Cyber Essentials Contract Job Trends in England

Cyber Essentials
UK > England

The table below provides summary statistics and contractor rates for jobs advertised in England requiring Cyber Essentials skills. It covers contract job vacancies from the 6 months leading up to 12 June 2026, with comparisons to the same periods in the previous two years.

6 months to
12 Jun 2026
Same period 2025 Same period 2024
Rank 458 433 470
Rank change year-on-year -25 +37 +58
Contract jobs citing Cyber Essentials 148 56 60
As % of all contract jobs in England 0.35% 0.23% 0.16%
As % of the Quality Assurance & Compliance category 2.06% 1.40% 1.18%
Number of daily rates quoted 106 30 42
10th Percentile £406 £272 £256
25th Percentile £466 £433 £394
Median daily rate (50th Percentile) £540 £550 £513
Median % change year-on-year -1.82% +7.32% -13.14%
75th Percentile £586 £619 £600
90th Percentile £675 £690 £661
UK median daily rate £540 £550 £500
% change year-on-year -1.82% +10.00% -9.01%
Number of hourly rates quoted 4 3 0
10th Percentile £53.40 £27.93 -
25th Percentile £56.64 £28.52 -
Median hourly rate £63.14 £31.49 -
Median % change year-on-year +100.49% - -
75th Percentile £67.84 £55.94 -
90th Percentile - £69.41 -
UK median hourly rate £63.14 £52.55 -
% change year-on-year +20.15% - -

All Quality Assurance and Compliance Skills
England

Cyber Essentials falls under the Quality Assurance and Compliance category. For comparison with the information above, the following table provides summary statistics for all contract job vacancies requiring quality assurance or compliance skills in England.

Contract vacancies with a requirement for quality assurance or compliance skills 7,194 3,989 5,080
As % of all contract IT jobs advertised in England 16.87% 16.27% 13.56%
Number of daily rates quoted 4,659 2,558 3,206
10th Percentile £350 £268 £300
25th Percentile £413 £400 £406
Median daily rate (50th Percentile) £500 £505 £525
Median % change year-on-year -0.89% -3.90% -
75th Percentile £608 £625 £638
90th Percentile £700 £725 £750
UK median daily rate £500 £500 £509
% change year-on-year - -1.77% -3.05%
Number of hourly rates quoted 462 169 382
10th Percentile £14.00 £15.26 £10.95
25th Percentile £18.77 £22.14 £12.88
Median hourly rate £35.50 £33.88 £23.90
Median % change year-on-year +4.78% +41.76% -43.76%
75th Percentile £67.50 £67.50 £48.75
90th Percentile £82.25 £83.78 £70.00
UK median hourly rate £36.07 £32.50 £23.30
% change year-on-year +10.98% +39.51% -39.82%

Cyber Essentials
Job Vacancy Trend in England

Historical trend showing the proportion of contract IT job postings citing Cyber Essentials relative to all contract IT jobs advertised in England.

Cyber Essentials job vacancy trend in England

Cyber Essentials
Daily Rate Trend in England

Contractor daily rate distribution trend for jobs in England citing Cyber Essentials.

Contractor daily rate distribution trend for jobs in England citing Cyber Essentials

Cyber Essentials
Daily Rate Histogram in England

Daily rate distribution for jobs citing Cyber Essentials in England over the 6 months to 12 June 2026.

Daily rate histogram for Cyber Essentials in England

Cyber Essentials
Hourly Rate Trend in England

Contractor hourly rate distribution trend for jobs in England citing Cyber Essentials.

Contractor hourly rate distribution trend for jobs in England citing Cyber Essentials

Cyber Essentials
Contract Job Locations in England

The table below looks at the demand and provides a guide to the median contractor rates quoted in IT jobs citing Cyber Essentials within the England region over the 6 months to 12 June 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
London -27 63 £564 +7.43% 30
South East -38 42 £525 -8.70% 35
East of England -12 14 £475 +90.76% 11
North of England -64 13 £540 -6.09% 24
South West -21 8 £538 +13.16% 15
Yorkshire -47 7 £540 -6.09% 15
North West -28 6 £558 +147.78% 6
West Midlands -55 6 £540 +66.15% 10
Midlands -62 6 £540 +66.15% 23
Cyber Essentials
UK

