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 25 July 2026, with comparisons to the same periods in the previous two years.

6 months to
25 Jul 2026
Same period 2025 Same period 2024
Rank 77 55 59
Rank change year-on-year -22 +4 +5
Contract jobs citing Service Management 807 598 624
As % of all contract jobs in the UK excluding London 2.98% 3.99% 3.21%
As % of the Processes & Methodologies category 3.64% 4.47% 3.87%
Number of daily rates quoted 529 350 448
10th Percentile £230 £197 £213
25th Percentile £400 £308 £425
Median daily rate (50th Percentile) £507 £492 £525
Median % change year-on-year +2.95% -6.29% +5.00%
75th Percentile £600 £575 £600
90th Percentile £688 £675 £675
UK median daily rate £519 £492 £525
% change year-on-year +5.44% -6.29% +0.96%
Number of hourly rates quoted 77 69 18
10th Percentile £14.50 - £16.31
25th Percentile £16.17 £12.62 £19.00
Median hourly rate £60.00 £18.73 £27.25
Median % change year-on-year +220.34% -31.27% +27.87%
75th Percentile £85.00 £22.14 £48.75
90th Percentile £99.20 £54.70 £51.13
UK median hourly rate £60.00 £18.73 £27.25
% change year-on-year +220.34% -31.27% -34.93%

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 22,185 13,367 16,131
As % of all contract IT jobs advertised in the UK excluding London 81.91% 89.26% 83.05%
Number of daily rates quoted 13,145 8,100 9,684
10th Percentile £300 £235 £250
25th Percentile £406 £367 £381
Median daily rate (50th Percentile) £500 £475 £500
Median % change year-on-year +5.26% -5.00% -
75th Percentile £591 £575 £600
90th Percentile £675 £650 £688
UK median daily rate £520 £500 £525
% change year-on-year +4.00% -4.76% -4.55%
Number of hourly rates quoted 2,300 1,255 1,766
10th Percentile £14.50 £14.00 £13.00
25th Percentile £19.59 £16.95 £16.06
Median hourly rate £43.96 £24.00 £40.00
Median % change year-on-year +83.17% -40.00% -1.45%
75th Percentile £68.75 £50.00 £63.75
90th Percentile £83.00 £70.81 £73.88
UK median hourly rate £43.96 £25.15 £40.00
% change year-on-year +74.79% -37.13% -5.88%

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 25 July 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 25 July 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 25 July 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 +30 273 £544 +19.18% 112
North of England -35 202 £456 -0.65% 91
South West -27 122 £500 -9.09% 32
North West -38 111 £490 -0.46% 44
Midlands -37 96 £476 +1.28% 43
West Midlands -35 86 £486 -1.32% 27
Yorkshire -22 85 £443 +18.13% 37
Scotland -22 61 £500 +0.81% 15
East of England -19 39 £563 +2.27% 32
Wales -8 13 £800 +188.29% 7
East Midlands -19 10 £350 -4.89% 16
Northern Ireland +10 8 - - 6
North East -42 6 £440 +125.64% 13
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 47 (5.82%) SharePoint
2 30 (3.72%) Confluence
3 28 (3.47%) Microsoft Exchange
4 8 (0.99%) Skype for Business
5 6 (0.74%) Mattermost
6 3 (0.37%) CMS
6 3 (0.37%) OpenStack
