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 20 September 2026, with comparisons to the same periods in the previous two years.

6 months to
20 Sep 2026
Same period 2025 Same period 2024
Rank 64 54 67
Rank change year-on-year -10 +13 0
Contract jobs citing Service Management 942 629 510
As % of all contract jobs in the UK excluding London 3.34% 4.07% 2.84%
As % of the Processes & Methodologies category 4.13% 4.56% 3.42%
Number of daily rates quoted 645 367 353
10th Percentile £255 £185 £188
25th Percentile £420 £291 £363
Median daily rate (50th Percentile) £525 £492 £500
Median % change year-on-year +6.71% -1.60% -
75th Percentile £625 £572 £600
90th Percentile £725 £638 £650
UK median daily rate £525 £492 £500
% change year-on-year +6.71% -1.60% -4.76%
Number of hourly rates quoted 72 77 11
10th Percentile £14.50 £12.62 £15.17
25th Percentile £16.66 £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 £94.75 £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 22,790 13,781 14,913
As % of all contract IT jobs advertised in the UK excluding London 80.82% 89.24% 83.15%
Number of daily rates quoted 12,926 8,287 8,563
10th Percentile £300 £233 £243
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 2,741 1,450 1,209
10th Percentile £13.50 £14.00 £14.63
25th Percentile £17.00 £16.96 £17.75
Median hourly rate £40.03 £22.50 £43.00
Median % change year-on-year +77.91% -47.67% +1.18%
75th Percentile £67.50 £42.44 £66.00
90th Percentile £78.70 £67.25 £75.00
UK median hourly rate £40.00 £25.15 £43.00
% change year-on-year +59.05% -41.51% -1.91%

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 20 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 20 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 20 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 +16 308 £575 +27.78% 260
North of England -21 261 £474 +5.33% 195
North West -14 156 £480 +3.45% 112
Midlands -40 117 £500 -0.50% 119
West Midlands -23 111 £525 +1.94% 71
South West -30 106 £600 +11.11% 82
Yorkshire -16 97 £443 +24.79% 70
Scotland +13 95 £535 +13.83% 57
East of England -7 55 £525 -4.55% 99
Wales -6 13 £800 +247.83% 18
Northern Ireland +9 8 - - 30
North East -44 8 £535 +174.36% 15
East Midlands -35 6 £163 -45.83% 48
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 (6.16%) SharePoint
2 37 (3.93%) Microsoft Exchange
3 32 (3.40%) Confluence
4 15 (1.59%) 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 (7.11%) Microsoft Office
2 22 (2.34%) Microsoft Excel
3 12 (1.27%) 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 43 (4.56%) Remedy ITSM
2 8 (0.85%) Dynamics CRM
3 5 (0.53%) ContrOCC
4 4 (0.42%) SAP S/4HANA
4 4 (0.42%) 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
