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 11 June 2026, with comparisons to the same periods in the previous two years.

6 months to
11 Jun 2026
Same period 2025 Same period 2024
Rank 83 55 58
Rank change year-on-year -28 +3 +8
Contract jobs citing Service Management 676 544 663
As % of all contract jobs in the UK excluding London 2.66% 4.11% 3.12%
As % of the Processes & Methodologies category 3.25% 4.54% 3.77%
Number of daily rates quoted 447 317 482
10th Percentile £210 £210 £256
25th Percentile £385 £350 £425
Median daily rate (50th Percentile) £500 £500 £525
Median % change year-on-year - -4.76% +10.53%
75th Percentile £588 £600 £608
90th Percentile £650 £688 £700
UK median daily rate £520 £500 £525
% change year-on-year +4.00% -4.76% +2.94%
Number of hourly rates quoted 60 45 15
10th Percentile £16.09 - £12.53
25th Percentile £16.17 £12.62 £14.65
Median hourly rate £60.00 £21.28 £17.72
Median % change year-on-year +181.95% +20.09% -50.78%
75th Percentile £83.81 £28.00 £23.62
90th Percentile £115.08 £33.75 £28.05
UK median hourly rate £60.00 £22.14 £18.36
% change year-on-year +171.00% +20.59% -56.16%

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 20,774 11,981 17,600
As % of all contract IT jobs advertised in the UK excluding London 81.66% 90.57% 82.83%
Number of daily rates quoted 12,373 7,418 10,359
10th Percentile £301 £235 £250
25th Percentile £403 £370 £375
Median daily rate (50th Percentile) £500 £475 £500
Median % change year-on-year +5.26% -5.00% -
75th Percentile £588 £575 £600
90th Percentile £680 £650 £688
UK median daily rate £513 £508 £525
% change year-on-year +0.99% -3.33% -4.55%
Number of hourly rates quoted 2,213 908 2,191
10th Percentile £14.25 £14.13 £12.50
25th Percentile £19.33 £16.95 £15.47
Median hourly rate £45.00 £25.15 £38.12
Median % change year-on-year +78.93% -34.02% +8.91%
75th Percentile £68.00 £59.93 £61.30
90th Percentile £81.05 £75.00 £72.90
UK median hourly rate £43.96 £27.28 £36.50
% change year-on-year +61.14% -25.26% +1.39%

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 11 June 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 11 June 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 11 June 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
North of England -23 197 £500 +7.82% 88
South East +20 194 £528 +30.38% 112
North West -14 111 £550 +13.87% 40
South West -34 110 £500 -11.11% 26
Yorkshire -21 80 £468 +10.12% 39
Midlands -53 76 £474 -9.71% 47
West Midlands -48 63 £475 -13.64% 35
Scotland -29 45 £475 -8.74% 9
East of England -15 44 £475 -13.64% 29
East Midlands -24 13 £200 -54.13% 12
Wales -13 7 £340 +4.62% 5
North East -25 6 £440 +125.64% 10
Northern Ireland - 4 - - 10
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 33 (4.88%) SharePoint
2 29 (4.29%) Microsoft Exchange
3 21 (3.11%) Confluence
4 11 (1.63%) Skype for Business
5 6 (0.89%) Mattermost
