jobfacts

IT managers

SOC 2020 2132

IT managers plan, organise, manage and coordinate the provision of IT and telecommunications services and functions in an organisation.

Also calledNetwork managerNetwork administratorIT managerManagerOperations managerService delivery managerand 109 more titles
Typical full-time pay£56,4002025 Provisional
People in the job277,000across the UK
Demand for workersNot high
New adverts a month5,300↑ 10%on last year · 26th of 412

Pay

ONS · ASHE 2025

Half of full-time IT managers earn between £44,400 and £73,900 a year.

What full-time IT managers earn, 2025
£56,400 typical£33,200lowest 10%£44,40025%£73,90075%£97,000top 10%
Middle half (£44,400–£73,900)
Show as table
Lowest 10% earn less than£33,200
Lowest 20% earn less than£41,400
25%£44,400
Median£56,400
75%£73,900
Top 20% earn more than£80,400
Top 10% earn more than£97,000
Typical pay by regionUK median £56,400
London£67,000
South East£59,400
North West!£57,500
North East!£55,200
Scotland£54,200
East of England£53,400
West Midlands£51,400
Yorkshire and The Humber!£50,200
East Midlands!£49,200
South West!£48,600
Wales!£48,000
!Small sample: treat with caution
Show as table
UK median, £56,400
London£67,000
South East£59,400
North West£57,500 (small sample)
North East£55,200 (small sample)
Scotland£54,200
East of England£53,400
West Midlands£51,400
Yorkshire and The Humber£50,200 (small sample)
East Midlands£49,200 (small sample)
South West£48,600 (small sample)
Wales£48,000 (small sample)
Typical pay over 3 years
  • 2023 £50,900
  • 2024 £55,000
  • 2025 Provisional£56,400
↑ 11% since 2023Provisional figures are revised when ONS publishes the next year’s survey.

Jobs and demand

ONS · Textkernel adverts · DfE

About 5,300 jobs for IT managers are advertised each month. The Department for Education rates demand for workers as not high.

New job adverts a month, Jan 2017 to Aug 2026
New advertsMonth not published by ONS (1 in all)
Show as table
Aug 20267,176
Jul 20266,106
Jun 20265,715
May 20265,532
Apr 20265,166
Mar 2026Not published
Feb 20264,285
Jan 20265,185
Dec 20253,048
Nov 20255,987
Oct 20255,467
Sept 20255,156
Aug 20254,810
Jul 20255,724
Jun 20256,138
May 20256,141
Apr 20254,644
Mar 20255,641
Feb 20255,082
Jan 20254,508
Dec 20243,063
Nov 20244,322
Oct 20244,398
Sept 20244,575
Aug 20244,492
Jul 20245,085
Jun 20245,037
May 20245,430
Apr 20245,195
Mar 20244,803
Feb 20244,913
Jan 20246,274
Dec 20235,070
Nov 20235,343
Oct 20235,365
Sept 20234,778
Aug 20236,012
Jul 20236,137
Jun 20238,722
May 20238,267
Apr 20236,919
Mar 20238,507
Feb 20238,986
Jan 202311,044
Dec 20229,054
Nov 202210,620
Oct 202210,819
Sept 202210,363
Aug 202210,964
Jul 202210,954
Jun 202211,005
May 202212,778
Apr 202210,314
Mar 202212,213
Feb 202211,300
Jan 202212,042
Dec 202110,687
Nov 202111,120
Oct 202110,585
Sept 20219,835
Aug 20219,785
Jul 202111,492
Jun 20219,547
May 20219,776
Apr 20218,852
Mar 202111,783
Feb 20217,530
Jan 20217,909
Dec 20206,600
Nov 20206,860
Oct 20207,697
Sept 20206,170
Aug 20206,347
Jul 20205,793
Jun 20205,585
May 20205,099
Apr 20205,830
Mar 202010,192
Feb 202011,661
Jan 202011,804
Dec 20197,355
Nov 20199,823
Oct 20199,740
Sept 201910,118
Aug 20199,676
Jul 201912,268
Jun 201912,559
May 201911,781
Apr 20198,291
Mar 20199,380
Feb 20199,078
Jan 20199,321
Dec 20186,139
Nov 20188,419
Oct 20188,798
Sept 20188,654
Aug 20188,449
Jul 20188,236
Jun 20189,011
May 20188,816
Apr 20188,329
Mar 20189,392
Feb 20188,662
Jan 201810,117
Dec 20177,283
Nov 20178,870
Oct 20178,839
Sept 20178,042
Aug 20178,378
Jul 20178,022
Jun 20179,919
May 201710,294
Apr 20179,339
Mar 201710,417
Feb 20179,018
Jan 201711,204
Is there a shortage of IT managers?
Not high

The Department for Education rates demand as not high, elevated or critical, using five indicators. This is its 2025 assessment.

  • Visas grantedAbove usual
  • Online job advertsAbove usual
  • Wage growthUsual
  • Pay against similar jobsUsual
  • Hours workedAbove usual
Vacancies hard to fill because of skills
7.2%against 27% for all jobs
Broader groupFigure for information technology professionals, which includes IT managers. DfE Employer Skills Survey 2024.
Where the most jobs are advertisedadverts a quarter
London3,755
Manchester553
Birmingham493
Bristol, City of357
Leeds325
Glasgow City279
Newcastle upon Tyne212
Nottingham191
Sheffield187
City of Edinburgh184
London is published as one area. Averages leave out quarters ONS withheld.
Where IT managers are most concentratedShare of local job adverts, compared with the UK.

