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 contract job vacancies from the 6 months leading up to 17 September 2026, with comparisons to the same periods in the previous two years.

6 months to
17 Sep 2026
Same period 2025 Same period 2024
Rank 68 53 68
Rank change year-on-year -15 +15 -1
Contract jobs citing Service Management 935 633 505
As % of all contract jobs in the UK excluding London 3.32% 4.09% 2.84%
As % of the Processes & Methodologies category 4.10% 4.59% 3.42%
Number of daily rates quoted 637 372 350
10th Percentile £257 £185 £188
25th Percentile £413 £292 £363
Median daily rate (50th Percentile) £525 £498 £500
Median % change year-on-year +5.42% -0.45% +0.05%
75th Percentile £625 £575 £600
90th Percentile £725 £638 £651
UK median daily rate £525 £496 £510
% change year-on-year +5.95% -2.84% -2.86%
Number of hourly rates quoted 73 77 11
10th Percentile £14.50 £12.62 £15.17
25th Percentile £17.21 £12.82 £26.25
Median hourly rate £55.00 £18.73 £47.50
Median % change year-on-year +193.65% -60.57% +116.85%
75th Percentile £85.00 £33.00 £49.38
90th Percentile £94.51 £60.00 £53.75
UK median hourly rate £55.00 £20.66 £47.50
% change year-on-year +166.21% -56.51% -13.64%

All Process & 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 22,821 13,800 14,779
As % of all contract IT jobs advertised in the UK excluding London 80.98% 89.21% 83.00%
Number of daily rates quoted 13,053 8,307 8,521
10th Percentile £300 £235 £242
25th Percentile £409 £368 £388
Median daily rate (50th Percentile) £500 £475 £500
Median % change year-on-year +5.26% -5.00% -
75th Percentile £600 £575 £600
90th Percentile £688 £663 £688
UK median daily rate £525 £500 £525
% change year-on-year +5.00% -4.76% -2.78%
Number of hourly rates quoted 2,677 1,435 1,212
10th Percentile £13.50 £14.10 £14.51
25th Percentile £17.12 £17.21 £17.94
Median hourly rate £41.71 £22.63 £43.00
Median % change year-on-year +84.31% -47.37% +5.81%
75th Percentile £67.70 £42.50 £66.00
90th Percentile £78.75 £67.25 £75.00
UK median hourly rate £40.00 £25.15 £43.00
% change year-on-year +59.05% -41.51% +1.18%

Service Management
Job Vacancy Trend in the UK excluding London

Historical trend showing the proportion of contract IT job postings citing Service Management relative to all contract IT jobs advertised in the UK excluding London.

Service Management job vacancy trend 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 17 September 2026.

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 17 September 2026.

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 17 September 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
South East +12 303 £575 +24.32% 273
North of England -17 261 £475 +3.43% 225
North West -12 157 £481 +2.29% 132
Midlands -42 116 £500 -0.50% 128
West Midlands -25 110 £525 +1.94% 78
South West -29 106 £600 +11.11% 89
Yorkshire -17 96 £443 +21.37% 78
Scotland +11 94 £535 +14.75% 63
East of England -11 55 £518 -5.91% 102
Wales -8 13 £800 +247.83% 21
Northern Ireland +7 8 - - 36
North East -42 8 £535 +174.36% 18
East Midlands -24 6 £206 -31.25% 50
Service Management
UK