6 2 (0.30%) IIS
7 1 (0.15%) Apache
7 1 (0.15%) CMS
7 1 (0.15%) JBoss
7 1 (0.15%) LiveCycle
7 1 (0.15%) OpenStack
Applications
1 49 (7.25%) Microsoft Office
2 17 (2.51%) Microsoft Excel
3 8 (1.18%) Microsoft PowerPoint
4 4 (0.59%) Chatbot
4 4 (0.59%) PTC Creo
5 2 (0.30%) Microsoft Project
5 2 (0.30%) MS Visio
6 1 (0.15%) Camtasia
Business Applications
1 46 (6.80%) Remedy ITSM
2 10 (1.48%) SAP S/4HANA
3 8 (1.18%) Teamcenter
4 2 (0.30%) Oracle Applications
4 2 (0.30%) Primavera
5 1 (0.15%) ContrOCC
5 1 (0.15%) NetSuite
5 1 (0.15%) SAP HR
5 1 (0.15%) SAP Payroll
Cloud Services
1 98 (14.50%) Azure
2 60 (8.88%) Microsoft 365
3 41 (6.07%) Power Platform
4 30 (4.44%) Entra ID
5 28 (4.14%) AWS
6 18 (2.66%) SaaS
7 16 (2.37%) Azure DevOps
7 16 (2.37%) GCP
7 16 (2.37%) OneDrive
8 9 (1.33%) PaaS
9 7 (1.04%) GitHub
9 7 (1.04%) OCI
10 6 (0.89%) Microsoft Copilot
11 5 (0.74%) Azure Machine Learning
11 5 (0.74%) Azure Synapse Analytics
11 5 (0.74%) Google App Engine
12 4 (0.59%) Azure AKS
12 4 (0.59%) IaaS
13 3 (0.44%) Azure Cosmos DB
13 3 (0.44%) Datadog
Communications & Networking
1 34 (5.03%) Firewall
2 30 (4.44%) DNS
3 24 (3.55%) LAN
4 20 (2.96%) WAN
5 19 (2.81%) DHCP
6 17 (2.51%) Network Security
7 15 (2.22%) VPN
8 14 (2.07%) BGP
9 13 (1.92%) OSPF
10 12 (1.78%) BIG-IP
11 11 (1.63%) Cisco ISE
11 11 (1.63%) Skype
11 11 (1.63%) VLAN
11 11 (1.63%) Wi-Fi
11 11 (1.63%) Wireless
12 8 (1.18%) Ethernet VPN
12 8 (1.18%) Junos
12 8 (1.18%) TCP/IP
12 8 (1.18%) VXLAN
13 4 (0.59%) SSH
Database & Business Intelligence
1 35 (5.18%) Power BI
2 13 (1.92%) SQL Server
3 6 (0.89%) PostgreSQL
4 5 (0.74%) Oracle Reports
4 5 (0.74%) Relational Database
5 3 (0.44%) Azure SQL Database
5 3 (0.44%) SQL Server Analysis Services
5 3 (0.44%) SQL Server Integration Services
5 3 (0.44%) SQL Server Reporting Services
6 2 (0.30%) MariaDB
6 2 (0.30%) Microsoft Analysis Services
6 2 (0.30%) MySQL
6 2 (0.30%) Oracle Database
7 1 (0.15%) Amazon RDS
7 1 (0.15%) DTS
7 1 (0.15%) GIS
7 1 (0.15%) InfluxDB
7 1 (0.15%) MongoDB
7 1 (0.15%) OpenStack Swift
7 1 (0.15%) Oracle Database 11g
Development Applications
1 67 (9.91%) JIRA
2 13 (1.92%) Git
3 8 (1.18%) Bitbucket
4 7 (1.04%) GitLab
4 7 (1.04%) Jenkins
5 5 (0.74%) Atlassian Bamboo
5 5 (0.74%) Browser DevTools
6 4 (0.59%) MLflow
7 3 (0.44%) Fiddler
8 2 (0.30%) Firebug
8 2 (0.30%) IntelliJ
8 2 (0.30%) ScriptRunner
9 1 (0.15%) Claude Code
9 1 (0.15%) Gemini Tracker
9 1 (0.15%) Hudson
9 1 (0.15%) IBM UrbanCode
9 1 (0.15%) MSI
9 1 (0.15%) Rational DOORS
9 1 (0.15%) Visual Studio Code
9 1 (0.15%) webpack
General
1 228 (33.73%) Social Skills
2 97 (14.35%) Finance
3 85 (12.57%) Analytical Skills
4 58 (8.58%) Public Sector
5 40 (5.92%) Legal
6 22 (3.25%) Organisational Skills
7 20 (2.96%) Influencing Skills
8 18 (2.66%) Documentation Skills
9 17 (2.51%) Military
10 16 (2.37%) Telecoms
11 14 (2.07%) Inclusion and Diversity
12 12 (1.78%) Banking
