jobfacts

Systems analyst

IT business analysts, architects and systems designers — SOC 2020 2133

IT business analysts, architects and systems designers proviide advice on the effective utilisation of IT and design IT systems in order to meet the business objectives or to enhance the business effectiveness of the organisation.

Also calledTechnical architectIT systems architectSolutions architectSystem analystSolution architectInformation systems analystand 113 more titles
Typical full-time pay£60,3002025 Provisional
People in the job212,000across the UK
Demand for workersCritical
New adverts a month7,300↑ 31%on last year · 20th of 412

Pay

ONS · ASHE 2025

Half of full-time systems analysts earn between £45,900 and £81,900 a year.

What full-time systems analysts earn, 2025
£60,300 typical£35,500lowest 10%£45,90025%£81,90075%£100,400top 10%
Middle half (£45,900–£81,900)
Show as table
Lowest 10% earn less than£35,500
Lowest 20% earn less than£42,700
25%£45,900
Median£60,300
75%£81,900
Top 20% earn more than£87,700
Top 10% earn more than£100,400
Typical pay by regionUK median £60,300
London£74,600
South West£68,100
South East£68,100
West Midlands!£62,400
Yorkshire and The Humber!£54,300
East of England!£53,000
Wales!£51,200
North West!£50,700
East Midlands!£50,100
Scotland£49,600
North East!£49,400
!Small sample: treat with caution
Show as table
UK median, £60,300
London£74,600
South West£68,100
South East£68,100
West Midlands£62,400 (small sample)
Yorkshire and The Humber£54,300 (small sample)
East of England£53,000 (small sample)
Wales£51,200 (small sample)
North West£50,700 (small sample)
East Midlands£50,100 (small sample)
Scotland£49,600
North East£49,400 (small sample)
Typical pay over 3 years
  • 2023 £52,900
  • 2024 £55,000
  • 2025 Provisional£60,300
↑ 14% since 2023Provisional figures are revised when ONS publishes the next year’s survey.

Jobs and demand

ONS · Textkernel adverts · DfE

About 7,300 jobs for systems analysts are advertised each month. The Department for Education rates demand for workers as critical.

New job adverts a month, Jan 2017 to Aug 2026
New advertsMonth not published by ONS (1 in all)
Show as table
Aug 20269,861
Jul 20268,003
Jun 20269,605
May 20267,676
Apr 20266,037
Mar 2026Not published
Feb 20265,191
Jan 20266,492
Dec 20254,622
Nov 20259,017
Oct 20257,674
Sept 20256,417
Aug 20255,430
Jul 20256,899
Jun 20257,642
May 20258,438
Apr 20255,724
Mar 20256,526
Feb 20256,055
Jan 20254,798
Dec 20243,286
Nov 20244,378
Oct 20244,530
Sept 20244,450
Aug 20244,704
Jul 20245,031
Jun 20244,346
May 20245,552
Apr 20245,136
Mar 20244,951
Feb 20245,295
Jan 20246,662
Dec 20236,080
Nov 20236,070
Oct 20236,513
Sept 20235,894
Aug 20237,561
Jul 20237,503
Jun 202310,491
May 20239,929
Apr 20238,453
Mar 202311,566
Feb 202312,430
Jan 202313,757
Dec 202212,748
Nov 202215,412
Oct 202215,360
Sept 202214,191
Aug 202215,913
Jul 202214,746
Jun 202214,873
May 202217,077
Apr 202213,800
Mar 202216,260
Feb 202215,557
Jan 202215,597
Dec 202111,919
Nov 202112,880
Oct 202113,268
Sept 202111,903
Aug 202112,534
Jul 202114,667
Jun 202112,710
May 202114,709
Apr 202114,892
Mar 202116,047
Feb 20219,636
Jan 202110,847
Dec 20208,100
Nov 20208,365
Oct 20208,857
Sept 20207,897
Aug 20207,128
Jul 20207,368
Jun 20207,035
May 20206,335
Apr 20207,888
Mar 202012,684
Feb 202012,624
Jan 202012,253
Dec 20198,446
Nov 201911,663
Oct 201911,450
Sept 201911,339
Aug 201911,884
Jul 201914,494
Jun 201914,894
May 201913,387
Apr 20198,979
Mar 201910,792
Feb 20199,680
Jan 20199,606
Dec 20186,218
Nov 20188,844
Oct 20188,760
Sept 20189,425
Aug 20189,342
Jul 20189,909
Jun 201810,106
May 201810,020
Apr 20189,327
Mar 201810,351
Feb 201810,224
Jan 201810,838
Dec 20178,002
Nov 20179,740
Oct 201710,296
Sept 20178,854
Aug 20179,054
Jul 20178,253
Jun 20179,970
May 201710,339
Apr 201710,165
Mar 201711,140
Feb 20179,563
Jan 201711,025
Is there a shortage of systems analysts?
Critical