Service Management
Co-Occurring Skills & Capabilities in the UK excluding London 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 58 (6.20%) SharePoint
2 36 (3.85%) Microsoft Exchange
3 31 (3.32%) Confluence
4 15 (1.60%) Skype for Business
5 3 (0.32%) CMS
5 3 (0.32%) IBM Transformation Extender
5 3 (0.32%) OpenStack
6 1 (0.11%) CICS
6 1 (0.11%) Mattermost
Applications
1 67 (7.17%) Microsoft Office
2 21 (2.25%) Microsoft Excel
3 12 (1.28%) Microsoft PowerPoint
4 5 (0.53%) Chatbot
4 5 (0.53%) Microsoft Project
5 2 (0.21%) Spreadsheet
6 1 (0.11%) Maple
Business Applications
1 42 (4.49%) Remedy ITSM
2 8 (0.86%) Dynamics CRM
3 5 (0.53%) ContrOCC
4 4 (0.43%) SAP S/4HANA
4 4 (0.43%) Workday HCM
5 3 (0.32%) NEC Housing
6 2 (0.21%) Oracle Applications
6 2 (0.21%) Oracle EBS
6 2 (0.21%) Primavera
6 2 (0.21%) Remedy AR System
6 2 (0.21%) Salesforce CRM
6 2 (0.21%) SAP CX
6 2 (0.21%) Teamcenter
7 1 (0.11%) Cloudability
7 1 (0.11%) SAP HR
7 1 (0.11%) SAP Payroll
Cloud Services
1 158 (16.90%) Azure
2 103 (11.02%) Microsoft 365
3 73 (7.81%) Entra ID
4 59 (6.31%) AWS
5 45 (4.81%) Power Platform
6 37 (3.96%) SaaS
7 28 (2.99%) Azure DevOps
8 22 (2.35%) GCP
8 22 (2.35%) OneDrive
9 13 (1.39%) Azure Monitor
10 12 (1.28%) Dynamics 365
11 11 (1.18%) Microsoft Copilot
12 9 (0.96%) GitHub
12 9 (0.96%) Power Automate
12 9 (0.96%) Serverless
13 8 (0.86%) Azure Functions
13 8 (0.86%) IaaS
13 8 (0.86%) OCI
14 7 (0.75%) PaaS
15 6 (0.64%) Azure Sentinel
Communications & Networking
1 43 (4.60%) DNS
1 43 (4.60%) Firewall
2 35 (3.74%) VPN
3 31 (3.32%) DHCP
4 26 (2.78%) Network Security
5 21 (2.25%) LAN
5 21 (2.25%) TCP/IP
6 17 (1.82%) WAN
7 16 (1.71%) Skype
8 13 (1.39%) Wireless
9 12 (1.28%) VLAN
9 12 (1.28%) Wi-Fi
10 10 (1.07%) SSH
11 8 (0.86%) BGP
12 7 (0.75%) Intrusion Detection
13 6 (0.64%) NetScaler
13 6 (0.64%) OSPF
13 6 (0.64%) Software-Defined Networking
13 6 (0.64%) SSL
14 5 (0.53%) Internet
Database & Business Intelligence
1 28 (2.99%) Power BI
1 28 (2.99%) SQL Server
2 19 (2.03%) Metadata
3 8 (0.86%) SQL Server Integration Services
4 6 (0.64%) MySQL
5 5 (0.53%) MariaDB
5 5 (0.53%) Oracle Reports
5 5 (0.53%) SQL Server Reporting Services
6 4 (0.43%) Amazon RDS
6 4 (0.43%) Relational Database
6 4 (0.43%) SQL Server Analysis Services
7 3 (0.32%) Amazon Aurora
7 3 (0.32%) PostgreSQL
8 2 (0.21%) EDRMS
8 2 (0.21%) Looker
8 2 (0.21%) Microsoft Analysis Services
8 2 (0.21%) Oracle Database
9 1 (0.11%) Azure SQL Database
9 1 (0.11%) InfluxDB
9 1 (0.11%) Oracle Database 11g
Development Applications
1 74 (7.91%) JIRA
2 22 (2.35%) Git
3 9 (0.96%) Jenkins
4 8 (0.86%) Atlassian Bamboo
4 8 (0.86%) Bitbucket
5 5 (0.53%) Browser DevTools
6 4 (0.43%) webpack
7 3 (0.32%) Fiddler
7 3 (0.32%) GitLab
7 3 (0.32%) Gradle
7 3 (0.32%) Maven
7 3 (0.32%) Rational DOORS
8 2 (0.21%) Firebug
8 2 (0.21%) Sonatype Nexus
9 1 (0.11%) eggPlant
9 1 (0.11%) Gemini Tracker
9 1 (0.11%) IBM UrbanCode
9 1 (0.11%) MLflow
9 1 (0.11%) Snyk
9 1 (0.11%) Visual Studio Code
General
1 374 (40.00%) Social Skills
2 147 (15.72%) Analytical Skills
