Cyber Essentials PLUS
6 2 (0.30%) Government Security Classifications
6 2 (0.30%) ISO 9001
6 2 (0.30%) ISO/IEC 19770
7 1 (0.15%) Accessibility
7 1 (0.15%) HMG Security Policy Framework
7 1 (0.15%) ISO 19650
7 1 (0.15%) ISO/IEC 20000
7 1 (0.15%) WCAG
System Software
1 36 (5.45%) Active Directory
2 13 (1.97%) VMware Infrastructure
3 9 (1.36%) Docker
4 2 (0.30%) Firmware
4 2 (0.30%) Virtual Machines
5 1 (0.15%) VMware ESXi
5 1 (0.15%) vSphere
Systems Management
1 9 (1.36%) Kubernetes
2 8 (1.21%) Terraform
3 7 (1.06%) Microsoft Intune
4 3 (0.45%) Ansible
4 3 (0.45%) FortiGate
4 3 (0.45%) Nagios
5 2 (0.30%) SCCM
6 1 (0.15%) AirWatch
6 1 (0.15%) Argo
6 1 (0.15%) AWS Copilot
6 1 (0.15%) EMC NetWorker
6 1 (0.15%) Grafana
6 1 (0.15%) HP Quality Center
6 1 (0.15%) Single Sign-On
6 1 (0.15%) Symantec Endpoint Protection
Vendors
1 150 (22.69%) Microsoft
2 122 (18.46%) Databricks
3 112 (16.94%) Google
4 105 (15.89%) Adobe
5 32 (4.84%) SAP
6 25 (3.78%) Oracle
7 17 (2.57%) Cisco
8 14 (2.12%) VMware
9 13 (1.97%) Salesforce
10 11 (1.66%) Dell
11 10 (1.51%) Juniper
12 9 (1.36%) McAfee
12 9 (1.36%) ServiceNow
13 8 (1.21%) Infor
14 7 (1.06%) Apple
14 7 (1.06%) Sage
15 5 (0.76%) Epicor
15 5 (0.76%) Panasonic
15 5 (0.76%) Samsung
16 4 (0.61%) Guidewire