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

6 months to
25 May 2026
Same period 2025 Same period 2024
Rank 81 57 57
Rank change year-on-year -24 0 +10
Contract jobs citing Service Management 665 501 669
As % of all contract jobs in the UK excluding London 2.69% 3.92% 3.27%
As % of the Processes & Methodologies category 3.32% 4.33% 3.91%
Number of daily rates quoted 441 290 483
10th Percentile £210 £215 £259
25th Percentile £375 £363 £425
Median daily rate (50th Percentile) £500 £516 £525
Median % change year-on-year -3.15% -1.67% +10.53%
75th Percentile £600 £600 £600
90th Percentile £688 £688 £700
UK median daily rate £511 £508 £525
% change year-on-year +0.74% -3.33% +5.00%
Number of hourly rates quoted 55 36 17
10th Percentile £16.09 - £12.53
25th Percentile £16.17 £12.62 £15.17
Median hourly rate £60.00 £21.71 £17.72
Median % change year-on-year +176.37% +22.52% -63.46%
75th Percentile £83.75 £28.60 £19.00
90th Percentile £150.45 £33.75 £26.70
UK median hourly rate £55.00 £22.14 £17.72
% change year-on-year +148.42% +24.94% -65.76%

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 20,033 11,576 17,131
As % of all contract IT jobs advertised in the UK excluding London 81.13% 90.68% 83.86%
Number of daily rates quoted 12,013 7,256 10,217
10th Percentile £300 £231 £250
25th Percentile £401 £375 £378
Median daily rate (50th Percentile) £498 £475 £500
Median % change year-on-year +4.74% -5.00% -
75th Percentile £588 £575 £600
90th Percentile £678 £650 £688
UK median daily rate £510 £513 £525
% change year-on-year -0.49% -2.38% -4.55%
Number of hourly rates quoted 2,105 819 2,100
10th Percentile £14.25 £14.20 £12.38
25th Percentile £18.87 £17.30 £15.36
Median hourly rate £43.69 £25.15 £38.00
Median % change year-on-year +73.72% -33.82% +8.57%
75th Percentile £67.84 £62.50 £61.30
90th Percentile £80.00 £75.00 £72.50
UK median hourly rate £42.13 £27.59 £36.05
% change year-on-year +52.71% -23.47% -0.22%

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 May 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 May 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 May 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 +21 192 £520 +15.56% 107
North of England -24 179 £500 +5.26% 78
South West -26 128 £525 -4.55% 34
North West -7 98 £550 +7.57% 30
Midlands -37 79 £409 -25.68% 49
Yorkshire -38 75 £475 +11.76% 43
West Midlands -49 59 £408 -26.04% 38
East of England -21 44 £475 -13.64% 33
Scotland -27 36 £500 -2.44% 11
East Midlands -12 20 £410 -5.96% 11
Wales -7 7 £340 -4.56% 4
North East -25 6 £440 +125.64% 6
Northern Ireland - 4 - - 6
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 32 (4.81%) Confluence
2 25 (3.76%) Microsoft Exchange
3 22 (3.31%) SharePoint
