Microsoft Contract Job Trends in the South East

Microsoft
England > South East

The table below provides summary statistics for contract job vacancies advertised in the South East requiring knowledge or experience of Microsoft products and/or services. It includes a benchmarking guide to contractor rates offered in vacancies that cited Microsoft over the 6 months leading up to 21 May 2026, comparing them to the same period in the previous two years.

The figures below represent the IT contractor job market in general and are not representative of contractor rates within the Microsoft Corporation.

6 months to
21 May 2026
Same period 2025 Same period 2024
Rank 8 6 6
Rank change year-on-year -2 0 -1
Contract jobs citing Microsoft 673 459 800
As % of all contract jobs in the South East 11.31% 15.43% 14.64%
As % of the Vendors category 27.26% 29.05% 31.31%
Number of daily rates quoted 471 310 526
10th Percentile £203 £200 £193
25th Percentile £363 £288 £338
Median daily rate (50th Percentile) £475 £458 £465
Median % change year-on-year +3.83% -1.61% +2.19%
75th Percentile £575 £569 £575
90th Percentile £660 £615 £675
England median daily rate £500 £475 £485
% change year-on-year +5.26% -2.06% -3.00%
Number of hourly rates quoted 59 30 74
10th Percentile £12.29 £14.09 £11.71
25th Percentile £15.00 £14.20 £12.00
Median hourly rate £27.50 £14.65 £22.54
Median % change year-on-year +87.71% -35.00% +15.59%
75th Percentile £52.58 £22.81 £54.69
90th Percentile £90.57 £32.05 £61.60
England median hourly rate £20.35 £18.85 £15.00
% change year-on-year +7.96% +25.67% -28.57%

All Vendors
South East

Microsoft falls under the Vendor Products and Services category. For comparison with the information above, the following table provides summary statistics for all contract job vacancies requiring knowledge or experience of all vendor products and services in the South East.

Contract vacancies with a requirement for knowledge or experience of vendor products and services 2,469 1,580 2,555
As % of all contract IT jobs advertised in the South East 41.49% 53.11% 46.76%
Number of daily rates quoted 1,707 1,056 1,549
10th Percentile £300 £220 £213
25th Percentile £413 £381 £396
Median daily rate (50th Percentile) £513 £500 £500
Median % change year-on-year +2.50% - -
75th Percentile £609 £600 £600
90th Percentile £700 £663 £688
England median daily rate £501 £523 £515
% change year-on-year -4.21% +1.46% -3.74%
Number of hourly rates quoted 154 86 182
10th Percentile £15.08 £14.20 £12.00
25th Percentile £23.47 £16.95 £16.25
Median hourly rate £47.50 £24.66 £47.50
Median % change year-on-year +92.62% -48.08% +5.56%
75th Percentile £83.56 £58.39 £61.30
90th Percentile £88.00 £70.63 £67.02
England median hourly rate £32.50 £26.45 £22.50
% change year-on-year +22.87% +17.56% -40.00%

Microsoft
Job Vacancy Trend in the South East

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

Microsoft job vacancy trend in the South East

Microsoft
Daily Rate Trend in the South East

Contractor daily rate distribution trend for jobs in the South East citing Microsoft.

Contractor daily rate distribution trend for jobs in the South East citing Microsoft

Microsoft
Daily Rate Histogram in the South East

Daily rate distribution for jobs citing Microsoft in the South East over the 6 months to 21 May 2026.

Daily rate histogram for Microsoft in the South East

Microsoft
Hourly Rate Trend in the South East

Contractor hourly rate distribution trend for jobs in the South East citing Microsoft.

Contractor hourly rate distribution trend for jobs in the South East citing Microsoft

Microsoft
Hourly Rate Histogram in the South East

Hourly rate distribution of jobs citing Microsoft in the South East over the 6 months to 21 May 2026.

