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 27 August 2026, with comparisons to the same periods in the previous two years.

6 months to
27 Aug 2026
Same period 2025 Same period 2024
Rank 69 55 60
Rank change year-on-year -14 +5 +9
Contract jobs citing Service Management 887 629 560
As % of all contract jobs in the UK excluding London 3.21% 4.10% 3.08%
As % of the Processes & Methodologies category 3.96% 4.60% 3.73%
Number of daily rates quoted 603 367 398
10th Percentile £234 £188 £200
25th Percentile £413 £308 £420
Median daily rate (50th Percentile) £520 £492 £525
Median % change year-on-year +5.69% -6.29% +5.00%
75th Percentile £619 £575 £600
90th Percentile £725 £638 £650
UK median daily rate £525 £488 £525
% change year-on-year +7.69% -7.14% +0.96%
Number of hourly rates quoted 71 72 16
10th Percentile £14.50 - £17.09
25th Percentile £16.13 £12.62 £20.31
Median hourly rate £55.00 £18.37 £27.50
Median % change year-on-year +199.48% -33.22% +29.05%
75th Percentile £85.00 £30.84 £48.75
90th Percentile £95.00 £33.75 £51.88
UK median hourly rate £55.00 £18.73 £27.50
% change year-on-year +193.65% -31.89% -46.34%

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 22,403 13,663 15,020
As % of all contract IT jobs advertised in the UK excluding London 81.00% 89.09% 82.70%
Number of daily rates quoted 13,036 8,197 8,902
10th Percentile £300 £237 £250
25th Percentile £406 £365 £387
Median daily rate (50th Percentile) £500 £475 £500
Median % change year-on-year +5.26% -5.00% -
75th Percentile £595 £575 £600
90th Percentile £688 £650 £688
UK median daily rate £525 £500 £525
% change year-on-year +5.00% -4.76% -3.67%
Number of hourly rates quoted 2,491 1,407 1,411
10th Percentile £13.97 £13.85 £13.60
25th Percentile £17.60 £16.95 £16.30
Median hourly rate £43.96 £23.00 £42.50
Median % change year-on-year +91.13% -45.88% +6.25%
75th Percentile £68.00 £43.75 £65.00
90th Percentile £80.00 £68.75 £75.00
UK median hourly rate £41.00 £25.15 £40.50
% change year-on-year +63.02% -37.90% -4.71%

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 27 August 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 27 August 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 27 August 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 +17 287 £565 +13.00% 94
North of England -15 250 £474 +5.33% 75
North West -18 150 £481 +3.39% 49
South West -31 114 £575 +9.52% 46
Midlands -43 101 £500 -0.99% 56
West Midlands -29 95 £500 -3.85% 38
Yorkshire -17 93 £443 +24.79% 23
Scotland +16 85 £520 +16.20% 8
East of England -13 46 £525 -4.55% 31
Wales -9 13 £800 +247.83% 9
Northern Ireland +5 8 - - 6
North East -42 7 £500 +156.41% 3
East Midlands -29 6 £250 -16.67% 19
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 49 (5.52%) SharePoint
2 33 (3.72%) Microsoft Exchange
3 29 (3.27%) Confluence
4 15 (1.69%) Skype for Business
5 4 (0.45%) OpenStack
6 3 (0.34%) CMS
7 2 (0.23%) IIS
8 1 (0.11%) Apache