4 9 (1.35%) Skype for Business
5 6 (0.90%) 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 58 (8.72%) Microsoft Office
2 15 (2.26%) Microsoft Excel
3 14 (2.11%) Microsoft Project
4 8 (1.20%) Microsoft PowerPoint
5 4 (0.60%) Chatbot
5 4 (0.60%) PTC Creo
6 2 (0.30%) MS Visio
7 1 (0.15%) Camtasia
Business Applications
1 39 (5.86%) Remedy ITSM
2 10 (1.50%) SAP S/4HANA
3 8 (1.20%) Teamcenter
4 4 (0.60%) Oracle EBS
5 2 (0.30%) Oracle Applications
6 1 (0.15%) NetSuite
6 1 (0.15%) SAP HR
6 1 (0.15%) SAP Payroll
Cloud Services
1 85 (12.78%) Azure
2 47 (7.07%) Microsoft 365
3 39 (5.86%) Power Platform
4 30 (4.51%) AWS
5 19 (2.86%) Entra ID
5 19 (2.86%) GCP
5 19 (2.86%) SaaS
6 14 (2.11%) Azure DevOps
7 11 (1.65%) OneDrive
8 9 (1.35%) PaaS
9 8 (1.20%) GitHub
10 7 (1.05%) OCI
11 6 (0.90%) Microsoft Copilot
12 5 (0.75%) Azure Machine Learning
12 5 (0.75%) Azure Synapse Analytics
12 5 (0.75%) Google App Engine
12 5 (0.75%) IaaS
12 5 (0.75%) PowerApps
13 4 (0.60%) Azure AKS
14 3 (0.45%) Azure Cosmos DB
Communications & Networking
1 33 (4.96%) Firewall
2 29 (4.36%) DNS
3 24 (3.61%) LAN
4 21 (3.16%) WAN
5 19 (2.86%) Network Security
6 18 (2.71%) DHCP
7 15 (2.26%) VPN
8 14 (2.11%) BGP
9 13 (1.95%) OSPF
10 12 (1.80%) BIG-IP
11 11 (1.65%) Cisco ISE
11 11 (1.65%) VLAN
12 9 (1.35%) Skype
12 9 (1.35%) Wi-Fi
12 9 (1.35%) Wireless
13 8 (1.20%) Ethernet VPN
13 8 (1.20%) Junos
13 8 (1.20%) TCP/IP
13 8 (1.20%) VXLAN
14 4 (0.60%) SSL
Database & Business Intelligence
1 31 (4.66%) Power BI
2 12 (1.80%) SQL Server
3 6 (0.90%) PostgreSQL
4 5 (0.75%) Oracle Reports
4 5 (0.75%) Relational Database
5 3 (0.45%) Azure SQL Database
5 3 (0.45%) SQL Server Analysis Services
5 3 (0.45%) SQL Server Integration Services
5 3 (0.45%) 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 74 (11.13%) JIRA
2 14 (2.11%) Git
3 9 (1.35%) Bitbucket
3 9 (1.35%) GitLab
4 8 (1.20%) Jenkins
5 6 (0.90%) Atlassian Bamboo
6 5 (0.75%) Browser DevTools
7 4 (0.60%) MLflow
8 3 (0.45%) Fiddler
9 2 (0.30%) Firebug
9 2 (0.30%) IntelliJ
9 2 (0.30%) ScriptRunner
9 2 (0.30%) Visual Studio Code
10 1 (0.15%) Claude Code
10 1 (0.15%) Gemini Tracker
10 1 (0.15%) Hudson
10 1 (0.15%) IBM UrbanCode
10 1 (0.15%) MSI
10 1 (0.15%) Rational DOORS
10 1 (0.15%) webpack
General
1 239 (35.94%) Social Skills
2 89 (13.38%) Finance
3 85 (12.78%) Analytical Skills
4 68 (10.23%) Public Sector
5 41 (6.17%) Legal
6 26 (3.91%) Military
6 26 (3.91%) Organisational Skills
7 18 (2.71%) Telecoms
8 16 (2.41%) Influencing Skills
9 14 (2.11%) Documentation Skills
10 12 (1.80%) Retail
11 11 (1.65%) Aerospace
11 11 (1.65%) Banking
12 8 (1.20%) Presentation Skills
13 5 (0.75%) Inclusion and Diversity
14 3 (0.45%) Financial Institution
14 3 (0.45%) Local Government
15 2 (0.30%) Pharmaceutical