Cloud Services
1 157 (16.67%) Azure
2 104 (11.04%) Microsoft 365
3 76 (8.07%) Entra ID
4 61 (6.48%) AWS
5 47 (4.99%) Power Platform
6 38 (4.03%) SaaS
7 27 (2.87%) Azure DevOps
8 24 (2.55%) GCP
9 22 (2.34%) OneDrive
10 13 (1.38%) Azure Monitor
10 13 (1.38%) Dynamics 365
11 11 (1.17%) Microsoft Copilot
12 9 (0.96%) GitHub
12 9 (0.96%) Power Automate
12 9 (0.96%) Serverless
13 8 (0.85%) Azure Functions
13 8 (0.85%) IaaS
13 8 (0.85%) OCI
14 7 (0.74%) PaaS
15 6 (0.64%) Azure Sentinel
Communications & Networking
1 45 (4.78%) DNS
2 44 (4.67%) Firewall
3 37 (3.93%) VPN
4 33 (3.50%) DHCP
5 30 (3.18%) Network Security
6 22 (2.34%) TCP/IP
7 21 (2.23%) LAN
8 17 (1.80%) WAN
9 16 (1.70%) Skype
10 13 (1.38%) Wireless
11 12 (1.27%) VLAN
11 12 (1.27%) Wi-Fi
12 10 (1.06%) SSH
13 8 (0.85%) BGP
14 7 (0.74%) Intrusion Detection
15 6 (0.64%) NetScaler
15 6 (0.64%) OSPF
15 6 (0.64%) Software-Defined Networking
16 5 (0.53%) Internet
16 5 (0.53%) MPLS
Database & Business Intelligence
1 29 (3.08%) Power BI
2 28 (2.97%) SQL Server
3 20 (2.12%) Metadata
4 8 (0.85%) SQL Server Integration Services
5 6 (0.64%) MySQL
6 5 (0.53%) MariaDB
6 5 (0.53%) Oracle Reports
6 5 (0.53%) SQL Server Reporting Services
7 4 (0.42%) Amazon RDS
7 4 (0.42%) Relational Database
7 4 (0.42%) SQL Server Analysis Services
8 3 (0.32%) Amazon Aurora
8 3 (0.32%) Looker
8 3 (0.32%) PostgreSQL
9 2 (0.21%) EDRMS
9 2 (0.21%) Microsoft Analysis Services
9 2 (0.21%) Oracle Database
10 1 (0.11%) Data Warehouse
10 1 (0.11%) DTS
10 1 (0.11%) Oracle Database 11g
Development Applications
1 74 (7.86%) JIRA
2 22 (2.34%) Git
3 9 (0.96%) Jenkins
4 8 (0.85%) Atlassian Bamboo
4 8 (0.85%) Bitbucket
5 5 (0.53%) Browser DevTools
6 4 (0.42%) 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%) Artifactory
9 1 (0.11%) eggPlant
9 1 (0.11%) Hudson
9 1 (0.11%) IntelliJ
9 1 (0.11%) SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS)
9 1 (0.11%) Visual Studio Code
General
1 381 (40.45%) Social Skills
2 151 (16.03%) Analytical Skills
3 137 (14.54%) Finance
4 104 (11.04%) Public Sector
5 45 (4.78%) Documentation Skills
6 40 (4.25%) Influencing Skills
7 37 (3.93%) Organisational Skills
8 31 (3.29%) Legal
9 30 (3.18%) Aerospace
10 24 (2.55%) Inclusion and Diversity
11 23 (2.44%) Telecoms
12 22 (2.34%) Military
13 19 (2.02%) Banking
14 16 (1.70%) Presentation Skills
15 14 (1.49%) Local Government
15 14 (1.49%) Manufacturing
16 5 (0.53%) Retail
17 4 (0.42%) Law
18 3 (0.32%) Police
19 2 (0.21%) Automotive
Job Titles
1 109 (11.57%) Lead
2 95 (10.08%) Analyst
3 84 (8.92%) Architect
4 69 (7.32%) Senior
5 64 (6.79%) Service Manager
6 46 (4.88%) Delivery Manager
7 44 (4.67%) IT Manager