13 11 (1.63%) Aerospace
14 10 (1.48%) Presentation Skills
15 9 (1.33%) Retail
16 5 (0.74%) Local Government
17 4 (0.59%) Financial Institution
18 3 (0.44%) Publishing
19 1 (0.15%) Automotive
19 1 (0.15%) Manufacturing
Job Titles
1 88 (13.02%) Service Manager
2 82 (12.13%) Analyst
3 61 (9.02%) Lead
4 51 (7.54%) Senior
5 47 (6.95%) Architect
6 44 (6.51%) IT Manager
7 37 (5.47%) Service Analyst
8 27 (3.99%) Delivery Manager
8 27 (3.99%) Hardware Engineer
8 27 (3.99%) Project Manager
9 24 (3.55%) Network Engineer
10 23 (3.40%) Consultant
11 22 (3.25%) Support Engineer
12 21 (3.11%) IT Services Manager
13 20 (2.96%) IT Analyst
14 19 (2.81%) Service Delivery Manager
14 19 (2.81%) Service Transition Manager
14 19 (2.81%) Transition Manager
15 16 (2.37%) Designer
15 16 (2.37%) Service Designer
Libraries, Frameworks & Software Standards
1 21 (3.11%) REST
2 9 (1.33%) OAuth
2 9 (1.33%) SOAP
3 8 (1.18%) 802.1X
4 5 (0.74%) OpenID
4 5 (0.74%) Oracle Fusion
4 5 (0.74%) SAML
5 4 (0.59%) OAuth2
5 4 (0.59%) Software Packaging
5 4 (0.59%) XML
5 4 (0.59%) XMPP
6 3 (0.44%) .NET
6 3 (0.44%) CSS
6 3 (0.44%) FIDO
6 3 (0.44%) Flash
6 3 (0.44%) HTML
6 3 (0.44%) Microsoft Graph
6 3 (0.44%) Middleware
7 2 (0.30%) ADO
7 2 (0.30%) Web Services
Miscellaneous
1 43 (6.36%) Onboarding
2 40 (5.92%) CMDB
3 33 (4.88%) Product Ownership
4 28 (4.14%) Data Centre
5 25 (3.70%) PKI
6 21 (3.11%) Clustering
7 20 (2.96%) Management Information System
7 20 (2.96%) Virtual Team
8 18 (2.66%) Enterprise Software
9 15 (2.22%) Driving Licence
10 13 (1.92%) Data Protection Act
11 11 (1.63%) Operational Technology
12 9 (1.33%) Self-Motivation
13 8 (1.18%) Analytical Mindset
13 8 (1.18%) PMI
14 7 (1.04%) Replication
15 6 (0.89%) Cloud Native
15 6 (0.89%) Security Posture
15 6 (0.89%) Smartphone
16 5 (0.74%) Distributed Systems
Operating Systems
1 154 (22.78%) Windows
2 36 (5.33%) Linux
2 36 (5.33%) Windows 10
3 34 (5.03%) Windows Server
4 15 (2.22%) Windows 7
5 11 (1.63%) Unix
6 6 (0.89%) Mac OS
7 5 (0.74%) Android
7 5 (0.74%) Apple iOS
7 5 (0.74%) Red Hat Enterprise Linux
8 3 (0.44%) Windows XP
9 2 (0.30%) Solaris
9 2 (0.30%) Ubuntu
10 1 (0.15%) Rocky
10 1 (0.15%) Windows Server 2008
10 1 (0.15%) Windows Server 2012
10 1 (0.15%) Windows Server 2016
10 1 (0.15%) Windows Server 2019
10 1 (0.15%) zOS
Processes & Methodologies
1 370 (54.73%) ITIL
2 296 (43.79%) ITSM
3 167 (24.70%) Continuous Improvement
4 147 (21.75%) Stakeholder Management
5 128 (18.93%) Agile
6 127 (18.79%) Problem-Solving
7 124 (18.34%) Service Delivery
8 100 (14.79%) Stakeholder Engagement
9 94 (13.91%) Change Management
10 74 (10.95%) Customer Service
11 73 (10.80%) DevOps
12 59 (8.73%) Configuration Management
13 58 (8.58%) Problem Management
14 51 (7.54%) Incident Management
15 50 (7.40%) Project Delivery
16 47 (6.95%) Cybersecurity
17 45 (6.66%) Roadmaps
18 44 (6.51%) Service Design
19 38 (5.62%) Data Protection
