Service Management Contract Job Trends in the UK excluding London

Service Management
UK > UK excluding London

The table below provides summary statistics and contractor rates for jobs advertised in the UK excluding London requiring Service Management skills. It covers vacancies from the 6 months leading up to 18 September 2025, with comparisons to the same periods in the previous two years.

6 months to
18 Sep 2025
Same period 2024 Same period 2023
Rank 54 73 66
Rank change year-on-year +19 -7 -4
Contract jobs citing Service Management 633 508 699
As % of all contract jobs advertised in the UK excluding London 4.09% 2.84% 3.28%
As % of the Processes & Methodologies category 4.59% 3.42% 3.71%
Number of daily rates quoted 372 353 519
10th Percentile £185 £190 £213
25th Percentile £293 £363 £329
Median daily rate (50th Percentile) £495 £500 £500
Median % change year-on-year -1.10% - +1.21%
75th Percentile £575 £600 £588
90th Percentile £638 £650 £675
UK median daily rate £495 £503 £525
% change year-on-year -1.49% -4.29% -
Number of hourly rates quoted 77 11 10
10th Percentile £12.62 £15.17 £20.28
25th Percentile £12.82 £26.25 £20.69
Median hourly rate £18.73 £47.50 £21.91
Median % change year-on-year -60.57% +116.85% +4.31%
75th Percentile £33.00 £49.38 £66.63
90th Percentile £60.00 £53.75 £80.50
UK median hourly rate £20.66 £47.50 £55.00
% change year-on-year -56.51% -13.64% +160.51%

All Process and Methodology Skills
UK excluding London

Service Management falls under the Processes and Methodologies category. For comparison with the information above, the following table provides summary statistics for all contract job vacancies requiring process or methodology skills in the UK excluding London.

Contract vacancies with a requirement for process or methodology skills 13,801 14,871 18,833
As % of all contract IT jobs advertised in the UK excluding London 89.22% 82.99% 88.26%
Number of daily rates quoted 8,308 8,574 12,398
10th Percentile £235 £240 £260
25th Percentile £368 £388 £400
Median daily rate (50th Percentile) £475 £500 £500
Median % change year-on-year -5.00% - -
75th Percentile £575 £600 £600
90th Percentile £663 £688 £692
UK median daily rate £500 £525 £540
% change year-on-year -4.76% -2.78% -1.82%
Number of hourly rates quoted 1,437 1,212 1,246
10th Percentile £14.05 £14.51 £14.25
25th Percentile £17.14 £17.94 £17.72
Median hourly rate £22.56 £43.00 £41.90
Median % change year-on-year -47.53% +2.63% +80.76%
75th Percentile £43.00 £66.00 £65.00
90th Percentile £67.50 £75.00 £77.50
UK median hourly rate £25.15 £43.00 £43.00
% change year-on-year -41.51% - +48.28%

Service Management
Job Vacancy Trend in the UK excluding London

Job postings citing Service Management as a proportion of all IT jobs advertised in the UK excluding London.

Job vacancy trend for Service Management in the UK excluding London

Service Management
Daily Rate Trend in the UK excluding London

Contractor daily rate distribution trend for jobs in the UK excluding London citing Service Management.

Contractor daily rate distribution trend for jobs in the UK excluding London citing Service Management

Service Management
Daily Rate Histogram in the UK excluding London

Daily rate distribution for jobs citing Service Management in the UK excluding London over the 6 months to 18 September 2025.

Daily rate histogram for Service Management in the UK excluding London

Service Management
Hourly Rate Trend in the UK excluding London

Contractor hourly rate distribution trend for jobs in the UK excluding London citing Service Management.

Contractor hourly rate distribution trend for jobs in the UK excluding London citing Service Management

Service Management
Hourly Rate Histogram in the UK excluding London

Hourly rate distribution of jobs citing Service Management in the UK excluding London over the 6 months to 18 September 2025.

Hourly rate histogram for Service Management in the UK excluding London

Service Management
Contract Job Locations in the UK excluding London

The table below looks at the demand and provides a guide to the median contractor rates quoted in IT jobs citing Service Management within the UK excluding London region over the 6 months to 18 September 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
Contract
IT Job Ads
Median
Daily Rate
Past 6 Months
Median Daily Rate
% Change
on Same Period
Last Year
Live
Jobs
North of England +16 194 £459 -6.85% 131
South East +16 120 £450 -18.18% 165
North West +24 117 £470 +4.50% 58
South West +19 116 £540 +2.86% 76
Midlands +32 106 £503 +4.42% 98
West Midlands +30 83 £515 +11.35% 57
Yorkshire -8 67 £365 -30.48% 54
Scotland +6 51 £470 -21.67% 58
East of England +10 36 £550 +4.76% 68
East Midlands +8 23 £300 -40.00% 38
North East -1 10 £195 -61.00% 19
Wales -5 8 £230 +12.24% 16
Northern Ireland -3 4 £150 -72.73% 4
Channel Islands - 3 £725 -
Service Management
UK