Cyber Essentials
Co-Occurring Skills & Capabilities in England 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 16 (10.81%) SharePoint
2 8 (5.41%) Microsoft Exchange
3 3 (2.03%) Confluence
4 1 (0.68%) Anypoint
Applications
1 9 (6.08%) Microsoft Office
2 4 (2.70%) Microsoft Excel
3 1 (0.68%) AutoCAD
3 1 (0.68%) Microsoft PowerPoint
Business Applications
1 2 (1.35%) Oracle ERP
Cloud Services
1 65 (43.92%) Azure
2 62 (41.89%) Microsoft 365
3 30 (20.27%) Microsoft Purview
4 25 (16.89%) Entra ID
5 20 (13.51%) Mimecast
6 11 (7.43%) SaaS
7 9 (6.08%) Azure Sentinel
7 9 (6.08%) IaaS
7 9 (6.08%) PaaS
8 7 (4.73%) AWS
9 5 (3.38%) GitHub
10 4 (2.70%) OCI
11 3 (2.03%) Azure Logic Apps
12 2 (1.35%) Amazon EKS
12 2 (1.35%) Amazon GuardDuty
12 2 (1.35%) Azure Event Grid
12 2 (1.35%) Azure ExpressRoute
12 2 (1.35%) Azure Monitor
12 2 (1.35%) Azure Service Bus
12 2 (1.35%) GitHub Actions
Communications & Networking
1 22 (14.86%) Firewall
2 17 (11.49%) VPN
3 16 (10.81%) Network Security
4 5 (3.38%) VSAN
5 4 (2.70%) BGP
5 4 (2.70%) Cisco ASA
5 4 (2.70%) Cisco IOS
5 4 (2.70%) MPLS
5 4 (2.70%) TACACS
6 3 (2.03%) Wireless
7 2 (1.35%) SAN
7 2 (1.35%) VLAN
8 1 (0.68%) DHCP
8 1 (0.68%) DNS
8 1 (0.68%) Intrusion Detection
8 1 (0.68%) LAN
8 1 (0.68%) NAS
8 1 (0.68%) SSL
8 1 (0.68%) WAN
8 1 (0.68%) Wi-Fi
Database & Business Intelligence
1 3 (2.03%) Metadata
2 2 (1.35%) Azure SQL Database
3 1 (0.68%) Oracle Reports
Development Applications
1 1 (0.68%) MSI
General
1 67 (45.27%) Social Skills
2 25 (16.89%) Public Sector
3 23 (15.54%) Finance
4 11 (7.43%) Analytical Skills
5 7 (4.73%) Aerospace
6 6 (4.05%) Local Government
6 6 (4.05%) Organisational Skills
7 5 (3.38%) Inclusion and Diversity
8 4 (2.70%) Legal
9 3 (2.03%) Influencing Skills
10 1 (0.68%) Documentation Skills
10 1 (0.68%) Financial Institution
10 1 (0.68%) Military
Job Titles
1 28 (18.92%) Security Engineer
2 20 (13.51%) Architect
3 18 (12.16%) Cybersecurity Engineer
4 17 (11.49%) Senior
5 15 (10.14%) Security Specialist
6 14 (9.46%) Cybersecurity Specialist
7 12 (8.11%) Analyst
8 11 (7.43%) Infrastructure Engineer
9 10 (6.76%) Technical Architect
10 8 (5.41%) Security Analyst
10 8 (5.41%) Security Manager
11 6 (4.05%) IT Engineer
11 6 (4.05%) Lead
11 6 (4.05%) Project Manager
11 6 (4.05%) Solutions Architect
12 5 (3.38%) 3rd Line Support
12 5 (3.38%) Consultant
12 5 (3.38%) Cybersecurity Manager
12 5 (3.38%) Information Security Engineer
12 5 (3.38%) Infrastructure Security Engineer
Libraries, Frameworks & Software Standards
1 4 (2.70%) LDAP
1 4 (2.70%) OAuth
2 3 (2.03%) Oracle Fusion
3 2 (1.35%) Microsoft Graph
4 1 (0.68%) JSON
4 1 (0.68%) JWT
4 1 (0.68%) Middleware
4 1 (0.68%) OAuth2
4 1 (0.68%) OpenAPI
4 1 (0.68%) OpenID
4 1 (0.68%) RAML
4 1 (0.68%) RESTful
4 1 (0.68%) SAML
4 1 (0.68%) Software Packaging
4 1 (0.68%) STL
4 1 (0.68%) Swagger
4 1 (0.68%) XML
4 1 (0.68%) XML Schema
Miscellaneous
1 20 (13.51%) Operational Technology
2 12 (8.11%) Onboarding
3 11 (7.43%) Hybrid Cloud
3 11 (7.43%) SCADA
4 9 (6.08%) PKI
5 7 (4.73%) Cloud Native
5 7 (4.73%) Cyber Defence
5 7 (4.73%) Management Information System
6 6 (4.05%) Security Operations Centre
7 5 (3.38%) BYOD
7 5 (3.38%) Driving Licence
7 5 (3.38%) Public Cloud
7 5 (3.38%) Security Posture
8 4 (2.70%) Analytical Mindset
