Information Security Contract Job Trends

Information Security (InfoSec)
UK

The table below provides summary statistics and contractor rates for jobs requiring Information Security skills. It covers contract job vacancies from the 6 months leading up to 26 June 2026, with comparisons to the same periods in the previous two years.

6 months to
26 Jun 2026
Same period 2025 Same period 2024
Rank 193 182 114
Rank change year-on-year -11 -68 -10
Contract jobs citing Information Security 713 468 850
As % of all contract jobs in the UK 1.40% 1.55% 1.96%
As % of the Processes & Methodologies category 1.65% 1.70% 2.30%
Number of daily rates quoted 412 263 511
10th Percentile £358 £313 £375
25th Percentile £450 £413 £486
Median daily rate (50th Percentile) £550 £550 £585
Median % change year-on-year - -5.98% -2.50%
75th Percentile £675 £688 £688
90th Percentile £800 £838 £788
UK excluding London median daily rate £525 £534 £600
% change year-on-year -1.69% -11.00% +9.09%
Number of hourly rates quoted 55 29 25
10th Percentile £16.35 - £12.75
25th Percentile £16.62 £22.14 £17.72
Median hourly rate £25.50 £24.66 £19.50
Median % change year-on-year +3.41% +26.46% -74.26%
75th Percentile £63.38 £65.00 £23.00
90th Percentile £77.50 £84.18 £33.06
UK excluding London median hourly rate £25.50 £23.65 £19.50
% change year-on-year +7.85% +21.26% -75.60%

All Process & Methodology Skills
UK

Information Security falls under the Processes and Methodologies category. For comparison with the information above, the following table provides summary statistics for all contract job vacancies requiring process or methodology skills.

Contract vacancies with a requirement for process or methodology skills 43,249 27,546 37,029
As % of all contract IT jobs advertised in the UK 84.99% 91.07% 85.21%
Number of daily rates quoted 26,953 17,432 23,598
10th Percentile £325 £300 £300
25th Percentile £413 £405 £413
Median daily rate (50th Percentile) £515 £502 £525
Median % change year-on-year +2.54% -4.33% -4.55%
75th Percentile £621 £625 £638
90th Percentile £725 £738 £750
UK excluding London median daily rate £500 £475 £500
% change year-on-year +5.26% -5.00% -
Number of hourly rates quoted 2,594 1,315 2,564
10th Percentile £14.81 £14.20 £12.74
25th Percentile £20.09 £17.44 £16.06
Median hourly rate £43.96 £25.15 £37.50
Median % change year-on-year +74.79% -32.93% +7.14%
75th Percentile £68.00 £53.95 £61.30
90th Percentile £81.71 £70.00 £72.50
UK excluding London median hourly rate £45.00 £24.66 £38.12
% change year-on-year +82.48% -35.31% +17.65%

Information Security
Job Vacancy Trend

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

Information Security job vacancy trend in the UK

Information Security
Daily Rate Trend

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

Contractor daily rate distribution trend for jobs in the UK citing Information Security

Information Security
Daily Rate Histogram

Daily rate distribution for jobs citing Information Security over the 6 months to 26 June 2026.

Daily rate histogram for Information Security in the UK

Information Security
Hourly Rate Trend

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

Contractor hourly rate distribution trend for jobs in the UK citing Information Security

Information Security
Hourly Rate Histogram

Hourly rate distribution of jobs citing Information Security over the 6 months to 26 June 2026.

Hourly rate histogram for Information Security in the UK

Information Security
Top 16 Contract Job Locations

The table below looks at the demand and provides a guide to the median contractor rates quoted in IT jobs citing Information Security within the UK over the 6 months to 26 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 -6 647 £550 +3.00% 361
UK excluding London -5 368 £525 -1.69% 256
London +5 300 £600 +14.29% 151
Work from Home -48 177 £550 +4.76% 159
South East -7 127 £538 -13.65% 73
North of England -42 83 £518 +21.92% 67
North West -16 56 £511 +20.30% 28
Midlands -32 56 £533 +33.13% 47
South West -11 44 £500 -14.53% 28
West Midlands -25 41 £500 - 29
Scotland +4 31 £387 -13.10% 12
East of England -19 26 £535 +7.65% 28
Yorkshire -46 24 £540 +30.91% 29
East Midlands -11 15 £557 +39.19% 18
Wales -12 3 £645 +55.42% 7
North East -34 3 £450 -15.73% 10