Service Management
Co-occurring Skills and Capabilities in the UK excluding London by Category

The follow tables expand on the table above by listing co-occurrences grouped by category. The same employment type, locality and period is covered with up to 20 co-occurrences shown in each of the following categories:

Application Platforms
1 34 (5.37%) Microsoft Exchange
2 22 (3.48%) SharePoint
3 20 (3.16%) Apache
3 20 (3.16%) Confluence
4 13 (2.05%) WebLogic
5 9 (1.42%) IIS
6 7 (1.11%) WebSphere
7 5 (0.79%) Skype for Business
8 2 (0.32%) SharePoint Server
9 1 (0.16%) Anypoint
9 1 (0.16%) CMS
9 1 (0.16%) JBoss
9 1 (0.16%) Oracle Self-Service HR
9 1 (0.16%) Oracle Workflow
9 1 (0.16%) Umbraco
Applications
1 74 (11.69%) Microsoft Office
2 26 (4.11%) Microsoft Excel
3 16 (2.53%) MS Visio
4 13 (2.05%) Microsoft PowerPoint
5 3 (0.47%) Microsoft Project
6 1 (0.16%) Trello
Business Applications
1 18 (2.84%) Remedy ITSM
2 7 (1.11%) assyst
2 7 (1.11%) Maximo
2 7 (1.11%) SAP S/4HANA
3 3 (0.47%) Oracle ERP
3 3 (0.47%) SAP LE
3 3 (0.47%) SAP WM
4 2 (0.32%) Dynamics CRM
4 2 (0.32%) SAP ERP
5 1 (0.16%) Oracle EBS
5 1 (0.16%) Oracle EBS R12
5 1 (0.16%) Oracle iProcurement
5 1 (0.16%) Remedy AR System
5 1 (0.16%) SAP HR
5 1 (0.16%) SAP PM
Cloud Services
1 73 (11.53%) Microsoft 365
2 64 (10.11%) Azure
3 39 (6.16%) AWS
4 29 (4.58%) Entra ID
5 14 (2.21%) Azure Monitor
6 12 (1.90%) Power Platform
7 9 (1.42%) Azure DevOps
7 9 (1.42%) OneDrive
7 9 (1.42%) SaaS
8 7 (1.11%) GCP
9 5 (0.79%) Google Workspace
9 5 (0.79%) PowerApps
10 4 (0.63%) GitHub
11 3 (0.47%) Lucidchart
12 2 (0.32%) Asana
12 2 (0.32%) Azure AKS
12 2 (0.32%) Azure Cosmos DB
12 2 (0.32%) IaaS
12 2 (0.32%) Oracle CX
12 2 (0.32%) Power Automate
Communications & Networking
1 48 (7.58%) Firewall
2 41 (6.48%) DNS
3 28 (4.42%) DHCP
4 24 (3.79%) LAN
5 23 (3.63%) WAN
6 19 (3.00%) VPN
7 17 (2.69%) TCP/IP
8 13 (2.05%) Unified Communications
9 11 (1.74%) VLAN
10 10 (1.58%) Skype
11 9 (1.42%) BGP
11 9 (1.42%) Cisco Firepower
11 9 (1.42%) Cisco IOS
11 9 (1.42%) Cisco ISE
11 9 (1.42%) Junos
11 9 (1.42%) MPLS
11 9 (1.42%) Network Security
11 9 (1.42%) Wireless
12 7 (1.11%) IPsec
12 7 (1.11%) Wi-Fi
Database & Business Intelligence
1 16 (2.53%) SQL Server
2 12 (1.90%) Relational Database
3 10 (1.58%) Power BI
4 9 (1.42%) Amazon RDS
4 9 (1.42%) DB2
4 9 (1.42%) Oracle Reports
5 4 (0.63%) NoSQL
6 3 (0.47%) Amazon Aurora
6 3 (0.47%) Data Mining
6 3 (0.47%) MariaDB
6 3 (0.47%) MySQL
6 3 (0.47%) Tableau
7 2 (0.32%) Azure SQL Database
7 2 (0.32%) Data Warehouse
7 2 (0.32%) Elasticsearch
7 2 (0.32%) Oracle Discoverer
7 2 (0.32%) PostgreSQL
7 2 (0.32%) RDBMS
8 1 (0.16%) Oracle BI Publisher
8 1 (0.16%) Oracle Database
Development Applications
1 50 (7.90%) JIRA
2 13 (2.05%) Jenkins
3 7 (1.11%) webpack
4 4 (0.63%) Bitbucket
5 3 (0.47%) Git
5 3 (0.47%) JMeter
5 3 (0.47%) LoadRunner
5 3 (0.47%) NeoLoad
6 1 (0.16%) Cucumber
6 1 (0.16%) GitLab
6 1 (0.16%) Selenium