Hourly rate histogram for Microsoft in the South East

Microsoft
Contract Job Locations in the South East

The table below looks at the demand and provides a guide to the median contractor rates quoted in IT jobs citing Microsoft within the South East region over the 6 months to 21 May 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
Contract
IT Job Ads
Median
Daily Rate
Past 6 Months
Median Daily Rate
% Change
on Same Period
Last Year
Live
Jobs
Thames Valley -1 341 £489 +7.95% 260
Berkshire -5 161 £500 +5.26% 119
Hampshire -9 135 £538 +7.50% 108
Buckinghamshire -4 108 £500 -9.09% 88
Surrey +9 96 £438 -2.78% 68
Oxfordshire -1 72 £450 +80.00% 57
West Sussex 0 47 £475 +35.71% 37
Kent -3 29 £278 +5.71% 57
East Sussex 0 10 £538 -6.52% 18
Home Counties +2 4 - - 1
Sussex -5 1 - - 6
Microsoft
England

Microsoft
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 77 (11.44%) SharePoint
2 70 (10.40%) Microsoft Exchange
3 12 (1.78%) Confluence
4 3 (0.45%) ArcGIS
4 3 (0.45%) MS Project Server
4 3 (0.45%) Smallworld
5 2 (0.30%) GeoServer
6 1 (0.15%) Apache
6 1 (0.15%) Apache Spark
6 1 (0.15%) BizTalk Server
6 1 (0.15%) Exchange Server 2010
6 1 (0.15%) IIS
6 1 (0.15%) nginx
6 1 (0.15%) SharePoint 2010
6 1 (0.15%) SharePoint 2013
6 1 (0.15%) Tomcat
Applications
1 78 (11.59%) Microsoft Office
2 69 (10.25%) Microsoft Excel
3 30 (4.46%) Microsoft Project
4 25 (3.71%) Microsoft PowerPoint
5 11 (1.63%) MS Visio
6 3 (0.45%) SOLIDWORKS
7 1 (0.15%) Acrobat
7 1 (0.15%) Adobe Illustrator
7 1 (0.15%) Autodesk Inventor
7 1 (0.15%) InDesign
7 1 (0.15%) MicroStation
7 1 (0.15%) Photoshop
7 1 (0.15%) Spreadsheet
7 1 (0.15%) Trello
Business Applications
1 11 (1.63%) SAP S/4HANA
2 4 (0.59%) SAP Business One
3 3 (0.45%) Dynamics CRM
4 2 (0.30%) NEC Housing
5 1 (0.15%) iTrent
5 1 (0.15%) Oracle EBS
5 1 (0.15%) Oracle ERP
5 1 (0.15%) SAP PSCD
5 1 (0.15%) Teamcenter
Cloud Services
1 261 (38.78%) Azure
2 185 (27.49%) Microsoft 365
3 123 (18.28%) Entra ID
4 84 (12.48%) Power Platform
5 54 (8.02%) AWS
6 39 (5.79%) Azure DevOps
7 30 (4.46%) Dynamics 365
8 28 (4.16%) OneDrive
8 28 (4.16%) Power Automate
9 23 (3.42%) Microsoft Purview
9 23 (3.42%) SaaS
10 22 (3.27%) PowerApps
11 20 (2.97%) IaaS
12 18 (2.67%) GitHub
12 18 (2.67%) Microsoft Copilot
13 17 (2.53%) Serverless
14 16 (2.38%) Azure Functions
15 15 (2.23%) Azure Logic Apps
15 15 (2.23%) Azure Monitor
16 13 (1.93%) Copilot Studio
Communications & Networking
1 58 (8.62%) DNS
2 41 (6.09%) DHCP
3 34 (5.05%) Wi-Fi
4 30 (4.46%) Firewall