Recruitment from abroad. 689 sponsored work visas were granted for this job from July 2025 to June 2026, most to people from India, United States, Italy, ranking it 26th of 313. Home Office

Who does it

ONS · Annual Population Survey · April 2025 to March 2026
Age of IT managers
1.2%!
21%
32%
30%
14%
1.2%!
!Small sample: treat with caution
Show as table
16–241.2% (small sample)
25–3421%
35–4432%
45–5430%
55–6414%
65+1.2% (small sample)
Highest qualification
Degree or equivalent60%
Higher education below degree7.7%
A levels or equivalent19%
GCSEs or equivalent8.3%
Other qualifications!3.5%
No qualifications!0.5%
!Small sample: treat with caution
Show as table
Degree or equivalent60%
Higher education below degree7.7%
A levels or equivalent19%
GCSEs or equivalent8.3%
Other qualifications3.5% (small sample)
No qualifications0.5% (small sample)

Main employers: computer consultancy activities (15%), computer programming activities (9.6%), general public administration activities (3.2%), tertiary education (2.8%).

How to get in

Hold a degree
60%
as their highest qualification
Apprenticeships
3
from level 4, including degree apprenticeships
Apprenticeships take
18 months to 2 years
typically

Routes in

You can get into this job through:

University

You could do a foundation degree, higher national diploma or degree before applying for a job as a trainee network manager.

Relevant subjects include:

  • computer networking
  • network engineering
  • computer science
  • cyber security and networks
Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

  • 1 or 2 A levels, or equivalent, for a foundation degree or higher national diploma
  • 2 to 3 A levels, or equivalent, for a degree

Apprenticeship

You could apply for an apprenticeship, for example:

  • Network Engineer Level 4 Higher Apprenticeship
  • Digital Technology Solutions Professional Level 6 Degree Apprenticeship - networking option

You could enrol on a Digital Technology Solutions Specialist Level 7 Postgraduate Apprenticeship, with a networking option, if you already have a relevant degree.

These apprenticeships can take up to 3 years to complete.

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

  • 4 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C) and A levels, or equivalent, for a higher or degree apprenticeship

Other ways in

Work your way up

You could move into network management if you have relevant computing experience.

For example from working as a:

  • network engineer
  • senior IT support technician
  • IT delivery manager
Other routes

You might be able to get an industry recognised certificate, such as Cisco Certified Network Professional (CCNP) or CompTIA Network+, through a private training provider. This may help you to find a trainee position with a company.

You'll normally need a good level of technical ability to complete these certificates.

Registration and professional bodies

Career tips

There are many private IT training providers out there. If you choose this route, do your research to make sure it's the right option for you.

Further information

You can find out more about computing careers and training through The Chartered Institute for IT and techskills.

Routes in are from the National Careers Service job profile for network manager. Contains public sector information from the National Careers Service licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Apprenticeships

3 for this job

© Skills England 2025. This information is licensed under the Open Government Licence https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/

The work

ONS · ESCO · O*NET

Typical tasks

  • plans, coordinates and manages the organisation’s IT and telecommunications provision or a specialist area of IT activity
  • liaises with users, senior staff and internal/external clients to clarify IT and telecommunications requirements and development needs
  • takes responsibility for managing the development of an aspect of IT and telecommunications provision such as user support, network operations, service delivery or quality control
  • supervises the technical team and coordinates training
  • plans and monitors work and maintenance schedules to ensure agreed service levels are achieved
  • reports on IT and telecommunications activities to senior management

Skills

  • manage budgets
  • coordinate technological activities
  • implement ICT risk management
  • manage staff
  • maintain relationship with suppliers
  • monitor technology trends
  • provide cost benefit analysis reports
  • apply procurement
  • apply organisational techniques
  • build business relationships
  • define technology strategy
  • develop information standards
  • implement corporate governance
  • manage contracts

Knowledge

  • systems development life-cycle
  • crowdsourcing strategy
  • ICT project management
  • insourcing strategy
  • outsourcing strategy
  • business processes
  • decision support systems
  • ICT project management methodologies

Suits people who like

  • Organising and following procedures
  • Leading and persuading

Outlook

DfE · Skills Imperative 2035
Broader groupThese projections are for science, research, engineering and technology professionals, a group of 28 jobs that includes IT managers.
Change in jobs, 2020 to 2035↑ 18%about 394,000 more jobs
Workers needed by 20351.3 millionincluding people replacing those who retire or leave

Sources

Pay
ONS, Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, 2025 provisional
People in the job, who does it
ONS, Annual Population Survey, April 2025 to March 2026
Job adverts
ONS, online job adverts (Textkernel), to Aug 2026
Demand, skill shortages
Department for Education and Skills England, Occupations in demand and the Employer Skills Survey
Outlook
The Skills Imperative 2035 (2024), NFER/Nuffield/DfE/IER/CE
Routes in
National Careers Service job profiles
Apprenticeships, qualifications
Skills England occupational maps
Skills, interests
ESCO classification of the European Commission; O*NET data, U.S. Department of Labor (CC BY 4.0, modified)
Visas
Home Office, immigration system statistics

Figures as of 10 October 2026.

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: Office for National Statistics licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Occupations in demand and the Employer Skills Survey: Department for Education and Skills England. Immigration system statistics: Home Office. Contains public sector information from the National Careers Service licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

© Skills England 2025. This information is licensed under the Open Government Licence https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/

Source: The Skills Imperative 2035 (2024), NFER/Nuffield/DfE/IER/CE.

This service uses the ESCO classification of the European Commission.

This service includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. This service has modified all or some of this information. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. CC BY 4.0 licence.

jobfacts is independent. It is not part of, affiliated with or endorsed by the Office for National Statistics, the Department for Education, Skills England, the National Careers Service, the Home Office, the European Commission or the U.S. Department of Labor.