6 1 (0.16%) SoapUI
6 1 (0.16%) Subversion
6 1 (0.16%) Team Foundation Server
6 1 (0.16%) WebDriver
General
1 243 (38.39%) Social Skills
2 136 (21.48%) Analytical Skills
3 88 (13.90%) Finance
4 77 (12.16%) Public Sector
5 47 (7.42%) Telecoms
6 37 (5.85%) Inclusion and Diversity
7 24 (3.79%) Retail
8 23 (3.63%) Manufacturing
9 20 (3.16%) Military
10 19 (3.00%) Organisational Skills
11 17 (2.69%) Legal
12 15 (2.37%) Banking
12 15 (2.37%) Marketing
13 14 (2.21%) Documentation Skills
14 13 (2.05%) Electronics
14 13 (2.05%) Presentation Skills
15 12 (1.90%) Police
16 9 (1.42%) Influencing Skills
17 7 (1.11%) Billing
18 6 (0.95%) Pharmaceutical
Job Titles
1 118 (18.64%) Analyst
2 57 (9.00%) Architect
3 52 (8.21%) Support Engineer
4 46 (7.27%) IT Support
5 45 (7.11%) Support Analyst
6 44 (6.95%) Desktop Support
6 44 (6.95%) Service Manager
7 32 (5.06%) Lead
8 30 (4.74%) Service Architect
9 29 (4.58%) Network Engineer
10 27 (4.27%) 1st Line Support
10 27 (4.27%) Service Analyst
11 26 (4.11%) 2nd Line Support
12 25 (3.95%) IT Manager
12 25 (3.95%) Senior
13 24 (3.79%) Developer
14 22 (3.48%) IT Analyst
14 22 (3.48%) Project Manager
15 19 (3.00%) Consultant
15 19 (3.00%) Coordinator
Libraries, Frameworks & Software Standards
1 18 (2.84%) Web Services
2 17 (2.69%) HTML
3 16 (2.53%) SOAP
4 15 (2.37%) RFC 2544
5 14 (2.21%) CSS
6 10 (1.58%) XML
7 8 (1.26%) .NET
7 8 (1.26%) NETCONF
7 8 (1.26%) RESTful
8 7 (1.11%) CSS3
8 7 (1.11%) HTML5
8 7 (1.11%) Node.js
8 7 (1.11%) React
8 7 (1.11%) Redux
8 7 (1.11%) REST
8 7 (1.11%) RESTCONF
9 6 (0.95%) Middleware
10 5 (0.79%) AngularJS
11 4 (0.63%) SAP PI
12 3 (0.47%) LDAP
Miscellaneous
1 41 (6.48%) Data Centre
2 37 (5.85%) Management Information System
3 35 (5.53%) CMDB
4 25 (3.95%) iPhone
5 21 (3.32%) PKI
5 21 (3.32%) Smartphone
6 18 (2.84%) Self-Motivation
7 14 (2.21%) Mainframe
8 12 (1.90%) Fibre Optics
8 12 (1.90%) Product Ownership
9 11 (1.74%) Onboarding
10 10 (1.58%) Analytical Mindset
10 10 (1.58%) Driving Licence
10 10 (1.58%) Virtual Team
11 9 (1.42%) Enterprise Software
12 7 (1.11%) Distributed Systems
13 6 (0.95%) Public Cloud
13 6 (0.95%) Video Conferencing
14 5 (0.79%) Life Science
14 5 (0.79%) NHS
Operating Systems
1 142 (22.43%) Windows
2 46 (7.27%) Linux
3 34 (5.37%) Windows Server
4 32 (5.06%) Mac OS
5 30 (4.74%) Windows 10
6 27 (4.27%) Unix
7 12 (1.90%) Apple iOS
8 9 (1.42%) Solaris
9 8 (1.26%) Android
10 6 (0.95%) Red Hat Enterprise Linux
11 5 (0.79%) HPUX
12 4 (0.63%) Windows Server 2016
12 4 (0.63%) Windows Server 2019
13 3 (0.47%) Windows Server 2008
14 1 (0.16%) AIX
14 1 (0.16%) Ubuntu
Processes & Methodologies
1 350 (55.29%) ITIL
2 273 (43.13%) ITSM
3 137 (21.64%) Customer Service
4 127 (20.06%) Problem-Solving
5 92 (14.53%) Stakeholder Management
6 90 (14.22%) Service Delivery
7 84 (13.27%) Change Management
8 78 (12.32%) Agile
9 73 (11.53%) Service Design
10 72 (11.37%) Incident Management
11 66 (10.43%) Continuous Improvement