Information Security
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 30 (4.21%) Confluence
2 24 (3.37%) SharePoint
3 8 (1.12%) Microsoft Exchange
4 5 (0.70%) IIS
5 4 (0.56%) Apache Spark
6 3 (0.42%) Oracle Collaboration Suite
7 1 (0.14%) Adobe Experience Manager
7 1 (0.14%) Palantir Foundry
Applications
1 31 (4.35%) Microsoft Office
2 27 (3.79%) Microsoft Excel
3 13 (1.82%) Microsoft PowerPoint
4 11 (1.54%) Microsoft Project
5 2 (0.28%) MS Visio
5 2 (0.28%) Spreadsheet
6 1 (0.14%) Adobe After Effects
6 1 (0.14%) Adobe Illustrator
6 1 (0.14%) Adobe Premiere
6 1 (0.14%) Camtasia
Business Applications
1 6 (0.84%) Remedy ITSM
2 5 (0.70%) Oracle EBS
3 4 (0.56%) Dynamics CRM
3 4 (0.56%) NEC Housing
4 2 (0.28%) SAP S/4HANA
5 1 (0.14%) Oracle Applications
5 1 (0.14%) Oracle ERP
5 1 (0.14%) SAP MDG
Cloud Services
1 157 (22.02%) Azure
2 107 (15.01%) AWS
3 51 (7.15%) Entra ID
4 40 (5.61%) Microsoft 365
5 39 (5.47%) SaaS
6 35 (4.91%) GCP
7 23 (3.23%) Microsoft Purview
8 21 (2.95%) Power Platform
9 18 (2.52%) Azure Sentinel
9 18 (2.52%) GitHub
10 14 (1.96%) OCI
11 10 (1.40%) Azure DevOps
11 10 (1.40%) IaaS
11 10 (1.40%) PaaS
12 9 (1.26%) Microsoft Copilot
13 8 (1.12%) Power Automate
14 6 (0.84%) Azure Key Vault
14 6 (0.84%) Azure Logic Apps
14 6 (0.84%) OneDrive
15 5 (0.70%) Collibra
Communications & Networking
1 40 (5.61%) Firewall
2 37 (5.19%) Network Security
3 12 (1.68%) VPN
4 11 (1.54%) SSH
4 11 (1.54%) Wireless
5 10 (1.40%) DNS
5 10 (1.40%) TCP/IP
6 9 (1.26%) HTTP
7 7 (0.98%) DHCP
7 7 (0.98%) HTTPS
8 6 (0.84%) Internet
9 5 (0.70%) Intrusion Detection
9 5 (0.70%) WAN
10 4 (0.56%) LAN
10 4 (0.56%) NGFW
11 3 (0.42%) Cisco IPT
12 2 (0.28%) Broadband
12 2 (0.28%) Multicast
12 2 (0.28%) NAS
12 2 (0.28%) Reverse Proxy
Database & Business Intelligence
1 18 (2.52%) Power BI
1 18 (2.52%) SQL Server
2 10 (1.40%) Metadata
3 5 (0.70%) Oracle Reports
4 4 (0.56%) Big Data
4 4 (0.56%) Data Lake
4 4 (0.56%) Hadoop
5 3 (0.42%) MongoDB
5 3 (0.42%) PostgreSQL
6 2 (0.28%) DynamoDB
6 2 (0.28%) Elasticsearch
6 2 (0.28%) MySQL
6 2 (0.28%) NoSQL
6 2 (0.28%) Oracle BI Publisher
7 1 (0.14%) MariaDB
7 1 (0.14%) Neo4j
7 1 (0.14%) Oracle Database
7 1 (0.14%) Relational Database
7 1 (0.14%) SAP HANA
7 1 (0.14%) Tableau
Development Applications
1 33 (4.63%) JIRA
2 10 (1.40%) Git
3 9 (1.26%) Burp Suite
4 7 (0.98%) Metasploit
5 4 (0.56%) Cypress.io
5 4 (0.56%) Postman
5 4 (0.56%) Selenium
5 4 (0.56%) WebDriver
6 3 (0.42%) git-flow
7 2 (0.28%) Cucumber
7 2 (0.28%) GitLab
7 2 (0.28%) JMeter
7 2 (0.28%) Protractor
8 1 (0.14%) AppScan
8 1 (0.14%) Atlassian Bamboo
8 1 (0.14%) Bitbucket
8 1 (0.14%) Jenkins
8 1 (0.14%) LSMW
8 1 (0.14%) SoapUI
8 1 (0.14%) SonarQube
General
1 241 (33.80%) Social Skills
2 162 (22.72%) Finance
3 112 (15.71%) Public Sector
4 76 (10.66%) Analytical Skills
5 61 (8.56%) Banking
6 58 (8.13%) Legal
