Cisco Contract Job Trends

Cisco
UK

The table below provides summary statistics for contract job vacancies requiring knowledge or experience of Cisco products and/or services. It includes a benchmarking guide to contractor rates offered in vacancies that cited Cisco over the 6 months leading up to 11 June 2026, comparing them to the same period in the previous two years.

The figures below represent the IT contractor job market in general and are not representative of contractor rates within Cisco Systems, Inc.

6 months to
11 Jun 2026
Same period 2025 Same period 2024
Rank 112 63 64
Rank change year-on-year -49 +1 -5
Contract jobs citing Cisco 1,127 1,078 1,318
As % of all contract jobs in the UK 2.26% 3.67% 3.02%
As % of the Vendors category 5.56% 7.71% 7.15%
Number of daily rates quoted 781 664 810
10th Percentile £300 £300 £250
25th Percentile £402 £406 £375
Median daily rate (50th Percentile) £475 £500 £475
Median % change year-on-year -5.00% +5.26% -
75th Percentile £573 £588 £588
90th Percentile £643 £649 £675
UK excluding London median daily rate £475 £500 £475
% change year-on-year -5.00% +5.26% +5.56%
Number of hourly rates quoted 30 25 37
10th Percentile £25.32 £17.93 £13.29
25th Percentile £44.00 £24.66 £16.00
Median hourly rate £55.00 £35.00 £25.00
Median % change year-on-year +57.14% +40.00% -50.00%
75th Percentile £73.69 £45.00 £41.25
90th Percentile £78.53 £65.75 £53.83
UK excluding London median hourly rate £55.00 £30.00 £18.38
% change year-on-year +83.33% +63.27% -62.43%

All Vendors
UK

Cisco falls under the Vendor Products and Services category. For comparison with the information above, the following table provides summary statistics for all contract job vacancies requiring knowledge or experience of all vendor products and services.

Contract vacancies with a requirement for knowledge or experience of vendor products and services 20,281 13,989 18,443
As % of all contract IT jobs advertised in the UK 40.65% 47.63% 42.27%
Number of daily rates quoted 12,754 8,611 11,465
10th Percentile £313 £280 £269
25th Percentile £413 £404 £408
Median daily rate (50th Percentile) £500 £501 £515
Median % change year-on-year -0.20% -2.72% -1.90%
75th Percentile £600 £613 £625
90th Percentile £700 £713 £738
UK excluding London median daily rate £500 £481 £500
% change year-on-year +4.06% -3.90% -
Number of hourly rates quoted 1,038 624 1,139
10th Percentile £15.29 £14.84 £12.13
25th Percentile £18.75 £17.34 £14.49
Median hourly rate £32.50 £25.50 £23.50
Median % change year-on-year +27.45% +8.51% -45.35%
75th Percentile £60.00 £55.00 £58.49
90th Percentile £78.75 £69.90 £70.00
UK excluding London median hourly rate £30.49 £22.94 £22.00
% change year-on-year +32.93% +4.26% -45.00%

Cisco
Job Vacancy Trend

Historical trend showing the proportion of contract IT job postings citing Cisco relative to all contract IT jobs advertised.

Cisco job vacancy trend in the UK

Cisco
Daily Rate Trend

Contractor daily rate distribution trend for jobs in the UK citing Cisco.

Contractor daily rate distribution trend for jobs in the UK citing Cisco

Cisco
Daily Rate Histogram

Daily rate distribution for jobs citing Cisco over the 6 months to 11 June 2026.

Daily rate histogram for Cisco in the UK

Cisco
Hourly Rate Trend

Contractor hourly rate distribution trend for jobs in the UK citing Cisco.

Contractor hourly rate distribution trend for jobs in the UK citing Cisco

Cisco
Hourly Rate Histogram

Hourly rate distribution of jobs citing Cisco over the 6 months to 11 June 2026.

Hourly rate histogram for Cisco in the UK

Cisco
Top 18 Contract Job Locations

The table below looks at the demand and provides a guide to the median contractor rates quoted in IT jobs citing Cisco within the UK over the 6 months to 11 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
England -51 952 £475 -5.94% 563
UK excluding London -38 691 £475 -5.00% 575
London -64 309 £500 - 130
Work from Home -37 290 £450 -10.00% 117
North of England -41 208 £480 -4.00% 145
South East -23 191 £500 - 139
North West -7 166 £480 -4.00% 66
Midlands -38 134 £402 -13.08% 64
West Midlands -19 126 £402 -8.11% 34
Scotland +11 72 £450 +12.78% 47
South West -63 50 £518 -5.91% 82
East of England -6 41 £495 -0.50% 68
Yorkshire -72 41 £484 -3.78% 53
Wales -18 20 £468 +15.08% 19
Northern Ireland +11 10 £175 -50.00% 22
East Midlands -48 4 £458 -16.82% 30
North East -35 2 £425 +30.77% 28
Channel Islands -1 1 £550 +22.22%