7 2 (0.25%) IIS
8 1 (0.12%) Apache
8 1 (0.12%) JBoss
8 1 (0.12%) LiveCycle
Applications
1 54 (6.69%) Microsoft Office
2 22 (2.73%) Microsoft Excel
3 14 (1.73%) Microsoft PowerPoint
4 4 (0.50%) Chatbot
5 3 (0.37%) Microsoft Project
6 2 (0.25%) MS Visio
6 2 (0.25%) PTC Creo
7 1 (0.12%) Camtasia
7 1 (0.12%) Maple
Business Applications
1 50 (6.20%) Remedy ITSM
2 7 (0.87%) SAP S/4HANA
3 5 (0.62%) ContrOCC
3 5 (0.62%) Teamcenter
4 2 (0.25%) Oracle Applications
4 2 (0.25%) Primavera
5 1 (0.12%) NEC Housing
5 1 (0.12%) NetSuite
5 1 (0.12%) SAP HR
5 1 (0.12%) SAP Payroll
Cloud Services
1 119 (14.75%) Azure
2 78 (9.67%) Microsoft 365
3 50 (6.20%) Power Platform
4 46 (5.70%) Entra ID
5 38 (4.71%) AWS
6 23 (2.85%) OneDrive
7 22 (2.73%) SaaS
8 21 (2.60%) Azure DevOps
9 17 (2.11%) GCP
10 10 (1.24%) Azure Monitor
11 9 (1.12%) Microsoft Copilot
11 9 (1.12%) OCI
12 8 (0.99%) GitHub
13 7 (0.87%) PaaS
14 6 (0.74%) Azure AKS
15 5 (0.62%) Azure Machine Learning
15 5 (0.62%) Azure Sentinel
15 5 (0.62%) Azure Synapse Analytics
15 5 (0.62%) Google App Engine
16 4 (0.50%) IaaS
Communications & Networking
1 41 (5.08%) Firewall
2 36 (4.46%) DNS
3 26 (3.22%) LAN
4 23 (2.85%) DHCP
4 23 (2.85%) Network Security
5 21 (2.60%) VPN
6 19 (2.35%) TCP/IP
7 18 (2.23%) BGP
7 18 (2.23%) WAN
8 16 (1.98%) OSPF
9 14 (1.73%) Wireless
10 12 (1.49%) BIG-IP
10 12 (1.49%) Cisco ISE
11 10 (1.24%) Junos
11 10 (1.24%) VXLAN
12 9 (1.12%) Ethernet VPN
12 9 (1.12%) SSH
12 9 (1.12%) VLAN
12 9 (1.12%) Wi-Fi
13 8 (0.99%) Skype
Database & Business Intelligence
1 43 (5.33%) Power BI
2 18 (2.23%) SQL Server
3 6 (0.74%) SQL Server Integration Services
4 5 (0.62%) Oracle Reports
4 5 (0.62%) PostgreSQL
4 5 (0.62%) Relational Database
4 5 (0.62%) SQL Server Reporting Services
5 4 (0.50%) MySQL
5 4 (0.50%) SQL Server Analysis Services
6 3 (0.37%) Azure SQL Database
6 3 (0.37%) MariaDB
7 2 (0.25%) Amazon RDS
7 2 (0.25%) Microsoft Analysis Services
7 2 (0.25%) Oracle Database
8 1 (0.12%) Amazon Aurora
8 1 (0.12%) Data Warehouse
8 1 (0.12%) DTS
8 1 (0.12%) InfluxDB
8 1 (0.12%) OpenStack Swift
8 1 (0.12%) Oracle Database 11g
Development Applications
1 79 (9.79%) JIRA
2 16 (1.98%) Git
3 12 (1.49%) Bitbucket
4 11 (1.36%) Atlassian Bamboo
5 8 (0.99%) Jenkins
6 7 (0.87%) GitLab
7 5 (0.62%) Browser DevTools
8 4 (0.50%) MLflow
8 4 (0.50%) Rational DOORS
9 3 (0.37%) Fiddler
10 2 (0.25%) Firebug
10 2 (0.25%) IntelliJ
10 2 (0.25%) webpack
11 1 (0.12%) Gemini Tracker
11 1 (0.12%) Gradle
11 1 (0.12%) Hudson
11 1 (0.12%) IBM UrbanCode
11 1 (0.12%) Sonatype Nexus
11 1 (0.12%) SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS)
11 1 (0.12%) Visual Studio Code
General
1 290 (35.94%) Social Skills
2 115 (14.25%) Analytical Skills
2 115 (14.25%) Finance
3 78 (9.67%) Public Sector
4 39 (4.83%) Legal
5 35 (4.34%) Influencing Skills
6 28 (3.47%) Documentation Skills
7 24 (2.97%) Military
8 22 (2.73%) Organisational Skills
8 22 (2.73%) Telecoms