15 2 (0.30%) Publishing
16 1 (0.15%) Automotive
Job Titles
1 87 (13.08%) Service Manager
2 74 (11.13%) Analyst
3 62 (9.32%) Lead
4 60 (9.02%) Architect
5 49 (7.37%) Senior
6 41 (6.17%) IT Manager
7 35 (5.26%) Hardware Engineer
8 30 (4.51%) Service Analyst
9 27 (4.06%) Service Architect
10 25 (3.76%) Delivery Manager
11 24 (3.61%) Consultant
11 24 (3.61%) Network Engineer
12 22 (3.31%) Project Manager
12 22 (3.31%) Support Engineer
13 21 (3.16%) Field Engineer
13 21 (3.16%) Field Hardware Engineer
13 21 (3.16%) IT Analyst
13 21 (3.16%) IT Services Manager
14 19 (2.86%) Break Fix Engineer
15 18 (2.71%) Service Delivery Manager
Libraries, Frameworks & Software Standards
1 25 (3.76%) REST
2 14 (2.11%) SOAP
3 8 (1.20%) 802.1X
3 8 (1.20%) OAuth
4 5 (0.75%) Oracle Fusion
5 4 (0.60%) CSS
5 4 (0.60%) HTML
5 4 (0.60%) OAuth2
5 4 (0.60%) OpenID
5 4 (0.60%) SAML
5 4 (0.60%) Web Services
5 4 (0.60%) XML
5 4 (0.60%) XMPP
6 3 (0.45%) .NET
6 3 (0.45%) FIDO
6 3 (0.45%) Flash
6 3 (0.45%) Microsoft Graph
6 3 (0.45%) Middleware
7 2 (0.30%) ADO
7 2 (0.30%) JSON
Miscellaneous
1 43 (6.47%) Product Ownership
2 39 (5.86%) Onboarding
3 35 (5.26%) CMDB
4 29 (4.36%) Data Centre
5 21 (3.16%) PKI
5 21 (3.16%) Virtual Team
6 20 (3.01%) Clustering
7 18 (2.71%) Management Information System
8 16 (2.41%) Driving Licence
9 15 (2.26%) Enterprise Software
10 11 (1.65%) Data Protection Act
10 11 (1.65%) Operational Technology
11 8 (1.20%) PMI
12 7 (1.05%) Replication
13 6 (0.90%) Analytical Mindset
13 6 (0.90%) Cloud Native
13 6 (0.90%) Self-Motivation
14 4 (0.60%) Legacy Systems
14 4 (0.60%) Security Posture
14 4 (0.60%) Smartphone
Operating Systems
1 133 (20.00%) Windows
2 34 (5.11%) Linux
3 33 (4.96%) Windows Server
4 32 (4.81%) Windows 10
5 11 (1.65%) Windows 7
6 10 (1.50%) Unix
7 5 (0.75%) Mac OS
7 5 (0.75%) Red Hat Enterprise Linux
8 3 (0.45%) Ubuntu
9 2 (0.30%) Solaris
9 2 (0.30%) Windows Server 2019
10 1 (0.15%) Android
10 1 (0.15%) Apple iOS
10 1 (0.15%) Data ONTAP
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 XP
10 1 (0.15%) zOS
Processes & Methodologies
1 372 (55.94%) ITIL
2 283 (42.56%) ITSM
3 153 (23.01%) Continuous Improvement
4 140 (21.05%) Stakeholder Management
5 138 (20.75%) Agile
6 124 (18.65%) Problem-Solving
7 114 (17.14%) Service Delivery
8 93 (13.98%) Stakeholder Engagement
9 85 (12.78%) Change Management
10 82 (12.33%) Customer Service
11 70 (10.53%) DevOps
12 57 (8.57%) Service Design
13 56 (8.42%) Configuration Management
14 52 (7.82%) Problem Management
15 44 (6.62%) Project Delivery
16 42 (6.32%) Incident Management
16 42 (6.32%) Roadmaps
17 37 (5.56%) Asset Management
17 37 (5.56%) CI/CD
18 36 (5.41%) Computer Science
Programming Languages
1 47 (7.07%) PowerShell
2 36 (5.41%) SQL
3 25 (3.76%) Python