5 23 (3.42%) VPN
6 20 (2.97%) LAN
7 17 (2.53%) WAN
8 12 (1.78%) Kerberos
9 11 (1.63%) TCP/IP
10 10 (1.49%) SD-WAN
10 10 (1.49%) Unified Communications
11 9 (1.34%) MPLS
12 8 (1.19%) VLAN
13 7 (1.04%) Network Security
13 7 (1.04%) SAN
14 5 (0.74%) BGP
14 5 (0.74%) IPsec
14 5 (0.74%) SNMP
14 5 (0.74%) VSAN
14 5 (0.74%) Wireless
Database & Business Intelligence
1 65 (9.66%) Power BI
2 33 (4.90%) SQL Server
3 15 (2.23%) Azure SQL Database
4 14 (2.08%) MySQL
5 10 (1.49%) Metadata
6 9 (1.34%) PostgreSQL
7 8 (1.19%) Relational Database
8 7 (1.04%) Data Lake
8 7 (1.04%) Data Warehouse
9 6 (0.89%) SQL Server Integration Services
10 4 (0.59%) Oracle Database
10 4 (0.59%) SQL Server Reporting Services
11 3 (0.45%) Amazon RDS
11 3 (0.45%) BusinessObjects Business Intelligence
11 3 (0.45%) Data Mining
11 3 (0.45%) GIS
11 3 (0.45%) MS Access
11 3 (0.45%) Star Schema
12 2 (0.30%) Oracle Reports
12 2 (0.30%) SQL Server Analysis Services
Development Applications
1 17 (2.53%) JIRA
2 12 (1.78%) Git
3 9 (1.34%) Android Studio
4 6 (0.89%) Browser DevTools
4 6 (0.89%) Eclipse
4 6 (0.89%) Xcode
5 4 (0.59%) MSI
6 3 (0.45%) Bitbucket
6 3 (0.45%) Gradle
6 3 (0.45%) Jenkins
6 3 (0.45%) JUnit
6 3 (0.45%) Maven
6 3 (0.45%) Robot Framework
6 3 (0.45%) Subversion
7 2 (0.30%) Sonatype Nexus
8 1 (0.15%) Artifactory
8 1 (0.15%) GitLab
8 1 (0.15%) NUnit
8 1 (0.15%) SonarQube
8 1 (0.15%) Visual Studio Code
General
1 186 (27.64%) Social Skills
2 69 (10.25%) Public Sector
3 67 (9.96%) Finance
4 61 (9.06%) Analytical Skills
5 42 (6.24%) Organisational Skills
6 21 (3.12%) Legal
7 17 (2.53%) Documentation Skills
8 15 (2.23%) Military
9 11 (1.63%) Aerospace
10 10 (1.49%) Telecoms
11 9 (1.34%) Inclusion and Diversity
12 8 (1.19%) Retail
13 6 (0.89%) Influencing Skills
13 6 (0.89%) Local Government
13 6 (0.89%) Manufacturing
13 6 (0.89%) Marketing
14 5 (0.74%) Aviation
14 5 (0.74%) Presentation Skills
15 4 (0.59%) Advertising
15 4 (0.59%) Police
Job Titles
1 88 (13.08%) Architect
2 65 (9.66%) Analyst
3 63 (9.36%) IT Support
4 55 (8.17%) Senior
5 51 (7.58%) Support Engineer
6 49 (7.28%) Infrastructure Engineer
7 43 (6.39%) IT Engineer
8 36 (5.35%) Lead
9 34 (5.05%) Consultant
9 34 (5.05%) IT Support Engineer
10 31 (4.61%) Developer
11 26 (3.86%) Solutions Architect
12 24 (3.57%) Azure Engineer
13 20 (2.97%) Project Manager
14 19 (2.82%) Administrator
14 19 (2.82%) IT Analyst
15 18 (2.67%) Technical Architect
16 16 (2.38%) DevOps Engineer
16 16 (2.38%) Support Analyst
17 15 (2.23%) Microsoft Engineer