20 37 (5.47%) Asset Management
Programming Languages
1 58 (8.58%) PowerShell
2 36 (5.33%) SQL
3 32 (4.73%) Python
4 20 (2.96%) JavaScript
5 11 (1.63%) VB
5 11 (1.63%) VBScript
6 10 (1.48%) Bash
7 5 (0.74%) C#
8 4 (0.59%) Java
8 4 (0.59%) PL/SQL
9 3 (0.44%) T-SQL
10 2 (0.30%) Apex Code
10 2 (0.30%) Perl
10 2 (0.30%) Search Processing Language
10 2 (0.30%) Shell Script
11 1 (0.15%) Bicep
11 1 (0.15%) Go
11 1 (0.15%) REXX
11 1 (0.15%) Scala
11 1 (0.15%) TypeScript
Qualifications
1 314 (46.45%) Security Cleared
2 209 (30.92%) SC Cleared
3 107 (15.83%) DV Cleared
4 58 (8.58%) Degree
5 38 (5.62%) ITIL Certification
6 24 (3.55%) Cisco Certification
7 18 (2.66%) PMI Certification
8 16 (2.37%) PMP
9 15 (2.22%) Computer Science Degree
10 14 (2.07%) BPSS Clearance
10 14 (2.07%) CCNA
11 12 (1.78%) Microsoft Certification
12 9 (1.33%) A+ Certification
12 9 (1.33%) CCNP
12 9 (1.33%) JNCIA
12 9 (1.33%) JNCIP
12 9 (1.33%) JNCIS
12 9 (1.33%) Network+ Certification
13 8 (1.18%) DBS Check
14 7 (1.04%) Master's Degree
Quality Assurance & Compliance
1 41 (6.07%) SLA
2 28 (4.14%) Data Quality
3 20 (2.96%) PMO
4 15 (2.22%) ISO/IEC 27001
5 13 (1.92%) ISO/IEC 20000
5 13 (1.92%) NCSC
5 13 (1.92%) QA
6 12 (1.78%) GDPR
6 12 (1.78%) GRC
7 10 (1.48%) Cyber Essentials
8 9 (1.33%) COBIT
9 7 (1.04%) Government Security Classifications
10 6 (0.89%) Accessibility
10 6 (0.89%) ISO 31000
10 6 (0.89%) ISO/IEC 27005
11 4 (0.59%) Cyber Essentials PLUS
11 4 (0.59%) Disclosure Scotland
11 4 (0.59%) GMP
11 4 (0.59%) ISO 9001
11 4 (0.59%) NIST
System Software
1 78 (11.54%) Active Directory
2 34 (5.03%) VMware Infrastructure
3 15 (2.22%) VMware ESXi
4 12 (1.78%) BitLocker
5 9 (1.33%) Docker
6 7 (1.04%) VMware NSX
7 6 (0.89%) vCloud
7 6 (0.89%) vSphere
8 4 (0.59%) NFS
8 4 (0.59%) Virtual Machines
9 3 (0.44%) Firmware
9 3 (0.44%) Virtual Desktop
10 2 (0.30%) GPFS
10 2 (0.30%) Hyper-V
10 2 (0.30%) KVM
11 1 (0.15%) iptables
11 1 (0.15%) Oracle RAC
11 1 (0.15%) Samba
11 1 (0.15%) Slurm Workload Manager
Systems Management
1 33 (4.88%) SCCM
2 28 (4.14%) Microsoft Intune
3 19 (2.81%) Ansible
4 10 (1.48%) Kubernetes
4 10 (1.48%) Terraform
5 8 (1.18%) FortiGate
5 8 (1.18%) Single Sign-On
5 8 (1.18%) vCenter Server
6 6 (0.89%) Jamf Pro
6 6 (0.89%) SCOM
7 4 (0.59%) Grafana
7 4 (0.59%) PowerCLI
7 4 (0.59%) Progress Chef
7 4 (0.59%) vMotion
8 3 (0.44%) Cisco Prime
8 3 (0.44%) Dell DRAC
8 3 (0.44%) Puppet
8 3 (0.44%) Systems Management Server (SMS)
8 3 (0.44%) vRealize
9 2 (0.30%) Nagios
Vendors
1 156 (23.08%) ServiceNow
2 118 (17.46%) Microsoft
3 50 (7.40%) Remedy
4 47 (6.95%) VMware
5 37 (5.47%) Cisco
6 26 (3.85%) HP
7 22 (3.25%) BMC
8 18 (2.66%) Oracle
9 17 (2.51%) Splunk
10 16 (2.37%) Dell
11 15 (2.22%) SAP
12 14 (2.07%) Canon
12 14 (2.07%) SolarWinds
13 12 (1.78%) Atlassian
13 12 (1.78%) F5
14 10 (1.48%) Juniper
15 9 (1.33%) Dynatrace
15 9 (1.33%) IFS
16 8 (1.18%) Extreme Networks
16 8 (1.18%) Palo Alto