4 22 (3.31%) JavaScript
5 9 (1.35%) VB
5 9 (1.35%) VBScript
6 8 (1.20%) Bash
7 5 (0.75%) C#
8 4 (0.60%) PL/SQL
9 3 (0.45%) Apex Code
9 3 (0.45%) Java
9 3 (0.45%) T-SQL
10 2 (0.30%) PHP
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%) Perl
11 1 (0.15%) REXX
11 1 (0.15%) TypeScript
Qualifications
1 324 (48.72%) Security Cleared
2 217 (32.63%) SC Cleared
3 108 (16.24%) DV Cleared
4 71 (10.68%) Degree
5 34 (5.11%) ITIL Certification
6 25 (3.76%) Cisco Certification
7 19 (2.86%) PMI Certification
8 18 (2.71%) Computer Science Degree
9 16 (2.41%) PMP
10 15 (2.26%) BPSS Clearance
11 14 (2.11%) CCNA
12 12 (1.80%) Microsoft Certification
13 11 (1.65%) TOGAF Certification
14 10 (1.50%) A+ Certification
14 10 (1.50%) CCNP
15 9 (1.35%) JNCIA
15 9 (1.35%) JNCIP
15 9 (1.35%) JNCIS
15 9 (1.35%) Network+ Certification
16 7 (1.05%) VMware Certified Professional (VCP)
Quality Assurance & Compliance
1 36 (5.41%) SLA
2 23 (3.46%) Data Quality
3 15 (2.26%) PMO
4 14 (2.11%) ISO/IEC 20000
5 13 (1.95%) ISO/IEC 27001
5 13 (1.95%) QA
6 11 (1.65%) GDPR
7 10 (1.50%) NCSC
8 9 (1.35%) GRC
9 8 (1.20%) Cyber Essentials
10 7 (1.05%) COBIT
10 7 (1.05%) Government Security Classifications
11 6 (0.90%) Accessibility
11 6 (0.90%) ISO 31000
11 6 (0.90%) ISO/IEC 27005
12 4 (0.60%) Disclosure Scotland
12 4 (0.60%) GMP
12 4 (0.60%) ISO 9001
13 3 (0.45%) JSP 440
14 2 (0.30%) GxP
System Software
1 65 (9.77%) Active Directory
2 33 (4.96%) VMware Infrastructure
3 14 (2.11%) VMware ESXi
4 9 (1.35%) BitLocker
5 8 (1.20%) Docker
6 6 (0.90%) VMware NSX
6 6 (0.90%) vSphere
7 5 (0.75%) vCloud
8 4 (0.60%) NFS
8 4 (0.60%) Virtual Machines
9 2 (0.30%) GPFS
9 2 (0.30%) Hyper-V
10 1 (0.15%) Firmware
10 1 (0.15%) iptables
10 1 (0.15%) KVM
10 1 (0.15%) Oracle RAC
10 1 (0.15%) Samba
10 1 (0.15%) Slurm Workload Manager
10 1 (0.15%) Virtual Desktop
Systems Management
1 20 (3.01%) SCCM
2 19 (2.86%) Ansible
3 13 (1.95%) Microsoft Intune
4 11 (1.65%) Kubernetes
4 11 (1.65%) OPNET
4 11 (1.65%) Terraform
5 8 (1.20%) FortiGate
5 8 (1.20%) vCenter Server
6 7 (1.05%) Single Sign-On
7 6 (0.90%) SCOM
8 4 (0.60%) Grafana
8 4 (0.60%) Jamf Pro
8 4 (0.60%) PowerCLI
8 4 (0.60%) Progress Chef
8 4 (0.60%) Puppet
8 4 (0.60%) vMotion
9 3 (0.45%) Cisco Prime
9 3 (0.45%) Systems Management Server (SMS)
9 3 (0.45%) vRealize
10 2 (0.30%) Nagios
Vendors
1 147 (22.11%) ServiceNow
2 108 (16.24%) Microsoft
3 54 (8.12%) Remedy
4 47 (7.07%) VMware
5 37 (5.56%) Cisco
6 34 (5.11%) HP
7 25 (3.76%) Atlassian
8 24 (3.61%) Oracle
9 18 (2.71%) BMC
10 17 (2.56%) Dell
11 16 (2.41%) SAP
11 16 (2.41%) Splunk
12 15 (2.26%) Canon
13 12 (1.80%) F5
14 11 (1.65%) SolarWinds
15 10 (1.50%) Juniper
16 9 (1.35%) IFS
16 9 (1.35%) Palo Alto
17 8 (1.20%) Extreme Networks
17 8 (1.20%) Siemens