9 15 (1.86%) Aerospace
9 15 (1.86%) Inclusion and Diversity
9 15 (1.86%) Presentation Skills
10 14 (1.73%) Banking
11 11 (1.36%) Local Government
12 5 (0.62%) Financial Institution
13 4 (0.50%) Retail
14 3 (0.37%) Publishing
15 1 (0.12%) Games
15 1 (0.12%) Manufacturing
Job Titles
1 102 (12.64%) Analyst
2 85 (10.53%) Service Manager
3 83 (10.29%) Lead
4 74 (9.17%) Senior
5 49 (6.07%) Architect
5 49 (6.07%) Service Analyst
6 48 (5.95%) IT Manager
7 31 (3.84%) Project Manager
8 30 (3.72%) Delivery Manager
9 28 (3.47%) Network Engineer
10 27 (3.35%) Support Engineer
11 23 (2.85%) Consultant
11 23 (2.85%) IT Analyst
12 22 (2.73%) Service Architect
12 22 (2.73%) Service Delivery Manager
13 21 (2.60%) Infrastructure Engineer
14 20 (2.48%) Administrator
14 20 (2.48%) IT Services Manager
14 20 (2.48%) Transition Manager
15 18 (2.23%) Service Transition Manager
Libraries, Frameworks & Software Standards
1 28 (3.47%) REST
2 9 (1.12%) OAuth
2 9 (1.12%) SOAP
3 8 (0.99%) 802.1X
4 7 (0.87%) SAML
5 5 (0.62%) OpenID
5 5 (0.62%) Oracle Fusion
5 5 (0.62%) XML
6 4 (0.50%) ARM Templates
6 4 (0.50%) JSON
6 4 (0.50%) OAuth2
6 4 (0.50%) XMPP
7 3 (0.37%) .NET
7 3 (0.37%) CSS
7 3 (0.37%) FIDO
7 3 (0.37%) Flash
7 3 (0.37%) HTML
7 3 (0.37%) Middleware
7 3 (0.37%) Software Packaging
7 3 (0.37%) YAML
Miscellaneous
1 68 (8.43%) Onboarding
2 40 (4.96%) CMDB
3 39 (4.83%) Product Ownership
4 35 (4.34%) Management Information System
5 30 (3.72%) PKI
6 26 (3.22%) Data Centre
7 25 (3.10%) Clustering
8 17 (2.11%) Enterprise Software
9 16 (1.98%) Data Protection Act
9 16 (1.98%) Virtual Team
10 14 (1.73%) Analytical Mindset
10 14 (1.73%) Operational Technology
10 14 (1.73%) Self-Motivation
11 10 (1.24%) Hybrid Cloud
12 9 (1.12%) Driving Licence
13 8 (0.99%) Cloud Native
13 8 (0.99%) Replication
13 8 (0.99%) Security Posture
14 7 (0.87%) Cyber Threat
14 7 (0.87%) Video Conferencing
Operating Systems
1 177 (21.93%) Windows
2 43 (5.33%) Windows Server
3 40 (4.96%) Linux
4 33 (4.09%) Windows 10
5 11 (1.36%) Mac OS
5 11 (1.36%) Unix
5 11 (1.36%) Windows 7
6 6 (0.74%) Android
6 6 (0.74%) Apple iOS
7 5 (0.62%) Red Hat Enterprise Linux
8 2 (0.25%) Solaris
8 2 (0.25%) Ubuntu
8 2 (0.25%) Windows Server 2012
8 2 (0.25%) Windows XP
9 1 (0.12%) Rocky
9 1 (0.12%) Windows Server 2008
9 1 (0.12%) Windows Server 2016
9 1 (0.12%) Windows Server 2019
9 1 (0.12%) zOS
Processes & Methodologies
1 468 (57.99%) ITIL
2 364 (45.11%) ITSM
3 216 (26.77%) Continuous Improvement
4 202 (25.03%) Stakeholder Management
5 194 (24.04%) Service Delivery
6 164 (20.32%) Agile
7 159 (19.70%) Problem-Solving
8 125 (15.49%) Change Management
9 118 (14.62%) Stakeholder Engagement
10 92 (11.40%) Customer Service
11 88 (10.90%) DevOps
12 78 (9.67%) Incident Management
13 70 (8.67%) Project Delivery
14 68 (8.43%) Cybersecurity
15 61 (7.56%) Roadmaps
16 60 (7.43%) Service Design
17 59 (7.31%) Configuration Management
18 58 (7.19%) Problem Management