8 1 (0.11%) JBoss
8 1 (0.11%) Mattermost
Applications
1 63 (7.10%) Microsoft Office
2 21 (2.37%) Microsoft Excel
3 13 (1.47%) Microsoft PowerPoint
4 5 (0.56%) Chatbot
5 4 (0.45%) Microsoft Project
6 2 (0.23%) Spreadsheet
7 1 (0.11%) Maple
Business Applications
1 46 (5.19%) Remedy ITSM
2 5 (0.56%) ContrOCC
3 4 (0.45%) SAP S/4HANA
4 3 (0.34%) NEC Housing
4 3 (0.34%) Workday HCM
5 2 (0.23%) Dynamics CRM
5 2 (0.23%) Oracle Applications
5 2 (0.23%) Oracle EBS
5 2 (0.23%) Primavera
5 2 (0.23%) Remedy AR System
5 2 (0.23%) Teamcenter
6 1 (0.11%) Cloudability
6 1 (0.11%) Salesforce CRM
6 1 (0.11%) SAP CX
6 1 (0.11%) SAP HR
6 1 (0.11%) SAP Payroll
Cloud Services
1 148 (16.69%) Azure
2 99 (11.16%) Microsoft 365
3 67 (7.55%) Entra ID
4 51 (5.75%) AWS
5 48 (5.41%) Power Platform
6 27 (3.04%) SaaS
7 24 (2.71%) Azure DevOps
8 21 (2.37%) OneDrive
9 19 (2.14%) GCP
10 12 (1.35%) Microsoft Copilot
11 11 (1.24%) Azure Monitor
12 9 (1.01%) GitHub
13 8 (0.90%) OCI
14 7 (0.79%) IaaS
15 6 (0.68%) Azure Sentinel
15 6 (0.68%) PaaS
16 5 (0.56%) Azure AKS
16 5 (0.56%) Azure ExpressRoute
16 5 (0.56%) Azure Synapse Analytics
16 5 (0.56%) Rubrik
Communications & Networking
1 45 (5.07%) Firewall
2 39 (4.40%) DNS
3 32 (3.61%) VPN
4 27 (3.04%) Network Security
5 26 (2.93%) DHCP
6 22 (2.48%) TCP/IP
7 21 (2.37%) LAN
8 17 (1.92%) WAN
9 15 (1.69%) Skype
10 14 (1.58%) Wireless
11 12 (1.35%) VLAN
12 11 (1.24%) SSH
12 11 (1.24%) Wi-Fi
13 10 (1.13%) BGP
14 8 (0.90%) OSPF
15 7 (0.79%) Intrusion Detection
16 6 (0.68%) Cisco ISE
16 6 (0.68%) SSL
17 5 (0.56%) Internet
17 5 (0.56%) Software-Defined Networking
Database & Business Intelligence
1 38 (4.28%) Power BI
2 21 (2.37%) SQL Server
3 8 (0.90%) SQL Server Integration Services
4 6 (0.68%) Metadata
4 6 (0.68%) MySQL
5 5 (0.56%) MariaDB
5 5 (0.56%) Oracle Reports
5 5 (0.56%) SQL Server Reporting Services
6 4 (0.45%) Amazon RDS
6 4 (0.45%) PostgreSQL
6 4 (0.45%) Relational Database
6 4 (0.45%) SQL Server Analysis Services
7 3 (0.34%) Amazon Aurora
8 2 (0.23%) Azure SQL Database
8 2 (0.23%) EDRMS
8 2 (0.23%) Looker
8 2 (0.23%) Microsoft Analysis Services
8 2 (0.23%) Oracle Database
9 1 (0.11%) InfluxDB
9 1 (0.11%) OpenStack Swift
Development Applications
1 71 (8.00%) JIRA
2 16 (1.80%) Git
3 11 (1.24%) Atlassian Bamboo
3 11 (1.24%) Bitbucket
4 9 (1.01%) Jenkins
5 5 (0.56%) Browser DevTools
5 5 (0.56%) GitLab
6 4 (0.45%) MLflow
6 4 (0.45%) webpack
7 3 (0.34%) Fiddler
7 3 (0.34%) Gradle
7 3 (0.34%) Maven
7 3 (0.34%) Rational DOORS
8 2 (0.23%) Firebug
8 2 (0.23%) IntelliJ
8 2 (0.23%) Sonatype Nexus
9 1 (0.11%) Artifactory
9 1 (0.11%) eggPlant
9 1 (0.11%) Hudson
9 1 (0.11%) Visual Studio Code
General
1 343 (38.67%) Social Skills
2 135 (15.22%) Analytical Skills
3 128 (14.43%) Finance
4 94 (10.60%) Public Sector
5 41 (4.62%) Documentation Skills
6 38 (4.28%) Influencing Skills
7 33 (3.72%) Organisational Skills
8 30 (3.38%) Legal
9 24 (2.71%) Telecoms
10 22 (2.48%) Military