7 39 (5.47%) Documentation Skills
8 23 (3.23%) Organisational Skills
9 20 (2.81%) Influencing Skills
10 19 (2.66%) Local Government
11 12 (1.68%) Presentation Skills
11 12 (1.68%) Retail
12 9 (1.26%) Marketing
13 8 (1.12%) Aviation
13 8 (1.12%) Billing
13 8 (1.12%) Inclusion and Diversity
14 7 (0.98%) Military
14 7 (0.98%) Pharmaceutical
15 6 (0.84%) Investment Banking
15 6 (0.84%) Law
Job Titles
1 97 (13.60%) Analyst
2 76 (10.66%) Consultant
3 66 (9.26%) Senior
4 58 (8.13%) Security Consultant
5 55 (7.71%) Security Engineer
6 54 (7.57%) Lead
7 52 (7.29%) Architect
8 38 (5.33%) Security Analyst
9 37 (5.19%) Security Architect
9 37 (5.19%) Security Manager
10 29 (4.07%) Project Manager
11 27 (3.79%) IT Manager
12 25 (3.51%) Security Officer
13 22 (3.09%) Senior Manager
14 21 (2.95%) Cybersecurity Manager
15 18 (2.52%) Information Officer
16 17 (2.38%) Business Analyst
16 17 (2.38%) Information Security Officer
17 16 (2.24%) Developer
17 16 (2.24%) Information Security Consultant
Libraries, Frameworks & Software Standards
1 22 (3.09%) OAuth
2 21 (2.95%) Oracle Fusion
2 21 (2.95%) SailPoint
3 16 (2.24%) SAML
4 15 (2.10%) OAuth2
4 15 (2.10%) OpenID
5 13 (1.82%) LDAP
6 11 (1.54%) Web Services
7 9 (1.26%) REST
7 9 (1.26%) XML
8 8 (1.12%) .NET
9 7 (0.98%) J2EE
9 7 (0.98%) JSP
10 5 (0.70%) JSON
10 5 (0.70%) Middleware
10 5 (0.70%) Node.js
10 5 (0.70%) RESTful
11 4 (0.56%) ASP.NET
11 4 (0.56%) Gherkin
11 4 (0.56%) Kafka
Miscellaneous
1 118 (16.55%) Management Information System
2 69 (9.68%) Onboarding
3 61 (8.56%) Security Posture
4 37 (5.19%) Operational Technology
5 19 (2.66%) Cloud Native
6 18 (2.52%) Data Protection Act
7 16 (2.24%) Cyber Threat
7 16 (2.24%) Data Centre
7 16 (2.24%) Security Operations Centre
8 15 (2.10%) PKI
9 14 (1.96%) Self-Motivation
9 14 (1.96%) Virtual Team
10 13 (1.82%) Enterprise Software
10 13 (1.82%) Legacy Systems
11 12 (1.68%) SCADA
12 11 (1.54%) BYOD
13 10 (1.40%) Product Ownership
13 10 (1.40%) Public Cloud
14 8 (1.12%) Analytical Mindset
14 8 (1.12%) Mobile App
Operating Systems
1 82 (11.50%) Windows
2 45 (6.31%) Linux
3 33 (4.63%) Windows Server
4 21 (2.95%) Unix
5 9 (1.26%) Android
5 9 (1.26%) Apple iOS
6 7 (0.98%) Mac OS
7 4 (0.56%) Windows 10
8 3 (0.42%) zOS
9 2 (0.28%) Alpine Linux
9 2 (0.28%) Red Hat Enterprise Linux
9 2 (0.28%) Ubuntu
10 1 (0.14%) Kali Linux
10 1 (0.14%) VMS
Processes & Methodologies
1 252 (35.34%) Cybersecurity
2 197 (27.63%) Risk Management
3 125 (17.53%) Continuous Improvement
4 123 (17.25%) Data Protection
5 114 (15.99%) Stakeholder Management
6 103 (14.45%) Problem-Solving
7 83 (11.64%) Agile
7 83 (11.64%) Cloud Security
8 77 (10.80%) Roadmaps
9 76 (10.66%) Change Management
9 76 (10.66%) Security Operations
10 72 (10.10%) Incident Response
10 72 (10.10%) Stakeholder Engagement
11 67 (9.40%) Decision-Making
12 65 (9.12%) Computer Science
