Desktop Support Contract Job Trends in England
Desktop Support
UK > England
The median Desktop Support daily rate in England is £220, according to job vacancies posted in the 6 months leading up to 24 October 2026.
The table below compares current contractor rates and summary statistics with the previous two years.
| 6 months to 24 Oct 2026 |
Same period 2025 | Same period 2024 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | 464 | 302 | 328 |
| Rank change year-on-year | -162 | +26 | -41 |
| Contract Desktop Support jobs | 187 | 241 | 185 |
| As % of all contract jobs in England | 0.40% | 0.85% | 0.59% |
| As % of the Job Titles category | 0.44% | 0.93% | 0.63% |
| Number of daily rates quoted | 111 | 160 | 114 |
| 10th Percentile | £150 | £154 | £144 |
| 25th Percentile | £171 | £163 | £171 |
| Median daily rate (50th Percentile) | £220 | £209 | £215 |
| Median % change year-on-year | +5.39% | -2.91% | +7.50% |
| 75th Percentile | £241 | £250 | £239 |
| 90th Percentile | £300 | £278 | £269 |
| UK median daily rate | £210 | £200 | £210 |
| % change year-on-year | +5.00% | -4.76% | +5.00% |
| Number of hourly rates quoted | 24 | 32 | 10 |
| 10th Percentile | £13.70 | £16.61 | £18.13 |
| 25th Percentile | £17.25 | £21.07 | £23.10 |
| Median hourly rate | £22.00 | £25.15 | £27.00 |
| Median % change year-on-year | -12.52% | -6.85% | +40.26% |
| 75th Percentile | £23.56 | £31.80 | £31.56 |
| 90th Percentile | £24.28 | £33.75 | £38.60 |
| UK median hourly rate | £22.00 | £25.00 | £24.18 |
| % change year-on-year | -12.00% | +3.39% | +25.61% |
All Contract IT Job Roles
England
For comparison with the information above, the following table provides summary statistics for all contract IT job adverts in England matching a recognised job title. The table also shows what proportion of all contract IT job adverts they make up.
| 6 months to 24 Oct 2026 |
Same period 2025 | Same period 2024 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Contract job adverts in England matching a recognised job title | 42,799 | 25,986 | 29,380 |
| % of contract job adverts matching a recognised job title | 91.76% | 91.12% | 93.05% |
| Number of daily rates quoted | 25,211 | 16,704 | 17,944 |
| 10th Percentile | £325 | £280 | £300 |
| 25th Percentile | £425 | £404 | £413 |
| Median daily rate (50th Percentile) | £525 | £512 | £525 |
| Median % change year-on-year | +2.64% | -2.57% | -2.78% |
| 75th Percentile | £638 | £625 | £638 |
| 90th Percentile | £738 | £725 | £750 |
| UK median daily rate | £525 | £500 | £525 |
| % change year-on-year | +5.00% | -4.76% | - |
| Number of hourly rates quoted | 3,838 | 1,490 | 1,174 |
| 10th Percentile | £14.28 | £13.85 | £15.10 |
| 25th Percentile | £19.78 | £17.34 | £21.25 |
| Median hourly rate | £41.71 | £25.15 | £42.50 |
| Median % change year-on-year | +65.84% | -40.82% | -6.69% |
| 75th Percentile | £68.00 | £50.94 | £67.50 |
| 90th Percentile | £80.00 | £70.16 | £75.00 |
| UK median hourly rate | £41.00 | £25.15 | £40.00 |
| % change year-on-year | +63.02% | -37.13% | -10.11% |
Desktop Support Job Vacancy Trend in England
Historical trend showing the proportion of contract Desktop Support job postings relative to all contract IT jobs advertised in England.
Desktop Support Daily Rate Trend in England
Contractor daily rate distribution trend for Desktop Support job vacancies in England.
Desktop Support Daily Rate Histogram in England
Daily rate distribution for Desktop Support jobs in England over the 6 months to 24 October 2026.
Desktop Support Hourly Rate Trend in England
Contractor hourly rate distribution trend for Desktop Support job vacancies in England.
Desktop Support Hourly Rate Histogram in England
Hourly rate distribution for Desktop Support jobs in England over the 6 months to 24 October 2026.