3 134 (14.33%) Finance
4 105 (11.23%) Public Sector
5 45 (4.81%) Documentation Skills
6 38 (4.06%) Influencing Skills
7 37 (3.96%) Organisational Skills
8 32 (3.42%) Legal
9 27 (2.89%) Aerospace
10 24 (2.57%) Telecoms
11 23 (2.46%) Inclusion and Diversity
11 23 (2.46%) Military
12 17 (1.82%) Banking
13 15 (1.60%) Presentation Skills
14 14 (1.50%) Local Government
15 12 (1.28%) Manufacturing
16 5 (0.53%) Retail
17 4 (0.43%) Law
18 3 (0.32%) Police
19 2 (0.21%) Automotive
Job Titles
1 113 (12.09%) Lead
2 96 (10.27%) Analyst
3 80 (8.56%) Architect
4 70 (7.49%) Senior
5 64 (6.84%) Service Manager
6 46 (4.92%) Delivery Manager
7 43 (4.60%) Support Engineer
8 42 (4.49%) IT Manager
8 42 (4.49%) Service Analyst
9 35 (3.74%) Consultant
10 33 (3.53%) Service Architect
11 31 (3.32%) Developer
11 31 (3.32%) Project Manager
12 25 (2.67%) Technical Leader
13 24 (2.57%) Desktop Engineer
14 23 (2.46%) Administrator
15 22 (2.35%) Change Manager
15 22 (2.35%) IT Analyst
16 21 (2.25%) 2nd Line Support
17 20 (2.14%) Infrastructure Engineer
Libraries, Frameworks & Software Standards
1 38 (4.06%) Terraform
2 30 (3.21%) REST
3 17 (1.82%) XML
4 13 (1.39%) Middleware
5 12 (1.28%) JSON
6 10 (1.07%) SAML
7 9 (0.96%) SOAP
8 8 (0.86%) Web Services
8 8 (0.86%) XSLT
9 7 (0.75%) .NET
9 7 (0.75%) OAuth
10 6 (0.64%) ARM Templates
11 5 (0.53%) OpenID
11 5 (0.53%) SailPoint
12 4 (0.43%) CSS
12 4 (0.43%) HTML
12 4 (0.43%) LDAP
12 4 (0.43%) Node.js
12 4 (0.43%) Oracle Fusion
12 4 (0.43%) RESTful
Miscellaneous
1 88 (9.41%) Onboarding
2 59 (6.31%) Management Information System
3 47 (5.03%) CMDB
4 34 (3.64%) Enterprise Software
5 32 (3.42%) Data Centre
6 29 (3.10%) PKI
7 24 (2.57%) Product Ownership
8 23 (2.46%) Data Protection Act
9 19 (2.03%) Hybrid Cloud
10 16 (1.71%) Operational Technology
11 15 (1.60%) Clustering
11 15 (1.60%) Virtual Team
12 14 (1.50%) Analytical Mindset
13 13 (1.39%) Self-Motivation
14 12 (1.28%) Security Operations Centre
15 11 (1.18%) Cyber Threat
16 9 (0.96%) NHS
16 9 (0.96%) Security Posture
16 9 (0.96%) Taxonomies
17 8 (0.86%) Video Conferencing
Operating Systems
1 216 (23.10%) Windows
2 66 (7.06%) Windows Server
3 55 (5.88%) Linux
4 48 (5.13%) Windows 10
5 17 (1.82%) Windows 7
6 14 (1.50%) Unix
7 11 (1.18%) Mac OS
8 10 (1.07%) Android
8 10 (1.07%) Apple iOS
9 3 (0.32%) Red Hat Enterprise Linux
9 3 (0.32%) Windows Server 2012
10 2 (0.21%) Solaris
10 2 (0.21%) Windows XP
10 2 (0.21%) zOS
11 1 (0.11%) Windows Server 2008
11 1 (0.11%) Windows Server 2016
11 1 (0.11%) Windows Server 2019
Processes & Methodologies
1 524 (56.04%) ITIL
2 393 (42.03%) ITSM
3 280 (29.95%) Stakeholder Management
4 273 (29.20%) Continuous Improvement
5 209 (22.35%) Service Delivery
6 184 (19.68%) Agile
7 178 (19.04%) Problem-Solving
8 159 (17.01%) Stakeholder Engagement
9 149 (15.94%) Change Management
10 116 (12.41%) Roadmaps
11 112 (11.98%) Incident Management
12 109 (11.66%) Cybersecurity
13 108 (11.55%) Customer Service
14 87 (9.30%) DevOps
15 86 (9.20%) Project Delivery
16 72 (7.70%) Decision-Making
