jobfacts

IT project manager

IT project managers — SOC 2020 2131

IT project managers manage, coordinate and technically supervise specific IT projects of a discrete duration and/or budget.

Also calledIT project leadIT programme managerIT consultantChange managerProject leaderIT projects managerand 16 more titles
Typical full-time pay£58,4002025 Provisional
People in the job106,000across the UK
Demand for workersElevated
New adverts a month1,400↑ 20%on last year · 144th of 412

Pay

ONS · ASHE 2025

Half of full-time IT project managers earn between £41,400 and £74,800 a year.

What full-time IT project managers earn, 2025
£58,400 typical£34,800lowest 10%£78,200top 20%n/ptop 10%
Middle half (£41,400–£74,800)n/p: top 10% not published by ONS
Show as table
Lowest 10% earn less than£34,800
Lowest 20% earn less than£40,000
25%£41,400
Median£58,400
75%£74,800
Top 20% earn more than£78,200
Top 10% earn more thanNot published
Typical pay by regionUK median £58,400
London!£68,900
South East!£61,500
North West!£59,100
Yorkshire and The Humber!£51,100
Scotland!£46,000
East of England!£40,800
North EastNot published by ONS–
East MidlandsNot published by ONS–
West MidlandsNot published by ONS–
South WestNot published by ONS–
WalesNot published by ONS–
!Small sample: treat with caution
Show as table
UK median, £58,400
London£68,900 (small sample)
South East£61,500 (small sample)
North West£59,100 (small sample)
Yorkshire and The Humber£51,100 (small sample)
Scotland£46,000 (small sample)
East of England£40,800 (small sample)
North EastNot published by ONS
East MidlandsNot published by ONS
West MidlandsNot published by ONS
South WestNot published by ONS
WalesNot published by ONS
Typical pay over 3 years
  • 2023 £52,000
  • 2024 £58,200
  • 2025 Provisional£58,400
↑ 12% since 2023Provisional figures are revised when ONS publishes the next year’s survey.

Jobs and demand

ONS · Textkernel adverts · DfE

About 1,400 jobs for IT project managers are advertised each month. The Department for Education rates demand for workers as elevated.

New job adverts a month, Jan 2017 to Aug 2026
New advertsMonth not published by ONS (3 in all)
Show as table
Aug 20261,886
Jul 20261,515
Jun 20261,586
May 20261,334
Apr 20261,338
Mar 2026Not published
Feb 20261,136
Jan 20261,412
Dec 2025754
Nov 20251,456
Oct 20251,368
Sept 20251,312
Aug 20251,153
Jul 2025Not published
Jun 2025Not published
May 20251,421
Apr 20251,111
Mar 20251,230
Feb 20251,329
Jan 20251,064
Dec 2024692
Nov 20241,006
Oct 20241,098
Sept 20241,121
Aug 20241,107
Jul 20241,136
Jun 20241,205
May 20241,288
Apr 20241,324
Mar 20241,156
Feb 20241,193
Jan 20241,531
Dec 20231,160
Nov 20231,400
Oct 20231,349
Sept 20231,287
Aug 20231,592
Jul 20231,611
Jun 20232,179
May 20232,058
Apr 20231,687
Mar 20232,257
Feb 20232,438
Jan 20232,445
Dec 20222,112
Nov 20222,631
Oct 20222,892
Sept 20222,747
Aug 20222,797
Jul 20222,932
Jun 20222,976
May 20223,548
Apr 20222,801
Mar 20223,584
Feb 20223,306
Jan 20223,242
Dec 20212,589
Nov 20212,727
Oct 20212,757
Sept 20212,579
Aug 20212,653
Jul 20213,186
Jun 20212,847
May 20212,910
Apr 20212,445
Mar 20213,208
Feb 20211,923
Jan 20211,979
Dec 20201,628
Nov 20201,667
Oct 20201,701
Sept 20201,445
Aug 20201,242
Jul 20201,318
Jun 20201,294
May 20201,085
Apr 20201,348
Mar 20202,681
Feb 20202,990
Jan 20202,680
Dec 20191,718
Nov 20192,383
Oct 20192,541
Sept 20192,513
Aug 20192,606
Jul 20193,192
Jun 20193,144
May 20192,886
Apr 20192,116
Mar 20192,516
Feb 20192,299
Jan 20192,421
Dec 20181,546
Nov 20182,203
Oct 20182,236
Sept 20182,306
Aug 20182,231
Jul 20182,511
Jun 20182,626
May 20182,543
Apr 20182,432
Mar 20182,675
Feb 20182,507
Jan 20182,906
Dec 20171,906
Nov 20172,616
Oct 20172,647
Sept 20172,390
Aug 20172,621
Jul 20172,412
Jun 20172,940
May 20173,145
Apr 20173,116
Mar 20173,257
Feb 20172,889
Jan 20173,290
Is there a shortage of IT project managers?
Elevated