Libraries, Frameworks & Software Standards
1 27 (4.01%) .NET
2 20 (2.97%) LDAP
3 16 (2.38%) OAuth
4 15 (2.23%) SAML
5 14 (2.08%) OpenID
5 14 (2.08%) REST
6 11 (1.63%) OAuth2
6 11 (1.63%) SailPoint
6 11 (1.63%) Web Services
7 10 (1.49%) React
8 9 (1.34%) ARM Templates
8 9 (1.34%) CSS
9 8 (1.19%) AngularJS
9 8 (1.19%) Microsoft Graph
9 8 (1.19%) XML
10 7 (1.04%) GraphQL
11 6 (0.89%) ADO
11 6 (0.89%) Ajax
11 6 (0.89%) JSON
11 6 (0.89%) Middleware
Miscellaneous
1 46 (6.84%) Onboarding
2 24 (3.57%) PKI
3 23 (3.42%) Data Centre
3 23 (3.42%) Product Ownership
4 21 (3.12%) Cloud Native
5 18 (2.67%) Hybrid Cloud
5 18 (2.67%) Legacy Systems
6 15 (2.23%) Public Cloud
6 15 (2.23%) Replication
7 13 (1.93%) Operational Technology
8 12 (1.78%) Driving Licence
9 11 (1.63%) Self-Motivation
10 10 (1.49%) Analytical Mindset
11 9 (1.34%) Cyber Defence
11 9 (1.34%) Enterprise Software
11 9 (1.34%) Mobile App
12 8 (1.19%) Security Posture
12 8 (1.19%) Virtual Team
13 6 (0.89%) Data Structures
14 5 (0.74%) Management Information System
Operating Systems
1 193 (28.68%) Windows
2 62 (9.21%) Linux
3 59 (8.77%) Windows Server
4 24 (3.57%) Windows 10
5 18 (2.67%) Mac OS
6 15 (2.23%) Android
7 14 (2.08%) Unix
8 13 (1.93%) Apple iOS
9 10 (1.49%) Red Hat Enterprise Linux
10 9 (1.34%) Windows 7
11 8 (1.19%) Windows Server 2019
12 7 (1.04%) Windows Server 2012
13 5 (0.74%) Ubuntu
13 5 (0.74%) Windows Server 2016
14 4 (0.59%) CentOS
15 1 (0.15%) Debian
15 1 (0.15%) OpenVMS
15 1 (0.15%) VMS
15 1 (0.15%) Windows Server 2008
Processes & Methodologies
1 92 (13.67%) Problem-Solving
2 82 (12.18%) DevOps
3 79 (11.74%) Agile
4 76 (11.29%) ITIL
5 74 (11.00%) Customer Service
6 72 (10.70%) Business Intelligence
6 72 (10.70%) Migration
7 63 (9.36%) CI/CD
8 58 (8.62%) Stakeholder Management
9 57 (8.47%) Cybersecurity
10 56 (8.32%) Analytics
10 56 (8.32%) Infrastructure Engineering
11 53 (7.88%) Project Management
12 48 (7.13%) Decision-Making
13 44 (6.54%) Project Delivery
14 41 (6.09%) Stakeholder Engagement
15 40 (5.94%) User Experience
16 39 (5.79%) ITSM
17 36 (5.35%) Roadmaps
18 34 (5.05%) Change Control
Programming Languages
1 96 (14.26%) PowerShell
2 63 (9.36%) Python
3 58 (8.62%) SQL
4 24 (3.57%) T-SQL
5 19 (2.82%) C#
6 15 (2.23%) JavaScript
7 14 (2.08%) Bash
8 12 (1.78%) Java
9 10 (1.49%) Bicep
10 8 (1.19%) Data Analysis Expressions
11 7 (1.04%) Kusto Query Language
12 6 (0.89%) Perl
13 3 (0.45%) TypeScript
14 2 (0.30%) Korn
14 2 (0.30%) X++
15 1 (0.15%) Google Apps Script
