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

 6 months to
22 Aug 2026		 Same period 2025 Same period 2024
Rank 484 436 471
Rank change year-on-year -48 +35 +14
Contract jobs citing Cyber Essentials 148 82 61
As % of all contract jobs in England 0.32% 0.30% 0.18%
As % of the Quality Assurance & Compliance category 1.84% 1.72% 1.40%
Number of daily rates quoted 101 59 42
10th Percentile £375 £325 £256
25th Percentile £450 £450 £475
Median daily rate (50th Percentile) £525 £575 £503
Median % change year-on-year -8.70% +14.43% -6.07%
75th Percentile £575 £650 £600
90th Percentile £713 £688 £650
UK median daily rate £513 £575 £520
% change year-on-year -10.87% +10.58% -0.95%
Number of hourly rates quoted 8 3 0
10th Percentile £56.28 £27.93 -
25th Percentile £58.43 £28.52 -
Median hourly rate £63.14 £31.49 -
Median % change year-on-year +100.49% - -
75th Percentile £71.00 £34.16 -
90th Percentile - £34.58 -
UK median hourly rate £63.14 £31.49 -
% change year-on-year +100.49% - -

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 8,043 4,754 4,369
As % of all contract IT jobs advertised in England 17.53% 17.23% 13.16%
Number of daily rates quoted 5,132 3,114 2,711
10th Percentile £338 £285 £300
25th Percentile £413 £400 £406
Median daily rate (50th Percentile) £508 £500 £525
Median % change year-on-year +1.65% -4.76% -2.33%
75th Percentile £609 £625 £638
90th Percentile £713 £725 £750
UK median daily rate £500 £500 £512
% change year-on-year - -2.34% -2.48%
Number of hourly rates quoted 543 226 261
10th Percentile £14.00 £15.13 £10.95
25th Percentile £17.88 £18.50 £13.26
Median hourly rate £36.07 £31.64 £27.50
Median % change year-on-year +14.00% +15.05% -21.43%
75th Percentile £70.00 £64.69 £62.56
90th Percentile £80.00 £86.50 £70.00
UK median hourly rate £36.07 £28.18 £25.00
% change year-on-year +28.00% +12.72% -28.57%

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 22 August 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
Hourly Rate Histogram in England

Hourly rate distribution of jobs citing Cyber Essentials in England over the 6 months to 22 August 2026.