19 54 (6.69%) Project Management
19 54 (6.69%) Risk Management
Programming Languages
1 74 (9.17%) PowerShell
2 51 (6.32%) Python
3 42 (5.20%) SQL
4 25 (3.10%) Bash
5 23 (2.85%) JavaScript
6 8 (0.99%) Java
6 8 (0.99%) VB
6 8 (0.99%) VBScript
7 5 (0.62%) Bicep
8 4 (0.50%) C
8 4 (0.50%) C#
8 4 (0.50%) Perl
8 4 (0.50%) PL/SQL
8 4 (0.50%) T-SQL
9 3 (0.37%) Lua
9 3 (0.37%) Shell Script
10 2 (0.25%) Apex Code
10 2 (0.25%) Search Processing Language
10 2 (0.25%) TypeScript
10 2 (0.25%) VBA
Qualifications
1 379 (46.96%) Security Cleared
2 230 (28.50%) SC Cleared
3 135 (16.73%) DV Cleared
4 78 (9.67%) Degree
5 38 (4.71%) ITIL Certification
6 25 (3.10%) BPSS Clearance
6 25 (3.10%) Cisco Certification
6 25 (3.10%) PMP
7 24 (2.97%) PMI Certification
8 14 (1.73%) Computer Science Degree
9 13 (1.61%) CCNA
9 13 (1.61%) DBS Check
9 13 (1.61%) Microsoft Certification
10 11 (1.36%) CCNP
10 11 (1.36%) ITIL Foundation Certificate
11 10 (1.24%) A+ Certification
12 9 (1.12%) JNCIA
12 9 (1.12%) JNCIP
12 9 (1.12%) JNCIS
13 8 (0.99%) BC Cleared
Quality Assurance & Compliance
1 57 (7.06%) SLA
2 29 (3.59%) Data Quality
3 28 (3.47%) ISO/IEC 20000
4 22 (2.73%) ISO/IEC 27001
4 22 (2.73%) PMO
4 22 (2.73%) QA
5 17 (2.11%) GRC
6 16 (1.98%) NCSC
7 15 (1.86%) ISO 9001
8 14 (1.73%) GDPR
9 10 (1.24%) COBIT
10 8 (0.99%) Disclosure Scotland
11 7 (0.87%) Government Security Classifications
12 6 (0.74%) ISO 31000
12 6 (0.74%) ISO/IEC 27005
13 5 (0.62%) Accessibility
13 5 (0.62%) Cyber Essentials
14 4 (0.50%) Cyber Essentials PLUS
14 4 (0.50%) GMP
14 4 (0.50%) NIST
System Software
1 95 (11.77%) Active Directory
2 42 (5.20%) VMware Infrastructure
3 19 (2.35%) VMware ESXi
4 13 (1.61%) Docker
5 12 (1.49%) VMware NSX
6 9 (1.12%) BitLocker
6 9 (1.12%) vSphere
7 8 (0.99%) vCloud
8 5 (0.62%) Virtual Desktop
8 5 (0.62%) Virtual Machines
9 4 (0.50%) Hyper-V
9 4 (0.50%) NFS
10 3 (0.37%) Firmware
11 2 (0.25%) GPFS
11 2 (0.25%) KVM
12 1 (0.12%) iptables
12 1 (0.12%) Oracle RAC
12 1 (0.12%) Samba
12 1 (0.12%) Slurm Workload Manager
Systems Management
1 45 (5.58%) SCCM
2 41 (5.08%) Microsoft Intune
3 26 (3.22%) Ansible
4 25 (3.10%) Terraform
5 12 (1.49%) Kubernetes
5 12 (1.49%) SCOM
6 11 (1.36%) vCenter Server
7 9 (1.12%) Single Sign-On
8 8 (0.99%) FortiGate
8 8 (0.99%) Jamf Pro
9 5 (0.62%) Progress Chef
10 4 (0.50%) PowerCLI
10 4 (0.50%) Puppet
10 4 (0.50%) vMotion
11 3 (0.37%) Cisco Prime
11 3 (0.37%) Dell DRAC
11 3 (0.37%) Grafana
11 3 (0.37%) Systems Management Server (SMS)
11 3 (0.37%) vRealize
12 2 (0.25%) Nagios
Vendors
1 202 (25.03%) ServiceNow
2 155 (19.21%) Microsoft
3 57 (7.06%) VMware
4 52 (6.44%) Remedy
5 37 (4.58%) Cisco
6 25 (3.10%) BMC
7 18 (2.23%) Oracle
7 18 (2.23%) Splunk
8 17 (2.11%) Atlassian
8 17 (2.11%) SolarWinds
9 14 (1.73%) Juniper
10 13 (1.61%) F5
10 13 (1.61%) SAP
11 11 (1.36%) IBM
12 10 (1.24%) Dell
12 10 (1.24%) Dynatrace
12 10 (1.24%) Qualys
13 9 (1.12%) Citrix
13 9 (1.12%) CyberArk
13 9 (1.12%) IFS