15 1 (0.15%) PL/SQL
15 1 (0.15%) Shell Script
15 1 (0.15%) VBA
Qualifications
1 228 (33.88%) Security Cleared
2 159 (23.63%) SC Cleared
3 72 (10.70%) Degree
4 69 (10.25%) DV Cleared
5 22 (3.27%) Microsoft Certification
6 15 (2.23%) Azure Certification
7 13 (1.93%) CISSP
8 12 (1.78%) Cisco Certification
8 12 (1.78%) Computer Science Degree
8 12 (1.78%) GIAC
9 9 (1.34%) BPSS Clearance
9 9 (1.34%) CISM
10 8 (1.19%) DBS Check
11 7 (1.04%) PMI Certification
11 7 (1.04%) PMP
12 5 (0.74%) (ISC)2 CCSP
12 5 (0.74%) ACCA
12 5 (0.74%) CESG Certified Professional
12 5 (0.74%) CIMA
12 5 (0.74%) SANS
Quality Assurance & Compliance
1 31 (4.61%) NIST
2 23 (3.42%) ISO/IEC 27001
3 21 (3.12%) Cyber Essentials
4 20 (2.97%) NCSC
5 18 (2.67%) GDPR
5 18 (2.67%) PMO
5 18 (2.67%) SLA
6 17 (2.53%) Data Quality
7 13 (1.93%) QA
8 6 (0.89%) ISO 31000
8 6 (0.89%) NIST 800
9 5 (0.74%) Accessibility
10 4 (0.59%) PCI DSS
11 3 (0.45%) ISO/IEC 42001
12 2 (0.30%) JSP 440
13 1 (0.15%) Actionable Recommendations
13 1 (0.15%) Cyber Essentials PLUS
13 1 (0.15%) Disclosure Scotland
13 1 (0.15%) ISO 9001
13 1 (0.15%) Sarbanes-Oxley
System Software
1 206 (30.61%) Active Directory
2 65 (9.66%) VMware Infrastructure
3 24 (3.57%) Hyper-V
4 15 (2.23%) vSphere
5 13 (1.93%) Virtual Desktop
5 13 (1.93%) Virtual Machines
6 11 (1.63%) VMware ESXi
7 10 (1.49%) VMware NSX
8 9 (1.34%) Docker
9 5 (0.74%) Firmware
10 3 (0.45%) DFS Replication
11 2 (0.30%) UAG
12 1 (0.15%) BitLocker
12 1 (0.15%) Citrix Hypervisor
12 1 (0.15%) Dovecot
12 1 (0.15%) Oracle RAC
12 1 (0.15%) Postfix
12 1 (0.15%) Sendmail
12 1 (0.15%) XenApp
Systems Management
1 59 (8.77%) Microsoft Intune
2 31 (4.61%) Terraform
3 29 (4.31%) SCCM
4 19 (2.82%) Active Directory Federation Services
4 19 (2.82%) Single Sign-On
5 12 (1.78%) Ansible
5 12 (1.78%) SCOM
6 10 (1.49%) Kubernetes
7 9 (1.34%) Jamf Pro
7 9 (1.34%) vCenter Server
8 6 (0.89%) WMI
9 5 (0.74%) Avamar
10 4 (0.59%) QRadar
11 3 (0.45%) Nessus
11 3 (0.45%) SCSM
11 3 (0.45%) Systems Management Server (SMS)
11 3 (0.45%) WSUS
12 2 (0.30%) Grafana
12 2 (0.30%) Oracle RMAN
12 2 (0.30%) Puppet
Vendors
1 79 (11.74%) VMware
2 34 (5.05%) Cisco
3 31 (4.61%) SAP
4 18 (2.67%) Meraki
4 18 (2.67%) ServiceNow
5 16 (2.38%) Databricks
6 15 (2.23%) Oracle
7 14 (2.08%) Citrix
8 12 (1.78%) Splunk
8 12 (1.78%) Thales
9 11 (1.63%) Dell
10 10 (1.49%) Avaya
10 10 (1.49%) Google
11 9 (1.34%) F5
11 9 (1.34%) Fortinet
11 9 (1.34%) Mitel
12 8 (1.19%) Juniper
12 8 (1.19%) Red Hat
13 7 (1.04%) SolarWinds
13 7 (1.04%) Veeam