11 17 (1.92%) Banking
11 17 (1.92%) Inclusion and Diversity
12 15 (1.69%) Aerospace
12 15 (1.69%) Presentation Skills
13 14 (1.58%) Local Government
14 5 (0.56%) Retail
15 4 (0.45%) Law
15 4 (0.45%) Manufacturing
16 3 (0.34%) Police
17 2 (0.23%) Back Office
Job Titles
1 104 (11.72%) Analyst
2 103 (11.61%) Lead
3 69 (7.78%) Architect
4 66 (7.44%) Senior
4 66 (7.44%) Service Manager
5 45 (5.07%) Service Analyst
6 41 (4.62%) IT Manager
7 38 (4.28%) Support Engineer
8 32 (3.61%) Consultant
8 32 (3.61%) Service Architect
9 31 (3.49%) Project Manager
10 30 (3.38%) Delivery Manager
11 24 (2.71%) Developer
12 23 (2.59%) IT Analyst
13 22 (2.48%) Network Engineer
14 21 (2.37%) Administrator
14 21 (2.37%) Desktop Engineer
14 21 (2.37%) Infrastructure Engineer
15 20 (2.25%) 2nd Line Support
15 20 (2.25%) Technical Leader
Libraries, Frameworks & Software Standards
1 33 (3.72%) Terraform
2 28 (3.16%) REST
3 10 (1.13%) SAML
3 10 (1.13%) SOAP
4 8 (0.90%) XML
5 7 (0.79%) Middleware
5 7 (0.79%) OAuth
6 5 (0.56%) .NET
6 5 (0.56%) ARM Templates
6 5 (0.56%) JSON
6 5 (0.56%) OpenID
7 4 (0.45%) AngularJS
7 4 (0.45%) Node.js
7 4 (0.45%) OAuth2
7 4 (0.45%) Oracle Fusion
7 4 (0.45%) React
7 4 (0.45%) Redux
7 4 (0.45%) RESTful
7 4 (0.45%) Web Services
8 3 (0.34%) Spring Boot
Miscellaneous
1 80 (9.02%) Onboarding
2 45 (5.07%) CMDB
3 40 (4.51%) Management Information System
4 32 (3.61%) Product Ownership
5 26 (2.93%) Enterprise Software
6 25 (2.82%) PKI
7 23 (2.59%) Data Centre
8 22 (2.48%) Data Protection Act
9 17 (1.92%) Operational Technology
10 16 (1.80%) Clustering
10 16 (1.80%) Hybrid Cloud
11 14 (1.58%) Analytical Mindset
11 14 (1.58%) Self-Motivation
12 12 (1.35%) Security Operations Centre
13 10 (1.13%) Cyber Threat
14 9 (1.01%) Cloud Native
14 9 (1.01%) NHS
14 9 (1.01%) Virtual Team
15 8 (0.90%) Replication
15 8 (0.90%) Video Conferencing
Operating Systems
1 201 (22.66%) Windows
2 58 (6.54%) Windows Server
3 51 (5.75%) Linux
4 45 (5.07%) Windows 10
5 17 (1.92%) Windows 7
6 13 (1.47%) Unix
7 10 (1.13%) Mac OS
8 9 (1.01%) Android
8 9 (1.01%) Apple iOS
9 4 (0.45%) Red Hat Enterprise Linux
10 3 (0.34%) Windows Server 2012
11 2 (0.23%) Solaris
11 2 (0.23%) Windows XP
12 1 (0.11%) Rocky
12 1 (0.11%) Ubuntu
12 1 (0.11%) Windows Server 2008
12 1 (0.11%) Windows Server 2016
12 1 (0.11%) Windows Server 2019
12 1 (0.11%) zOS
Processes & Methodologies
1 499 (56.26%) ITIL
2 388 (43.74%) ITSM
3 250 (28.18%) Stakeholder Management
4 238 (26.83%) Continuous Improvement
5 205 (23.11%) Service Delivery
6 168 (18.94%) Problem-Solving
7 167 (18.83%) Agile
8 137 (15.45%) Change Management
8 137 (15.45%) Stakeholder Engagement
9 106 (11.95%) Customer Service
10 103 (11.61%) Incident Management
11 99 (11.16%) Cybersecurity
12 85 (9.58%) DevOps
13 79 (8.91%) Project Delivery
14 77 (8.68%) Roadmaps
15 71 (8.00%) Service Design
16 66 (7.44%) Risk Management
17 65 (7.33%) Data Protection
18 64 (7.22%) Decision-Making
19 61 (6.88%) AI