Desktop Support Contract Job Locations in England
The table below looks at the demand and provides a guide to the median contractor rates quoted in Desktop Support jobs within the England region over the 6 months to 24 October 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 |
Job Ads Past 6 Months |
Median Daily Rate Past 6 Months |
Median Daily Rate % Change on Same Period Last Year |
Live Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| London | -90 | 78 | £225 | +12.50% | 15 |
| North of England | -80 | 35 | £235 | +23.68% | 3 |
| South East | -71 | 27 | £180 | -16.28% | 4 |
| North West | -53 | 26 | £235 | +17.50% | 2 |
| Midlands | -45 | 19 | £218 | +27.57% | 9 |
| South West | -64 | 16 | £225 | -4.26% | 2 |
| East of England | -22 | 13 | £190 | -13.64% | 2 |
| West Midlands | -47 | 13 | £210 | +20.00% | 2 |
| Yorkshire | -40 | 9 | £240 | +2.13% | 1 |
| East Midlands | -20 | 6 | £250 | +58.73% | 7 |
| Desktop Support UK |
|||||
Desktop Support Skill Set Top 30 Co-Occurring Skills & Capabilities in England
For the 6 months to 24 October 2026, Desktop Support contract job ads cited the following skills and capabilities in order of popularity. The figures indicate the absolute number of co-occurrences and as a proportion of all contract Desktop Support job ads across the England region.
| Rank | Skill | Share | Job Ads |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Windows | 73.8% | 138 |
| 2 | Microsoft | 50.8% | 95 |
| 3 | Microsoft 365 | 47.1% | 88 |
| 4 | Active Directory | 40.1% | 75 |
| 5 | ITIL | 34.2% | 64 |
| 6 | Customer Service | 32.1% | 60 |
| 7 | ITSM | 28.3% | 53 |
| 8 | Windows 10 | 24.1% | 45 |
| 9 | SCCM | 23.0% | 43 |
| 10 | Service Management | 19.8% | 37 |
| 11 | Security Cleared | 17.1% | 32 |
| 11 | ServiceNow | 17.1% | 32 |
| 13 | Microsoft Intune | 16.0% | 30 |
| 14 | Service Delivery | 15.5% | 29 |
| 15 | SC Cleared | 15.0% | 28 |
| 16 | Degree | 14.4% | 27 |
| 16 | SharePoint | 14.4% | 27 |
| 18 | macOS | 13.4% | 25 |
| 19 | Entra ID | 12.3% | 23 |
| 19 | VPN | 12.3% | 23 |
| 21 | Asset Management | 11.8% | 22 |
| 21 | Problem-Solving | 11.8% | 22 |
| 23 | PowerShell | 11.2% | 21 |
| 24 | Azure | 10.7% | 20 |
| 25 | Citrix | 10.2% | 19 |
| 25 | OneDrive | 10.2% | 19 |
| 25 | SLA | 10.2% | 19 |
| 28 | Android | 9.6% | 18 |
| 28 | Apple iOS | 9.6% | 18 |
| 28 | Microsoft Exchange | 9.6% | 18 |
Desktop Support Skill Set Co-Occurring Skills & Capabilities in England by Category
The table below expands on the one above by listing co-occurrences one category at a time. It covers the same employment type, locality and period, with up to 20 co-occurrences in each category.
Job Titles
| Rank | Job Title | Share | Job Ads |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Support Engineer | 69.5% | 130 |
| 2 | Desktop Support Engineer | 62.0% | 116 |
| 3 | 2nd Line Support | 13.9% | 26 |
| 4 | 2nd Line Desktop Support | 13.4% | 25 |
| 5 | 2nd Line Support Engineer | 12.3% | 23 |
| 6 | 2nd Line Desktop Support Engineer | 11.8% | 22 |
| 6 | Desktop Support Analyst | 11.8% | 22 |
| 8 | Deskside Support | 10.7% | 20 |
| 9 | IT Support | 10.2% | 19 |
| 10 | Deskside Support Engineer | 7.5% | 14 |
| 11 | SC Cleared Desktop Support | 7.0% | 13 |
| 12 | IT Support Engineer | 6.4% | 12 |
| 13 | 1st Line Support Engineer | 5.3% | 10 |
| 14 | 1st/2nd Line Desktop Support | 3.2% | 6 |
| 14 | Desktop Support Technician | 3.2% | 6 |
| 16 | Microsoft 365 Engineer | 2.7% | 5 |
| 17 | 3rd Line Support | 2.1% | 4 |
| 17 | IT Support Analyst | 2.1% | 4 |
| 17 | Mobile Engineer | 2.1% | 4 |
| 20 | 1st/2nd Line Support Analyst | 1.6% | 3 |