The Department for Education rates demand as not high, elevated or critical, using five indicators. This is its 2025 assessment; in 2024 it was elevated.

  • Visas grantedWell above usual
  • Online job advertsWell above usual
  • Wage growthWell above usual
  • 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 systems analysts. DfE Employer Skills Survey 2024.
Where the most jobs are advertisedadverts a quarter
London6,504
Manchester994
Bristol, City of727
Birmingham656
Leeds577
Glasgow City390
Newcastle upon Tyne367
City of Edinburgh311
Nottingham304
Sheffield291
London is published as one area. Averages leave out quarters ONS withheld.
Where systems analysts are most concentratedShare of local job adverts, compared with the UK.

Recruitment from abroad. 3,121 sponsored work visas were granted for this job from July 2025 to June 2026, most to people from India, United States, Italy, ranking it 7th of 313. Home Office

Who does it

ONS · Annual Population Survey · April 2025 to March 2026
Age of systems analysts
n/p
26%
28%
31%
10%
1.4%!
!Small sample: treat with cautionn/p: too few in the survey to publish
Show as table
16–24Not published
25–3426%
35–4428%
45–5431%
55–6410%
65+1.4% (small sample)
Highest qualification
Degree or equivalent73%
Higher education below degree6%
A levels or equivalent14%
GCSEs or equivalent6.2%
Other qualifications!0.4%
No qualifications!0.5%
!Small sample: treat with caution
Show as table
Degree or equivalent73%
Higher education below degree6%
A levels or equivalent14%
GCSEs or equivalent6.2%
Other qualifications0.4% (small sample)
No qualifications0.5% (small sample)

Main employers: computer consultancy activities (20%), computer programming activities (12%), general public administration activities (6.6%), other monetary intermediation (4.2%).

How to get in

Hold a degree
73%
as their highest qualification
Apprenticeships
5
from level 4, including degree apprenticeships
Apprenticeships take
18 months to 4 years
typically

Routes in

Systems analyst

You could get into this job through:

University

You could do a degree or postgraduate qualification in a subject like:

  • computer science
  • information management systems
  • business information systems
  • software development and engineering
  • maths and operational research

You could also search for courses accredited by techskills, which works with employers to offer training that meets the requirements of the IT industry.

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 apply to do an apprenticeship, such as:

  • Business Analyst Level 4 Higher Apprenticeship
  • Digital and Technology Solutions Level 6 Degree Apprenticeship
  • Systems Engineer Level 7 Apprenticeship
  • Digital and Technology Solutions Specialist Level 7 Degree Apprenticeship

These can take between 2 and 4 years to complete and combine work-based training with academic study.

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

Work your way up

You could work as an assistant analyst, programmer or software developer and move into systems analysis through further work-based training and promotion.

Registration and professional bodies

Career tips

You'll find it useful to have an understanding of agile project management methods.

Professional and industry bodies

While working, you may find it helpful to get an industry certification to demonstrate your skills and expertise.