Cisco
Co-Occurring Skills & Capabilities 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 28 (2.48%) SharePoint
2 18 (1.60%) Microsoft Exchange
3 12 (1.06%) Confluence
4 9 (0.80%) Apache
5 7 (0.62%) OpenStack
6 6 (0.53%) IIS
7 3 (0.27%) nginx
7 3 (0.27%) Tomcat
8 2 (0.18%) CloudStack
8 2 (0.18%) CMS
9 1 (0.089%) Apache Spark
9 1 (0.089%) Skype for Business
Applications
1 43 (3.82%) Microsoft Office
2 27 (2.40%) MS Visio
3 22 (1.95%) Microsoft Excel
4 9 (0.80%) Microsoft PowerPoint
5 4 (0.35%) Acrobat
Business Applications
1 8 (0.71%) Remedy ITSM
Cloud Services
1 211 (18.72%) Azure
2 145 (12.87%) AWS
3 67 (5.94%) Microsoft 365
4 37 (3.28%) Entra ID
5 23 (2.04%) GCP
6 16 (1.42%) OpenShift
6 16 (1.42%) SaaS
7 14 (1.24%) GitHub
7 14 (1.24%) Nutanix
8 13 (1.15%) Virtual Private Cloud
9 12 (1.06%) Azure Sentinel
9 12 (1.06%) OneDrive
10 11 (0.98%) Azure ExpressRoute
11 8 (0.71%) IaaS
11 8 (0.71%) Microsoft Purview
12 7 (0.62%) Power Platform
13 5 (0.44%) Azure DevOps
13 5 (0.44%) GitHub Actions
13 5 (0.44%) Rubrik
14 4 (0.35%) Cloudflare
Communications & Networking
1 487 (43.21%) Firewall
2 370 (32.83%) WAN
3 283 (25.11%) LAN
4 282 (25.02%) BGP
5 237 (21.03%) VPN
6 236 (20.94%) Network Security
7 199 (17.66%) OSPF
8 167 (14.82%) DNS
9 166 (14.73%) Wireless
10 165 (14.64%) VLAN
11 160 (14.20%) SD-WAN
12 107 (9.49%) MPLS
13 104 (9.23%) Cisco Nexus
14 100 (8.87%) VXLAN
14 100 (8.87%) Wi-Fi
15 96 (8.52%) Cisco ISE
16 91 (8.07%) DHCP
17 74 (6.57%) IPsec
18 73 (6.48%) Multicast
19 71 (6.30%) Cisco IOS
Database & Business Intelligence
1 15 (1.33%) SQL Server
2 3 (0.27%) MySQL
2 3 (0.27%) NoSQL
3 2 (0.18%) PostgreSQL
4 1 (0.089%) Apache Hive
4 1 (0.089%) Big Data
4 1 (0.089%) ClickHouse
4 1 (0.089%) Hadoop
4 1 (0.089%) Metadata
4 1 (0.089%) Power BI
Development Applications
1 23 (2.04%) JIRA
2 14 (1.24%) Sonatype Nexus
3 11 (0.98%) Git
4 8 (0.71%) Jenkins
5 5 (0.44%) GitLab
6 2 (0.18%) Bitbucket
General
1 247 (21.92%) Social Skills
2 117 (10.38%) Finance
3 68 (6.03%) Analytical Skills
4 65 (5.77%) Telecoms
5 60 (5.32%) Public Sector
6 59 (5.24%) Legal
7 54 (4.79%) Banking
8 53 (4.70%) Documentation Skills
9 21 (1.86%) Investment Banking
10 19 (1.69%) Manufacturing
11 17 (1.51%) Financial Institution
11 17 (1.51%) Organisational Skills
12 16 (1.42%) Law
13 15 (1.33%) Retail
14 9 (0.80%) Military
15 8 (0.71%) Marketing
16 7 (0.62%) Police
16 7 (0.62%) Presentation Skills
17 4 (0.35%) Inclusion and Diversity
17 4 (0.35%) Influencing Skills
Job Titles
1 517 (45.87%) Network Engineer
2 143 (12.69%) Architect
3 124 (11.00%) Cisco Engineer
4 116 (10.29%) Cisco Network Engineer
5 114 (10.12%) Senior
6 89 (7.90%) Security Engineer
7 81 (7.19%) Network Architect