8 42 (4.46%) Service Analyst
8 42 (4.46%) Support Engineer
9 35 (3.72%) Consultant
10 34 (3.61%) Service Architect
11 32 (3.40%) Developer
12 30 (3.18%) Project Manager
13 25 (2.65%) Desktop Engineer
13 25 (2.65%) Technical Leader
14 24 (2.55%) Administrator
15 22 (2.34%) 2nd Line Support
15 22 (2.34%) Change Manager
16 21 (2.23%) Infrastructure Engineer
16 21 (2.23%) Network Engineer
Libraries, Frameworks & Software Standards
1 39 (4.14%) Terraform
2 32 (3.40%) REST
3 17 (1.80%) XML
4 14 (1.49%) Middleware
5 12 (1.27%) JSON
6 10 (1.06%) SAML
7 9 (0.96%) SOAP
8 8 (0.85%) Web Services
8 8 (0.85%) XSLT
9 7 (0.74%) OAuth
10 6 (0.64%) .NET
10 6 (0.64%) ARM Templates
11 5 (0.53%) OpenID
11 5 (0.53%) SailPoint
12 4 (0.42%) AngularJS
12 4 (0.42%) Node.js
12 4 (0.42%) OAuth2
12 4 (0.42%) Oracle Fusion
12 4 (0.42%) Redux
12 4 (0.42%) RESTful
Miscellaneous
1 89 (9.45%) Onboarding
2 59 (6.26%) Management Information System
3 50 (5.31%) CMDB
4 34 (3.61%) Data Centre
4 34 (3.61%) Enterprise Software
5 29 (3.08%) PKI
6 23 (2.44%) Data Protection Act
6 23 (2.44%) Product Ownership
7 19 (2.02%) Hybrid Cloud
8 16 (1.70%) Operational Technology
9 15 (1.59%) Analytical Mindset
9 15 (1.59%) Clustering
9 15 (1.59%) Virtual Team
10 13 (1.38%) Cyber Threat
10 13 (1.38%) Self-Motivation
11 12 (1.27%) Security Operations Centre
12 11 (1.17%) Security Posture
13 9 (0.96%) Cloud Native
13 9 (0.96%) NHS
13 9 (0.96%) Taxonomies
Operating Systems
1 214 (22.72%) Windows
2 64 (6.79%) Windows Server
3 56 (5.94%) Linux
4 48 (5.10%) Windows 10
5 17 (1.80%) Windows 7
6 15 (1.59%) Unix
7 11 (1.17%) Mac OS
8 10 (1.06%) Android
8 10 (1.06%) Apple iOS
9 6 (0.64%) Red Hat Enterprise Linux
10 3 (0.32%) Solaris
10 3 (0.32%) Windows Server 2012
11 2 (0.21%) SUSE Linux Enterprise Server
11 2 (0.21%) Windows XP
11 2 (0.21%) zOS
12 1 (0.11%) AIX
12 1 (0.11%) SUSE
12 1 (0.11%) Windows Server 2008
12 1 (0.11%) Windows Server 2016
12 1 (0.11%) Windows Server 2019
Processes & Methodologies
1 531 (56.37%) ITIL
2 394 (41.83%) ITSM
3 288 (30.57%) Stakeholder Management
4 278 (29.51%) Continuous Improvement
5 212 (22.51%) Service Delivery
6 183 (19.43%) Agile
7 179 (19.00%) Problem-Solving
8 155 (16.45%) Stakeholder Engagement
9 148 (15.71%) Change Management
10 120 (12.74%) Roadmaps
11 110 (11.68%) Cybersecurity
12 109 (11.57%) Customer Service
12 109 (11.57%) Incident Management
13 87 (9.24%) DevOps
13 87 (9.24%) Project Delivery
14 76 (8.07%) Risk Management
15 73 (7.75%) Data Protection
15 73 (7.75%) Decision-Making
16 70 (7.43%) Service Design
17 69 (7.32%) Technical Leadership
Programming Languages
1 102 (10.83%) PowerShell
2 59 (6.26%) Python
3 37 (3.93%) SQL
4 32 (3.40%) Bash
5 28 (2.97%) JavaScript