13 59 (8.27%) SIEM
14 58 (8.13%) AI
14 58 (8.13%) Security Management
15 55 (7.71%) ITIL
16 50 (7.01%) Risk Assessment
Programming Languages
1 80 (11.22%) Python
2 64 (8.98%) PowerShell
3 22 (3.09%) Java
4 19 (2.66%) Bash
5 15 (2.10%) SQL
6 8 (1.12%) C#
7 6 (0.84%) Kusto Query Language
8 5 (0.70%) Bicep
8 5 (0.70%) JavaScript
9 3 (0.42%) Apex Code
9 3 (0.42%) Go
9 3 (0.42%) Kotlin
9 3 (0.42%) RPG
10 1 (0.14%) BeanShell
10 1 (0.14%) C++
10 1 (0.14%) Lisp
10 1 (0.14%) TypeScript
10 1 (0.14%) VBA
Qualifications
1 164 (23.00%) Security Cleared
2 155 (21.74%) Degree
3 131 (18.37%) CISSP
4 123 (17.25%) SC Cleared
5 87 (12.20%) CISM
6 42 (5.89%) DV Cleared
7 33 (4.63%) CISA
8 32 (4.49%) Cisco Certification
8 32 (4.49%) CRISC
9 27 (3.79%) (ISC)2 CCSP
10 22 (3.09%) Computer Science Degree
11 20 (2.81%) ISO 27001 Lead Implementer
12 17 (2.38%) Master's Degree
13 16 (2.24%) CEH
14 15 (2.10%) PMP
15 14 (1.96%) AWS Certification
15 14 (1.96%) ISO 27001 Lead Auditor
15 14 (1.96%) Microsoft Certification
15 14 (1.96%) PMI Certification
16 13 (1.82%) CREST Certified
Quality Assurance & Compliance
1 216 (30.29%) ISO/IEC 27001
2 157 (22.02%) NIST
3 119 (16.69%) GDPR
4 101 (14.17%) GRC
5 56 (7.85%) PCI DSS
6 32 (4.49%) Cyber Essentials
7 29 (4.07%) NCSC
8 23 (3.23%) Data Quality
9 22 (3.09%) COBIT
9 22 (3.09%) QA
10 20 (2.81%) Sarbanes-Oxley
11 19 (2.66%) PMO
12 18 (2.52%) NIST 800
12 18 (2.52%) SOC 2
13 15 (2.10%) Accessibility
14 14 (1.96%) HIPAA
14 14 (1.96%) SLA
15 12 (1.68%) ISO/IEC 27005
16 10 (1.40%) Cyber Essentials PLUS
17 9 (1.26%) Government Security Classifications
System Software
1 68 (9.54%) Active Directory
2 10 (1.40%) Docker
3 6 (0.84%) VMware Infrastructure
4 5 (0.70%) Hyper-V
5 3 (0.42%) OpenAM
5 3 (0.42%) Squid
6 2 (0.28%) Virtual Machines
6 2 (0.28%) Virtual Servers
7 1 (0.14%) BitLocker
7 1 (0.14%) Ceph
7 1 (0.14%) Firmware
7 1 (0.14%) RACF
Systems Management
1 15 (2.10%) Microsoft Intune
1 15 (2.10%) Terraform
2 13 (1.82%) Ansible
2 13 (1.82%) Kubernetes
3 11 (1.54%) Single Sign-On
4 7 (0.98%) SCCM
5 6 (0.84%) Nmap
6 4 (0.56%) Functional Safety
6 4 (0.56%) QRadar
7 3 (0.42%) Active Directory Federation Services
7 3 (0.42%) Podman
7 3 (0.42%) RSA Archer
8 2 (0.28%) Computer Incident Response Team
8 2 (0.28%) Prometheus
8 2 (0.28%) Red Hat Satellite
9 1 (0.14%) CASB
9 1 (0.14%) FortiGate
9 1 (0.14%) Nessus
9 1 (0.14%) Progress Chef
9 1 (0.14%) WSUS
Vendors
1 142 (19.92%) Microsoft
2 44 (6.17%) ServiceNow
3 35 (4.91%) Oracle
4 22 (3.09%) CyberArk
5 20 (2.81%) Google
6 19 (2.66%) BeyondTrust
7 16 (2.24%) SAP
8 15 (2.10%) Cisco
8 15 (2.10%) Splunk
9 13 (1.82%) Apple
10 12 (1.68%) Ariba
10 12 (1.68%) CrowdStrike
11 9 (1.26%) Palo Alto
12 7 (0.98%) IBM
12 7 (0.98%) Remedy
12 7 (0.98%) VMware
13 6 (0.84%) Zscaler
14 5 (0.70%) Okta
14 5 (0.70%) Rapid7
14 5 (0.70%) Thales