8 4 (2.70%) Cyber Threat
8 4 (2.70%) NHS
9 3 (2.03%) Taxonomies
10 2 (1.35%) Cybercrime
10 2 (1.35%) Data Centre
10 2 (1.35%) Mobile App
Operating Systems
1 27 (18.24%) Linux
2 24 (16.22%) Windows
3 12 (8.11%) Windows Server
4 7 (4.73%) Unix
5 6 (4.05%) Ubuntu
6 2 (1.35%) Red Hat Enterprise Linux
6 2 (1.35%) Windows Server 2012
7 1 (0.68%) Android
7 1 (0.68%) Apple iOS
7 1 (0.68%) VMS
7 1 (0.68%) Windows 10
7 1 (0.68%) Windows Server 2019
Processes & Methodologies
1 97 (65.54%) Cybersecurity
2 36 (24.32%) Data Loss Prevention
3 29 (19.59%) Information Security
3 29 (19.59%) Risk Management
3 29 (19.59%) SIEM
4 28 (18.92%) Vulnerability Management
5 25 (16.89%) Stakeholder Engagement
6 21 (14.19%) Incident Response
6 21 (14.19%) ITSM
7 20 (13.51%) CI/CD
7 20 (13.51%) Zero Trust
8 18 (12.16%) Risk Register
9 16 (10.81%) Risk Assessment
9 16 (10.81%) Security Architecture
10 15 (10.14%) Infrastructure Engineering
10 15 (10.14%) RBAC
10 15 (10.14%) Security Operations
11 14 (9.46%) Change Control
11 14 (9.46%) Roadmaps
12 13 (8.78%) Migration
Programming Languages
1 15 (10.14%) PowerShell
2 10 (6.76%) Python
3 5 (3.38%) Bash
3 5 (3.38%) Kusto Query Language
4 4 (2.70%) PHP
4 4 (2.70%) SQL
Qualifications
1 51 (34.46%) Security Cleared
2 48 (32.43%) SC Cleared
3 21 (14.19%) CISSP
4 15 (10.14%) CISM
4 15 (10.14%) Degree
5 12 (8.11%) Cisco Certification
6 11 (7.43%) DV Cleared
7 10 (6.76%) GIAC
8 8 (5.41%) CESG Certified Professional
8 8 (5.41%) SSCP
9 7 (4.73%) (ISC)2 CCSP
9 7 (4.73%) CRISC
9 7 (4.73%) GSEC
10 5 (3.38%) CCNA
10 5 (3.38%) CompTIA Security+
10 5 (3.38%) Microsoft Certification
10 5 (3.38%) SANS
11 4 (2.70%) APMG
11 4 (2.70%) Azure Certification
11 4 (2.70%) MCSE
Quality Assurance & Compliance
1 76 (51.35%) ISO/IEC 27001
2 63 (42.57%) Cyber Essentials PLUS
3 56 (37.84%) NIST
4 30 (20.27%) NCSC
5 26 (17.57%) GDPR
6 19 (12.84%) PCI DSS
7 16 (10.81%) GRC
8 12 (8.11%) ISO 31000
9 10 (6.76%) NIST 800
10 7 (4.73%) Def Stans
10 7 (4.73%) ISO/IEC 27002 (supersedes ISO/IEC 17799)
11 6 (4.05%) IASME
12 4 (2.70%) HMG Security Policy Framework
13 3 (2.03%) ISO 22301
13 3 (2.03%) ISO/IEC 27005
13 3 (2.03%) SLA
14 2 (1.35%) COBIT
14 2 (1.35%) Government Security Classifications
15 1 (0.68%) Actionable Recommendations
15 1 (0.68%) PMO
System Software
1 17 (11.49%) Active Directory
2 16 (10.81%) VMware Infrastructure
3 5 (3.38%) Hyper-V
3 5 (3.38%) VMware NSX
4 4 (2.70%) VMware ESXi
5 3 (2.03%) Docker
6 1 (0.68%) Virtual Desktop
6 1 (0.68%) Virtual Machines
6 1 (0.68%) vSphere
Systems Management
1 17 (11.49%) Microsoft Intune
2 12 (8.11%) Kubernetes
3 7 (4.73%) AirWatch
4 4 (2.70%) Single Sign-On
4 4 (2.70%) Terraform
4 4 (2.70%) vCenter Server
5 3 (2.03%) Ansible
5 3 (2.03%) Podman
5 3 (2.03%) SCOM
6 2 (1.35%) Nessus
7 1 (0.68%) CASB
7 1 (0.68%) RSA Archer
Vendors
1 74 (50.00%) Microsoft
2 25 (16.89%) Cisco
3 24 (16.22%) VMware
4 18 (12.16%) CrowdStrike
5 15 (10.14%) CyberArk
5 15 (10.14%) Netskope
6 13 (8.78%) ServiceNow
7 9 (6.08%) Palo Alto
8 5 (3.38%) Barracuda Networks
9 4 (2.70%) Oracle
10 3 (2.03%) Atlassian
10 3 (2.03%) Tenable
11 2 (1.35%) Qualys
11 2 (1.35%) Snow
11 2 (1.35%) Sophos
12 1 (0.68%) AlienVault
12 1 (0.68%) Apple
12 1 (0.68%) Freshdesk
12 1 (0.68%) Juniper
12 1 (0.68%) SAP