Hourly rate histogram for Cyber Essentials in England

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 22 August 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 -48 68 £564 -9.54% 64
South East -38 42 £506 -7.95% 46
North of England -54 19 £450 -18.18% 29
Midlands -47 10 £550 -1.12% 33
Yorkshire -30 9 £520 -5.45% 8
West Midlands -40 9 £550 - 22
North West -43 9 £425 +47.83% 16
South West -42 5 £570 +62.86% 27
East of England -25 2 £455 +82.73% 20
East Midlands -22 1 - - 11
North East -44 1 £500 -29.82% 6
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 6 (4.05%) Microsoft Exchange
3 3 (2.03%) Confluence
4 1 (0.68%) Anypoint
Applications
1 4 (2.70%) Microsoft Excel
1 4 (2.70%) Microsoft Office
2 2 (1.35%) Microsoft PowerPoint
Business Applications
1 2 (1.35%) Oracle ERP
Cloud Services
1 67 (45.27%) Microsoft 365
2 64 (43.24%) Azure
3 36 (24.32%) Entra ID
4 14 (9.46%) Microsoft Purview
5 13 (8.78%) SaaS
6 11 (7.43%) Mimecast
7 10 (6.76%) Azure Sentinel
7 10 (6.76%) GitHub
8 8 (5.41%) AWS
9 6 (4.05%) Azure DevOps
9 6 (4.05%) GitHub Actions
9 6 (4.05%) IaaS
9 6 (4.05%) PaaS
10 4 (2.70%) Azure Logic Apps
10 4 (2.70%) Power Platform
11 3 (2.03%) Azure Event Grid
11 3 (2.03%) Azure ExpressRoute
11 3 (2.03%) Azure Monitor
11 3 (2.03%) Azure Service Bus
11 3 (2.03%) Serverless
Communications & Networking
1 16 (10.81%) Firewall
2 10 (6.76%) VPN
3 9 (6.08%) Network Security
4 5 (3.38%) Intranet
5 4 (2.70%) Wi-Fi
6 3 (2.03%) DHCP
6 3 (2.03%) DMZ
6 3 (2.03%) DNS
6 3 (2.03%) LAN
6 3 (2.03%) VLAN
6 3 (2.03%) VSAN
6 3 (2.03%) WAN
7 2 (1.35%) NAS
7 2 (1.35%) SAN
7 2 (1.35%) SSL
7 2 (1.35%) Wireless
8 1 (0.68%) Cisco ISE
8 1 (0.68%) Intrusion Detection
8 1 (0.68%) WLAN
Database & Business Intelligence
1 3 (2.03%) Azure SQL Database
2 2 (1.35%) Metadata
3 1 (0.68%) Data Lake
3 1 (0.68%) Data Warehouse
3 1 (0.68%) Oracle Reports
Development Applications
1 3 (2.03%) GitLab
1 3 (2.03%) Jenkins
2 1 (0.68%) JIRA
2 1 (0.68%) MSI
General
1 67 (45.27%) Social Skills
2 26 (17.57%) Public Sector
3 20 (13.51%) Analytical Skills
4 15 (10.14%) Finance
5 8 (5.41%) Local Government
6 6 (4.05%) Legal
7 5 (3.38%) Aerospace
7 5 (3.38%) Inclusion and Diversity
7 5 (3.38%) Organisational Skills
8 4 (2.70%) Documentation Skills
9 2 (1.35%) Influencing Skills
9 2 (1.35%) Manufacturing
9 2 (1.35%) Telecoms
10 1 (0.68%) Automotive
10 1 (0.68%) Banking
10 1 (0.68%) Financial Institution
10 1 (0.68%) Law
10 1 (0.68%) Military
10 1 (0.68%) Retail
Job Titles
1 21 (14.19%) Analyst
2 17 (11.49%) Security Analyst
3 16 (10.81%) Architect
4 15 (10.14%) Senior
5 14 (9.46%) Security Engineer
5 14 (9.46%) Security Specialist
6 12 (8.11%) Cybersecurity Engineer
7 11 (7.43%) Cybersecurity Specialist
7 11 (7.43%) Lead
8 10 (6.76%) Infrastructure Engineer
8 10 (6.76%) Security Manager
9 6 (4.05%) Consultant
9 6 (4.05%) Cybersecurity Manager
9 6 (4.05%) IT Engineer
9 6 (4.05%) IT Manager
9 6 (4.05%) Senior Architect
9 6 (4.05%) Solutions Architect
10 5 (3.38%) Governance Manager
10 5 (3.38%) IT Analyst
10 5 (3.38%) Project Manager
Libraries, Frameworks & Software Standards
1 8 (5.41%) Terraform
2 3 (2.03%) 802.1X
2 3 (2.03%) ARM Templates
3 2 (1.35%) EDI
3 2 (1.35%) Microsoft Graph
3 2 (1.35%) OAuth
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%) Swagger
4 1 (0.68%) XML
4 1 (0.68%) XML Schema
Miscellaneous
1 16 (10.81%) Operational Technology
2 14 (9.46%) Onboarding
3 11 (7.43%) Security Operations Centre
3 11 (7.43%) Security Posture