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

  • Visas grantedWell above usual
  • Online job advertsAbove usual
  • Wage growthUsual
  • Pay against similar jobsUsual
  • Hours workedUsual
Vacancies hard to fill because of skills
7.2%against 27% for all jobs
Broader groupFigure for information technology professionals, which includes IT project managers. DfE Employer Skills Survey 2024.
Where the most jobs are advertisedadverts a quarter
London980
Manchester149
Birmingham142
Bristol, City of99
Leeds93
Glasgow City77
City of Edinburgh60
Sheffield53
Nottingham51
Cambridge45
London is published as one area. Averages leave out quarters ONS withheld.
Where IT project managers are most concentratedShare of local job adverts, compared with the UK.

Recruitment from abroad. 581 sponsored work visas were granted for this job from July 2025 to June 2026, most to people from India, United States, Japan, ranking it 34th of 313. Home Office

Who does it

ONS · Annual Population Survey · April 2025 to March 2026
Age of IT project managers
2.2%!
24%!
30%
29%
14%!
n/p
!Small sample: treat with cautionn/p: too few in the survey to publish
Show as table
16–242.2% (small sample)
25–3424% (small sample)
35–4430%
45–5429%
55–6414% (small sample)
65+Not published
Highest qualification
Degree or equivalent71%
Higher education below degree!7.3%
A levels or equivalent15%
GCSEs or equivalent!4.6%
Other qualifications!2.5%
!Small sample: treat with caution
Show as table
Degree or equivalent71%
Higher education below degree7.3% (small sample)
A levels or equivalent15%
GCSEs or equivalent4.6% (small sample)
Other qualifications2.5% (small sample)

Main employers: computer consultancy activities (18%), computer programming activities (7.2%), regulation of the activities of providing health care, education, cultural services and other social services, excluding social security (4.8%), engineering activities and related technical consultancy (4.6%).

How to get in

Hold a degree
71%
as their highest qualification
Apprenticeships
None
none leads directly into this work

Routes in

You can get into this job through:

University

You can do a degree or postgraduate qualification in:

  • computing
  • information systems
  • project management
  • computer science
  • business management
Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

  • 2 to 3 A levels, or equivalent, for a degree
  • a degree in a relevant subject for postgraduate study

Apprenticeship

You could do an apprenticeship, for example:

  • Associate Project Manager Level 4 Higher Apprenticeship
  • Digital Product Manager Level 4 Higher Apprenticeship
  • Project Manager Level 6 Degree Apprenticeship
  • Digital and Technology Solutions Professional Level 6 Degree Apprenticeship

These apprenticeships can take between 2 and 4 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 may be able to start with an organisation as an assistant project manager if you've got experience of working in IT.

You could then do further training on the job and take on more management responsibilities.

Other routes

You could train with a professional body, like the Association for Project Management or the Project Management Institute, to help with your career development.

Registration and professional bodies

Career tips

It might help when looking for work if you have an understanding of agile project management methods.

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 it project manager. Contains public sector information from the National Careers Service licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

The work

ONS · ESCO · O*NET

Typical tasks

  • works with client or senior management to establish and clarify the aims, objectives and requirements of the IT project
  • plans the stages of the project, reviews actions and amends plans as necessary
  • coordinates and supervises the activities of the project team
  • manages third party contributions to the project
  • monitors progress including project budget, timescale and quality
  • coordinates and oversees implementation of the project
  • reports on project to senior management and/or client

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 project 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.

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