8 69 (6.12%) SC Cleared Network Engineer
9 65 (5.77%) Network Security Engineer
9 65 (5.77%) Senior Network Engineer
10 51 (4.53%) Infrastructure Engineer
11 48 (4.26%) Data Network Engineer
12 35 (3.11%) Data Engineer
13 34 (3.02%) Cisco Security Engineer
14 31 (2.75%) Analyst
14 31 (2.75%) Solutions Architect
15 26 (2.31%) Network Specialist
16 25 (2.22%) DV Cleared Network Engineer
17 24 (2.13%) Lead
18 23 (2.04%) Automation Engineer
Libraries, Frameworks & Software Standards
1 74 (6.57%) 802.1X
2 14 (1.24%) Flash
2 14 (1.24%) LDAP
2 14 (1.24%) SAML
3 12 (1.06%) REST
4 7 (0.62%) XMPP
5 6 (0.53%) Jinja
6 3 (0.27%) LAMP
6 3 (0.27%) LEMP Stack
6 3 (0.27%) NETCONF
6 3 (0.27%) YAML
7 2 (0.18%) .NET
7 2 (0.18%) ADO
7 2 (0.18%) ASP.NET
7 2 (0.18%) CSS
7 2 (0.18%) HTML
7 2 (0.18%) Middleware
7 2 (0.18%) OpenConfig
7 2 (0.18%) RESTCONF
7 2 (0.18%) YANG
Miscellaneous
1 313 (27.77%) Data Centre
2 57 (5.06%) PKI
3 49 (4.35%) Replication
4 43 (3.82%) Clustering
5 36 (3.19%) Data Protection Act
6 34 (3.02%) Onboarding
7 33 (2.93%) Hybrid Cloud
8 30 (2.66%) Operational Technology
9 22 (1.95%) Video Conferencing
10 20 (1.77%) Security Posture
11 19 (1.69%) Driving Licence
11 19 (1.69%) Enterprise Storage
12 18 (1.60%) Cloud Native
13 17 (1.51%) EMC VMAX
13 17 (1.51%) Linux Command Line
14 15 (1.33%) Analytical Mindset
14 15 (1.33%) SCADA
15 13 (1.15%) Self-Motivation
15 13 (1.15%) Virtual Team
16 10 (0.89%) Public Cloud
Operating Systems
1 217 (19.25%) Windows
2 119 (10.56%) Linux
3 71 (6.30%) Windows Server
4 21 (1.86%) Unix
5 15 (1.33%) Windows 10
6 13 (1.15%) Ubuntu
7 11 (0.98%) Red Hat Enterprise Linux
8 8 (0.71%) Windows Server 2019
9 7 (0.62%) Android
9 7 (0.62%) Mac OS
10 6 (0.53%) Windows Server 2012
11 5 (0.44%) AIX
11 5 (0.44%) Data ONTAP
11 5 (0.44%) VMS
12 4 (0.35%) CentOS
12 4 (0.35%) Solaris
13 3 (0.27%) CatOS
14 2 (0.18%) Windows Server 2016
15 1 (0.089%) Windows 7
15 1 (0.089%) Windows Server 2003
Processes & Methodologies
1 172 (15.26%) Migration
2 127 (11.27%) High Availability
3 126 (11.18%) Load Balancing
4 124 (11.00%) Problem-Solving
5 97 (8.61%) ITIL
6 91 (8.07%) ITSM
7 89 (7.90%) Network Design
8 88 (7.81%) Project Delivery
9 69 (6.12%) Infrastructure Engineering
10 67 (5.94%) Agile
11 66 (5.86%) Disaster Recovery
12 65 (5.77%) Change Management
13 64 (5.68%) Continuous Improvement
13 64 (5.68%) Technical Leadership
14 63 (5.59%) Network Monitoring
15 60 (5.32%) Infrastructure as Code
16 57 (5.06%) Cybersecurity
17 54 (4.79%) Stakeholder Management
18 53 (4.70%) CI/CD
18 53 (4.70%) Network Segmentation
Programming Languages
1 120 (10.65%) Python
2 56 (4.97%) PowerShell
3 23 (2.04%) SQL
4 21 (1.86%) Bash
5 6 (0.53%) C
6 4 (0.35%) PHP
7 3 (0.27%) C++