16 72 (7.70%) Risk Management
17 70 (7.49%) Data Protection
18 69 (7.38%) Service Design
19 67 (7.17%) Technical Leadership
Programming Languages
1 100 (10.70%) PowerShell
2 56 (5.99%) Python
3 38 (4.06%) SQL
4 31 (3.32%) Bash
5 27 (2.89%) JavaScript
6 19 (2.03%) VBScript
7 15 (1.60%) VB
8 12 (1.28%) Java
9 11 (1.18%) C#
10 7 (0.75%) Bicep
11 5 (0.53%) Shell Script
12 4 (0.43%) C
12 4 (0.43%) PL/SQL
12 4 (0.43%) T-SQL
12 4 (0.43%) TypeScript
13 3 (0.32%) Groovy
13 3 (0.32%) Lua
13 3 (0.32%) Perl
14 2 (0.21%) Apex Code
14 2 (0.21%) Search Processing Language
Qualifications
1 433 (46.31%) Security Cleared
2 276 (29.52%) SC Cleared
3 135 (14.44%) DV Cleared
4 104 (11.12%) Degree
5 35 (3.74%) BPSS Clearance
6 34 (3.64%) ITIL Certification
7 30 (3.21%) PMP
8 29 (3.10%) PMI Certification
9 27 (2.89%) Microsoft Certification
10 18 (1.93%) Cisco Certification
11 17 (1.82%) Computer Science Degree
12 16 (1.71%) Azure Certification
12 16 (1.71%) ITIL Foundation Certificate
13 15 (1.60%) DBS Check
14 14 (1.50%) CISSP
15 11 (1.18%) A+ Certification
15 11 (1.18%) CISM
16 10 (1.07%) CCNP
17 9 (0.96%) CCNA
18 8 (0.86%) AWS Certification
Quality Assurance & Compliance
1 70 (7.49%) SLA
2 35 (3.74%) Data Quality
3 28 (2.99%) QA
4 27 (2.89%) GRC
4 27 (2.89%) ISO/IEC 27001
5 26 (2.78%) ISO/IEC 20000
6 23 (2.46%) PMO
7 22 (2.35%) GDPR
7 22 (2.35%) NCSC
8 15 (1.60%) ISO 9001
8 15 (1.60%) NIST
9 12 (1.28%) Accessibility
10 9 (0.96%) COBIT
10 9 (0.96%) Disclosure Scotland
11 8 (0.86%) WCAG
12 7 (0.75%) Cyber Essentials
13 6 (0.64%) ISO 31000
13 6 (0.64%) ISO/IEC 27005
14 5 (0.53%) ISO 22301
14 5 (0.53%) JSP 440
System Software
1 109 (11.66%) Active Directory
2 63 (6.74%) VMware Infrastructure
3 23 (2.46%) VMware ESXi
4 22 (2.35%) Hyper-V
5 17 (1.82%) VMware NSX
6 16 (1.71%) BitLocker
7 15 (1.60%) Docker
7 15 (1.60%) Virtual Desktop
8 13 (1.39%) vCloud
8 13 (1.39%) vSphere
9 6 (0.64%) Citrix Hypervisor
9 6 (0.64%) Firmware
9 6 (0.64%) XenApp
9 6 (0.64%) XenDesktop
10 5 (0.53%) Virtual Machines
11 3 (0.32%) Microsoft Virtual Server
11 3 (0.32%) NFS
11 3 (0.32%) Virtual Servers
12 2 (0.21%) KVM
12 2 (0.21%) UAG
Systems Management
1 57 (6.10%) SCCM
2 51 (5.45%) Microsoft Intune
3 36 (3.85%) Ansible
4 20 (2.14%) SCOM
5 17 (1.82%) vCenter Server
6 14 (1.50%) Kubernetes
6 14 (1.50%) Single Sign-On
7 6 (0.64%) Jamf Pro
8 5 (0.53%) Progress Chef
9 4 (0.43%) PowerCLI
9 4 (0.43%) vMotion
10 3 (0.32%) Cisco Prime
10 3 (0.32%) Dell DRAC
10 3 (0.32%) NetBackup
10 3 (0.32%) OPNET
10 3 (0.32%) Systems Management Server (SMS)
10 3 (0.32%) Tivoli
10 3 (0.32%) Tivoli Monitoring
10 3 (0.32%) vRealize
10 3 (0.32%) WSUS
Vendors
1 228 (24.39%) ServiceNow
2 226 (24.17%) Microsoft
3 84 (8.98%) VMware
4 45 (4.81%) Remedy
5 33 (3.53%) BMC
6 29 (3.10%) Cisco
7 25 (2.67%) Oracle
8 20 (2.14%) CyberArk
9 16 (1.71%) Atlassian
9 16 (1.71%) IBM
10 15 (1.60%) Dynatrace
11 14 (1.50%) SAP
12 13 (1.39%) Citrix
13 12 (1.28%) SolarWinds
14 11 (1.18%) Splunk
15 10 (1.07%) Qualys
16 9 (0.96%) Apple
16 9 (0.96%) IFS
16 9 (0.96%) Palo Alto
17 8 (0.86%) Juniper