Further information

You can find out more about working and training in computing from The Chartered Institute for IT and techskills.

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

Technical architect

You can get into this job through:

University

You'll normally need a degree or postgraduate qualification to get into this career. Relevant subjects include:

  • computer science or computer engineering
  • information management systems
  • business information systems
  • software development
  • mathematics
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 apply to do a Digital and Technology Solutions Professional Level 6 Degree Apprenticeship.

You could then move on to a Digital and Technology Solution Specialist Level 7 Degree Apprenticeship. This leads to a postgraduate qualification.

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 degree apprenticeship
  • a degree in a relevant subject

Other ways in

Work your way up

You could start with a company in a job like programming and work your way up through training and promotion.

Apply directly

You could apply to companies directly if you've got relevant skills and knowledge.

You'll need a broad understanding of available technologies and what they can do for the client. Employers will look for a background in:

  • systems development
  • technical analysis
  • programming
  • testing

Employers will also want to see strengths in non-technical areas like client management, communication and leadership. This is because they place importance on the ability to communicate the client's requirements to technical teams and to manage resources and demands on time.

Registration and professional bodies

Career tips

Experience of project management methods like PRINCE2 will be helpful along with a working knowledge of project development and information management practices like Agile and ITIL.

Further information

You can find out more about working and training in computing and IT from:

  • The Chartered Institute for IT
  • techskills
  • GOV.UK

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

Solutions architect

You can get into this job through:

University

You could do a degree or postgraduate qualification in computing.

Relevant subjects include:

  • computer science
  • software development
  • business information systems
  • computing systems engineering
  • cloud computing

Choosing a course that includes an internship or industry work placement could give you an advantage when looking for jobs.

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 apply to do a Digital and Technology Solutions Level 6 Degree Apprenticeship.

This takes around 4 years to complete and combines work-based training with academic study.

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 degree apprenticeship

Apply directly

You can apply directly for jobs if you have experience in computing, for example software development.

It's also helpful if you have some experience and knowledge of the industry you want to work in, for instance banking, digital communications or retail.

Registration and professional bodies

Career tips

You'll find it useful to have an understanding of service design principles, IT industry standards and agile project management methods.

Further information

You can find out more about working and training in computing from:

  • The Chartered Institute for IT
  • techskills
  • GOV.UK

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

Apprenticeships

5 for this job
Level 6About 4 yearsDegree

Digital and technology solutions professional

You gain
Digital and Technology Solutions Professional
Leads to
British Computer Society
Details on Skills England

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

Other qualifications

QualificationTypeLevel
NCFE Level 5 Diploma: Data EngineerHigher technical5

The work

ONS · ESCO · O*NET

Typical tasks

  • liaises with internal/external clients to analyse business procedure, clarify clients’ requirements and to define the scope of existing software, hardware and network provision
  • undertakes feasibility studies for major IT developments incorporating costs and benefits, and presents proposals to clients
  • communicates the impact of emerging technologies to clients and advises upon the potential introduction of such technology
  • provides advice and assistance in the procurement, provision, delivery, installation, maintenance and use of IT systems and their environments
  • examines existing business models and flows of data and designs functional specifications and test plans for new systems in order to meet clients’ needs
  • researches, analyses, evaluates and monitors network infrastructure and performance
  • works closely with clients to implement new systems

Skills

  • define technical requirements
  • execute analytical mathematical calculations
  • provide ICT consulting advice
  • provide technical documentation

Knowledge

  • systems development life-cycle
  • computer programming
  • ICT project management methodologies
  • information extraction
  • resource description framework query language
  • visual presentation techniques
  • Agile project management
  • AJAX

Suits people who like

  • Working with ideas and solving problems
  • Organising and following procedures

Outlook

DfE · Skills Imperative 2035
Broader groupThese projections are for science, research, engineering and technology professionals, a group of 28 jobs that includes systems analysts.
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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