7 3 (0.27%) Java
7 3 (0.27%) Lisp
7 3 (0.27%) Perl
8 2 (0.18%) ActionScript
8 2 (0.18%) JavaScript
8 2 (0.18%) Korn
8 2 (0.18%) Shell Script
9 1 (0.089%) Bicep
9 1 (0.089%) Ladder Logic
Qualifications
1 347 (30.79%) Security Cleared
2 332 (29.46%) Cisco Certification
3 261 (23.16%) SC Cleared
4 251 (22.27%) CCNP
5 124 (11.00%) CCNA
6 100 (8.87%) DV Cleared
7 74 (6.57%) Degree
8 64 (5.68%) CCIE
9 32 (2.84%) Microsoft Certification
10 27 (2.40%) VMware Certified Professional (VCP)
11 23 (2.04%) MCSE
11 23 (2.04%) Network+ Certification
12 17 (1.51%) Azure Certification
12 17 (1.51%) Server+ Certification
12 17 (1.51%) VCAP
13 16 (1.42%) CCSE
13 16 (1.42%) MCSA
14 13 (1.15%) JNCIP
14 13 (1.15%) JNCIS
15 12 (1.06%) BPSS Clearance
Quality Assurance & Compliance
1 38 (3.37%) SLA
2 34 (3.02%) NIST
3 28 (2.48%) ISO/IEC 27001
4 25 (2.22%) Cyber Essentials
5 21 (1.86%) QA
6 17 (1.51%) NCSC
7 10 (0.89%) PMO
8 7 (0.62%) Disclosure Scotland
9 6 (0.53%) Cyber Essentials PLUS
9 6 (0.53%) GDPR
9 6 (0.53%) JSP 440
9 6 (0.53%) PCI DSS
10 3 (0.27%) ISO/IEC 27002 (supersedes ISO/IEC 17799)
10 3 (0.27%) NIST 800
10 3 (0.27%) RMADS
11 2 (0.18%) Accessibility
11 2 (0.18%) Government Security Classifications
11 2 (0.18%) GRC
11 2 (0.18%) ISA99
11 2 (0.18%) ISO/IEC 20000
System Software
1 151 (13.40%) VMware Infrastructure
2 88 (7.81%) Active Directory
3 58 (5.15%) VMware ESXi
3 58 (5.15%) vSphere
4 47 (4.17%) VMware NSX
5 37 (3.28%) Virtual Machines
6 26 (2.31%) Firmware
7 19 (1.69%) Hyper-V
8 18 (1.60%) NFS
9 14 (1.24%) GPFS
10 12 (1.06%) SRDF
11 6 (0.53%) Virtual Desktop
12 5 (0.44%) Docker
12 5 (0.44%) EMC RecoverPoint
13 4 (0.35%) vCloud
13 4 (0.35%) Virtual Servers
14 3 (0.27%) Dovecot
14 3 (0.27%) Postfix
14 3 (0.27%) UAG
15 2 (0.18%) Snort
Systems Management
1 139 (12.33%) Ansible
2 104 (9.23%) FortiGate
3 51 (4.53%) Terraform
4 32 (2.84%) vCenter Server
5 28 (2.48%) Grafana
6 22 (1.95%) Microsoft Intune
7 21 (1.86%) Kubernetes
7 21 (1.86%) Prometheus
8 18 (1.60%) vRealize
9 16 (1.42%) SCCM
10 14 (1.24%) Cisco Prime
11 13 (1.15%) Cisco CUCM
12 12 (1.06%) Single Sign-On
13 9 (0.80%) VxRail
14 7 (0.62%) WMI
15 6 (0.53%) EMC TimeFinder
15 6 (0.53%) EMC VPLEX
15 6 (0.53%) HAProxy
15 6 (0.53%) SCOM
16 5 (0.44%) Nagios
Vendors
1 294 (26.09%) Palo Alto
2 214 (18.99%) F5
3 193 (17.13%) Microsoft
4 189 (16.77%) VMware
5 172 (15.26%) Fortinet
6 153 (13.58%) Juniper
7 123 (10.91%) Aruba
8 113 (10.03%) CheckPoint
9 102 (9.05%) ServiceNow
10 84 (7.45%) Meraki
10 84 (7.45%) SolarWinds
11 78 (6.92%) Arista
12 55 (4.88%) Splunk
13 49 (4.35%) Zscaler
14 42 (3.73%) Dell
15 32 (2.84%) EMC
16 30 (2.66%) IBM
17 29 (2.57%) Extreme Networks
18 27 (2.40%) Brocade
19 24 (2.13%) Infoblox