12 54 (8.53%) Project Management
13 53 (8.37%) Project Delivery
14 49 (7.74%) DevOps
15 46 (7.27%) Stakeholder Engagement
16 37 (5.85%) Business Intelligence
16 37 (5.85%) Problem Management
17 36 (5.69%) Analytics
17 36 (5.69%) Configuration Management
18 35 (5.53%) Disaster Recovery
Programming Languages
1 57 (9.00%) SQL
2 30 (4.74%) Python
3 26 (4.11%) JavaScript
4 21 (3.32%) PowerShell
5 10 (1.58%) Shell Script
6 8 (1.26%) Java
7 7 (1.11%) C#
7 7 (1.11%) TypeScript
8 6 (0.95%) Perl
9 5 (0.79%) Bash
10 2 (0.32%) Apex Code
11 1 (0.16%) Bicep
11 1 (0.16%) HiveQL
11 1 (0.16%) PL/SQL
11 1 (0.16%) VB
11 1 (0.16%) VBA
11 1 (0.16%) VBScript
Qualifications
1 220 (34.76%) Security Cleared
2 168 (26.54%) SC Cleared
3 78 (12.32%) Degree
4 42 (6.64%) DV Cleared
4 42 (6.64%) ITIL Certification
5 32 (5.06%) Microsoft Certification
6 25 (3.95%) Cisco Certification
7 22 (3.48%) CCNP
8 16 (2.53%) A+ Certification
9 15 (2.37%) Azure Certification
10 12 (1.90%) Computer Science Degree
10 12 (1.90%) Server+ Certification
11 9 (1.42%) ITIL Foundation Certificate
11 9 (1.42%) Network+ Certification
12 7 (1.11%) CCNA
13 5 (0.79%) APMP
13 5 (0.79%) BPSS Clearance
13 5 (0.79%) Master's Degree
14 4 (0.63%) CCIE
14 4 (0.63%) MCSE
Quality Assurance & Compliance
1 54 (8.53%) SLA
2 27 (4.27%) ISO/IEC 20000
3 14 (2.21%) QA
4 13 (2.05%) GDPR
5 8 (1.26%) GxP
5 8 (1.26%) NCSC
5 8 (1.26%) Sarbanes-Oxley
6 7 (1.11%) Accessibility
6 7 (1.11%) Disclosure Scotland
7 4 (0.63%) COBIT
7 4 (0.63%) Data Quality
8 3 (0.47%) GRC
8 3 (0.47%) ISO/IEC 27001
8 3 (0.47%) PMO
9 2 (0.32%) Cyber Essentials
9 2 (0.32%) HIPAA
9 2 (0.32%) ISO 9001
9 2 (0.32%) WCAG
10 1 (0.16%) Actionable Recommendations
10 1 (0.16%) California Consumer Privacy Act
System Software
1 79 (12.48%) Active Directory
2 26 (4.11%) VMware Infrastructure
3 12 (1.90%) Hyper-V
4 11 (1.74%) VMware ESXi
4 11 (1.74%) VMware NSX
5 7 (1.11%) Virtual Desktop
6 6 (0.95%) Virtual Servers
7 5 (0.79%) Microsoft Virtual Server
8 4 (0.63%) Docker
9 2 (0.32%) Virtual Machines
Systems Management
1 21 (3.32%) Jamf Pro
2 15 (2.37%) vCenter Server
3 12 (1.90%) Ansible
4 11 (1.74%) Kubernetes
5 8 (1.26%) NSN NetAct
5 8 (1.26%) Terraform
6 7 (1.11%) SCCM
6 7 (1.11%) WSUS
7 5 (0.79%) Active Directory Federation Services
7 5 (0.79%) Microsoft Intune
8 4 (0.63%) Grafana
8 4 (0.63%) OpenView
9 3 (0.47%) Check_MK
9 3 (0.47%) SCOM
9 3 (0.47%) Single Sign-On
10 2 (0.32%) OPNET
10 2 (0.32%) Podman
10 2 (0.32%) Prometheus
11 1 (0.16%) Nessus
11 1 (0.16%) NetBackup
Vendors
1 161 (25.43%) ServiceNow
2 158 (24.96%) Microsoft
3 78 (12.32%) Cisco
4 35 (5.53%) Oracle
5 34 (5.37%) SAP
6 29 (4.58%) Splunk
6 29 (4.58%) VMware
7 25 (3.95%) Apple
8 24 (3.79%) Remedy
9 22 (3.48%) Juniper
10 19 (3.00%) SolarWinds
11 18 (2.84%) IBM
12 14 (2.21%) Dynatrace
13 13 (2.05%) AppDynamics
14 10 (1.58%) Atlassian
14 10 (1.58%) Google
15 9 (1.42%) BMC
15 9 (1.42%) Fortinet
16 8 (1.26%) Ericsson
16 8 (1.26%) Nokia