4 10 (6.76%) Hybrid Cloud
4 10 (6.76%) Management Information System
5 9 (6.08%) Cyber Threat
6 8 (5.41%) Cyber Defence
7 6 (4.05%) Cloud Native
7 6 (4.05%) SCADA
8 5 (3.38%) Analytical Mindset
8 5 (3.38%) BYOD
9 3 (2.03%) Driving Licence
9 3 (2.03%) Legacy Systems
9 3 (2.03%) PKI
10 2 (1.35%) CESG
10 2 (1.35%) Data Protection Act
10 2 (1.35%) NHS
10 2 (1.35%) Public Cloud
10 2 (1.35%) Taxonomies
Operating Systems
1 27 (18.24%) Windows
2 16 (10.81%) Linux
3 11 (7.43%) Windows Server
4 7 (4.73%) Unix
5 5 (3.38%) Windows 10
6 2 (1.35%) Windows Server 2019
7 1 (0.68%) Android
7 1 (0.68%) Apple iOS
Processes & Methodologies
1 103 (69.59%) Cybersecurity
2 45 (30.41%) Vulnerability Management
3 34 (22.97%) Information Security
3 34 (22.97%) Stakeholder Engagement
4 33 (22.30%) SIEM
5 31 (20.95%) Risk Management
6 30 (20.27%) Incident Response
7 24 (16.22%) Security Operations
8 23 (15.54%) CI/CD
8 23 (15.54%) RBAC
9 22 (14.86%) Security Architecture
10 20 (13.51%) Continuous Improvement
11 19 (12.84%) Risk Register
11 19 (12.84%) Stakeholder Management
12 18 (12.16%) Cyber Threat Intelligence
12 18 (12.16%) Incident Management
12 18 (12.16%) ITSM
12 18 (12.16%) Threat Intelligence
13 17 (11.49%) Data Loss Prevention
13 17 (11.49%) Risk Assessment
Programming Languages
1 16 (10.81%) PowerShell
2 7 (4.73%) Bash
2 7 (4.73%) Python
3 3 (2.03%) Bicep
3 3 (2.03%) SQL
Qualifications
1 43 (29.05%) Security Cleared
2 41 (27.70%) SC Cleared
3 31 (20.95%) CISSP
4 20 (13.51%) CISM
5 18 (12.16%) Cisco Certification
6 11 (7.43%) (ISC)2 CCSP
6 11 (7.43%) Degree
7 10 (6.76%) CESG Certified Professional
8 9 (6.08%) CRISC
8 9 (6.08%) DV Cleared
9 7 (4.73%) CompTIA Security+
9 7 (4.73%) GIAC
9 7 (4.73%) Microsoft Certification
10 6 (4.05%) Azure Certification
10 6 (4.05%) CCNA
11 5 (3.38%) CEH
11 5 (3.38%) ISO 27001 Lead Auditor
11 5 (3.38%) MCSE
11 5 (3.38%) SANS
12 4 (2.70%) RHCA
Quality Assurance & Compliance
1 92 (62.16%) ISO/IEC 27001
2 73 (49.32%) Cyber Essentials PLUS
3 58 (39.19%) NIST
4 34 (22.97%) NCSC
5 25 (16.89%) GDPR
6 23 (15.54%) GRC
7 17 (11.49%) PCI DSS
8 11 (7.43%) ISO 31000
8 11 (7.43%) NIST 800
9 8 (5.41%) IASME
10 7 (4.73%) ISO/IEC 27002 (supersedes ISO/IEC 17799)
11 5 (3.38%) SLA
12 4 (2.70%) ISO/IEC 27005
12 4 (2.70%) PMO
13 3 (2.03%) Def Stans
13 3 (2.03%) Government Security Classifications
13 3 (2.03%) HMG Security Policy Framework
14 2 (1.35%) Actionable Recommendations
14 2 (1.35%) COBIT
14 2 (1.35%) ISO 22301
System Software
1 28 (18.92%) Active Directory
2 13 (8.78%) VMware Infrastructure
3 4 (2.70%) Docker
3 4 (2.70%) Hyper-V
4 3 (2.03%) VMware ESXi
4 3 (2.03%) VMware NSX
5 2 (1.35%) Virtual Desktop
5 2 (1.35%) vSphere
6 1 (0.68%) Firmware
6 1 (0.68%) Virtual Machines
Systems Management
1 16 (10.81%) Kubernetes
2 14 (9.46%) Microsoft Intune
3 7 (4.73%) Ansible
4 4 (2.70%) Podman
4 4 (2.70%) SCCM
5 3 (2.03%) FortiGate
5 3 (2.03%) Nessus
5 3 (2.03%) Single Sign-On
5 3 (2.03%) vCenter Server
6 2 (1.35%) QRadar
7 1 (0.68%) RSA Archer
Vendors
1 75 (50.68%) Microsoft
2 15 (10.14%) Cisco
3 14 (9.46%) ServiceNow
3 14 (9.46%) VMware
4 10 (6.76%) CrowdStrike
5 8 (5.41%) CyberArk
5 8 (5.41%) Netskope
6 4 (2.70%) Atlassian
6 4 (2.70%) Tenable
7 3 (2.03%) Citrix
7 3 (2.03%) Palo Alto
7 3 (2.03%) Splunk
7 3 (2.03%) Zscaler
8 2 (1.35%) Oracle
8 2 (1.35%) Sophos
9 1 (0.68%) Apple
9 1 (0.68%) Barracuda Networks
9 1 (0.68%) Dell
9 1 (0.68%) Juniper
9 1 (0.68%) SAP
203 Cyber Essentials jobs in England