6 19 (2.02%) VBScript
7 15 (1.59%) VB
8 12 (1.27%) Java
9 11 (1.17%) C#
10 7 (0.74%) Bicep
11 6 (0.64%) Shell Script
12 4 (0.42%) C
12 4 (0.42%) T-SQL
12 4 (0.42%) 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%) PL/SQL
14 2 (0.21%) Search Processing Language
Qualifications
1 434 (46.07%) Security Cleared
2 274 (29.09%) SC Cleared
3 135 (14.33%) DV Cleared
4 105 (11.15%) Degree
5 36 (3.82%) BPSS Clearance
6 34 (3.61%) ITIL Certification
7 30 (3.18%) PMP
8 29 (3.08%) PMI Certification
9 27 (2.87%) Microsoft Certification
10 18 (1.91%) Cisco Certification
11 17 (1.80%) Computer Science Degree
12 16 (1.70%) Azure Certification
13 15 (1.59%) DBS Check
13 15 (1.59%) ITIL Foundation Certificate
14 14 (1.49%) CISSP
15 11 (1.17%) A+ Certification
15 11 (1.17%) CISM
16 10 (1.06%) CCNP
17 9 (0.96%) CCNA
18 8 (0.85%) AWS Certification
Quality Assurance & Compliance
1 70 (7.43%) SLA
2 36 (3.82%) Data Quality
3 28 (2.97%) QA
4 27 (2.87%) GRC
4 27 (2.87%) ISO/IEC 27001
5 26 (2.76%) ISO/IEC 20000
6 20 (2.12%) GDPR
6 20 (2.12%) NCSC
7 19 (2.02%) PMO
8 16 (1.70%) NIST
9 15 (1.59%) ISO 9001
10 10 (1.06%) Accessibility
11 9 (0.96%) COBIT
11 9 (0.96%) Disclosure Scotland
12 8 (0.85%) WCAG
13 6 (0.64%) 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
1 110 (11.68%) Active Directory
2 61 (6.48%) VMware Infrastructure
3 23 (2.44%) VMware ESXi
4 22 (2.34%) Hyper-V
5 17 (1.80%) VMware NSX
6 16 (1.70%) BitLocker
7 15 (1.59%) Docker
7 15 (1.59%) Virtual Desktop
8 13 (1.38%) vCloud
8 13 (1.38%) vSphere
9 6 (0.64%) Citrix Hypervisor
9 6 (0.64%) Firmware
9 6 (0.64%) XenApp
9 6 (0.64%) XenDesktop
10 3 (0.32%) Microsoft Virtual Server
10 3 (0.32%) NFS
10 3 (0.32%) Virtual Machines
10 3 (0.32%) Virtual Servers
11 2 (0.21%) GPFS
11 2 (0.21%) UAG
Systems Management
1 57 (6.05%) SCCM
2 52 (5.52%) Microsoft Intune
3 36 (3.82%) Ansible
4 20 (2.12%) SCOM
5 17 (1.80%) vCenter Server
6 14 (1.49%) Kubernetes
6 14 (1.49%) Single Sign-On
7 6 (0.64%) Jamf Pro
7 6 (0.64%) Progress Chef
8 4 (0.42%) NetBackup
8 4 (0.42%) PowerCLI
8 4 (0.42%) vMotion
8 4 (0.42%) WSUS
9 3 (0.32%) Cisco Prime
9 3 (0.32%) Dell DRAC
9 3 (0.32%) OPNET
9 3 (0.32%) Systems Management Server (SMS)
9 3 (0.32%) Tivoli
9 3 (0.32%) Tivoli Monitoring
9 3 (0.32%) vRealize
Vendors
1 234 (24.84%) Microsoft
2 230 (24.42%) ServiceNow
3 82 (8.70%) VMware
4 46 (4.88%) Remedy
5 33 (3.50%) BMC
6 30 (3.18%) Cisco
7 23 (2.44%) Oracle
8 20 (2.12%) CyberArk
9 17 (1.80%) Atlassian
10 16 (1.70%) IBM
11 15 (1.59%) Dynatrace
12 13 (1.38%) Citrix
12 13 (1.38%) SAP
12 13 (1.38%) SolarWinds
13 11 (1.17%) Splunk
14 10 (1.06%) Palo Alto
14 10 (1.06%) Qualys
14 10 (1.06%) Red Hat
15 9 (0.96%) Apple
15 9 (0.96%) IFS