Programming Languages
1 88 (9.92%) PowerShell
2 56 (6.31%) Python
3 40 (4.51%) SQL
4 30 (3.38%) Bash
5 22 (2.48%) JavaScript
6 17 (1.92%) VBScript
7 15 (1.69%) VB
8 11 (1.24%) Java
9 6 (0.68%) Bicep
10 5 (0.56%) Shell Script
11 4 (0.45%) C
11 4 (0.45%) C#
11 4 (0.45%) PL/SQL
11 4 (0.45%) T-SQL
11 4 (0.45%) TypeScript
12 3 (0.34%) Groovy
12 3 (0.34%) Lua
12 3 (0.34%) Perl
13 2 (0.23%) Apex Code
13 2 (0.23%) Search Processing Language
Qualifications
1 404 (45.55%) Security Cleared
2 254 (28.64%) SC Cleared
3 129 (14.54%) DV Cleared
4 92 (10.37%) Degree
5 38 (4.28%) ITIL Certification
6 29 (3.27%) BPSS Clearance
7 28 (3.16%) PMP
8 27 (3.04%) PMI Certification
9 18 (2.03%) Microsoft Certification
10 17 (1.92%) Cisco Certification
10 17 (1.92%) Computer Science Degree
11 16 (1.80%) CISSP
12 15 (1.69%) DBS Check
12 15 (1.69%) ITIL Foundation Certificate
13 13 (1.47%) CISM
14 11 (1.24%) A+ Certification
14 11 (1.24%) Azure Certification
15 9 (1.01%) CCNA
15 9 (1.01%) CCNP
16 8 (0.90%) BC Cleared
Quality Assurance & Compliance
1 69 (7.78%) SLA
2 36 (4.06%) Data Quality
3 30 (3.38%) ISO/IEC 20000
4 27 (3.04%) ISO/IEC 27001
5 24 (2.71%) QA
6 22 (2.48%) NCSC
6 22 (2.48%) PMO
7 21 (2.37%) GRC
8 15 (1.69%) GDPR
8 15 (1.69%) ISO 9001
9 10 (1.13%) NIST
10 9 (1.01%) COBIT
10 9 (1.01%) Disclosure Scotland
11 7 (0.79%) Accessibility
11 7 (0.79%) Cyber Essentials
11 7 (0.79%) Government Security Classifications
12 6 (0.68%) ISO 31000
12 6 (0.68%) ISO/IEC 27005
13 5 (0.56%) ISO 22301
13 5 (0.56%) JSP 440
System Software
1 101 (11.39%) Active Directory
2 57 (6.43%) VMware Infrastructure
3 22 (2.48%) VMware ESXi
4 18 (2.03%) Docker
5 17 (1.92%) Hyper-V
6 16 (1.80%) BitLocker
6 16 (1.80%) VMware NSX
7 12 (1.35%) vCloud
7 12 (1.35%) Virtual Desktop
8 10 (1.13%) vSphere
9 5 (0.56%) Virtual Machines
10 4 (0.45%) Citrix Hypervisor
10 4 (0.45%) NFS
10 4 (0.45%) XenApp
10 4 (0.45%) XenDesktop
11 3 (0.34%) Firmware
11 3 (0.34%) Microsoft Virtual Server
11 3 (0.34%) Virtual Servers
12 2 (0.23%) GPFS
12 2 (0.23%) KVM
Systems Management
1 52 (5.86%) SCCM
2 45 (5.07%) Microsoft Intune
3 30 (3.38%) Ansible
4 18 (2.03%) SCOM
5 16 (1.80%) Kubernetes
6 14 (1.58%) vCenter Server
7 12 (1.35%) Single Sign-On
8 6 (0.68%) Jamf Pro
9 4 (0.45%) PowerCLI
9 4 (0.45%) Progress Chef
9 4 (0.45%) vMotion
10 3 (0.34%) Cisco Prime
10 3 (0.34%) Dell DRAC
10 3 (0.34%) NetBackup
10 3 (0.34%) Systems Management Server (SMS)
10 3 (0.34%) vRealize
11 2 (0.23%) Grafana
11 2 (0.23%) Nagios
11 2 (0.23%) SysTrack
11 2 (0.23%) ZABBIX
Vendors
1 220 (24.80%) ServiceNow
2 201 (22.66%) Microsoft
3 78 (8.79%) VMware
4 49 (5.52%) Remedy
5 32 (3.61%) BMC
5 32 (3.61%) Cisco
6 23 (2.59%) Oracle
7 17 (1.92%) Atlassian
7 17 (1.92%) CyberArk
8 14 (1.58%) Dynatrace
9 13 (1.47%) SAP
10 12 (1.35%) Citrix
10 12 (1.35%) IBM
10 12 (1.35%) Palo Alto
10 12 (1.35%) SolarWinds
10 12 (1.35%) Splunk
11 10 (1.13%) Qualys
12 8 (0.90%) Apple
12 8 (0.90%) IFS
12 8 (0.90%) Juniper