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 25 April 2026, with comparisons to the same periods in the previous two years.

6 months to
25 Apr 2026
Same period 2025 Same period 2024
Rank 181 172 113
Rank change year-on-year -9 -59 -8
Contract jobs citing Information Security 679 462 876
As % of all contract jobs in the UK 1.46% 1.57% 2.01%
As % of the Processes & Methodologies category 1.72% 1.72% 2.33%
Number of daily rates quoted 410 285 548
10th Percentile £400 £313 £375
25th Percentile £463 £438 £481
Median daily rate (50th Percentile) £550 £550 £575
Median % change year-on-year - -4.35% -4.17%
75th Percentile £675 £685 £688
90th Percentile £800 £825 £775
UK excluding London median daily rate £525 £550 £575
% change year-on-year -4.55% -4.35% +4.55%
Number of hourly rates quoted 53 26 32
10th Percentile £16.49 £19.13 £13.08
25th Percentile £20.79 £22.14 £17.72
Median hourly rate £35.00 £24.66 £19.50
Median % change year-on-year +41.93% +26.46% -74.00%
75th Percentile £66.00 £70.91 £40.69
90th Percentile £85.07 £82.38 £50.00
UK excluding London median hourly rate £36.00 £23.65 £19.50
% change year-on-year +52.25% +21.26% -74.51%

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 39,506 26,799 37,659
As % of all contract IT jobs advertised in the UK 84.73% 90.79% 86.30%
Number of daily rates quoted 24,946 17,322 24,335
10th Percentile £319 £308 £300
25th Percentile £413 £413 £413
Median daily rate (50th Percentile) £500 £525 £525
Median % change year-on-year -4.72% -0.05% -4.55%
75th Percentile £613 £630 £638
90th Percentile £725 £744 £750
UK excluding London median daily rate £485 £487 £500
% change year-on-year -0.36% -2.65% -
Number of hourly rates quoted 2,360 1,068 2,432
10th Percentile £14.82 £14.84 £12.75
25th Percentile £19.91 £18.51 £16.00
Median hourly rate £40.00 £29.07 £35.00
Median % change year-on-year +37.60% -16.94% -6.67%
75th Percentile £65.60 £62.24 £58.75
90th Percentile £78.75 £75.00 £72.33
UK excluding London median hourly rate £41.86 £28.00 £35.58
% change year-on-year +49.48% -21.29% -4.62%

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 25 April 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 25 April 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 25 April 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 -8 611 £550 -3.42% 274
UK excluding London +1 325 £525 -4.55% 237
London +8 296 £595 +8.18% 92
Work from Home -5 180 £559 +6.48% 176
South East -9 120 £550 -8.33% 75
North of England -54 62 £500 -0.86% 56
Midlands -29 48 £500 +25.00% 44
East of England -10 43 £535 -10.83% 17
North West -24 41 £550 +3.76% 35
West Midlands -34 37 £500 +8.11% 30
South West -33 27 £500 -14.89% 25
Scotland +5 21 £358 -24.95% 18
Yorkshire -54 18 £463 +12.12% 16
East Midlands -27 11 £541 +80.17% 13
Wales -5 4 £475 +163.89% 6
North East -23 3 £450 -15.73% 6

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 18 (2.65%) Confluence
2 11 (1.62%) SharePoint
3 9 (1.33%) Microsoft Exchange
4 7 (1.03%) Oracle Collaboration Suite
5 4 (0.59%) Apache Spark
6 1 (0.15%) WebSphere
6 1 (0.15%) WebSphere Application Server
Applications
1 36 (5.30%) Microsoft Excel
2 35 (5.15%) Microsoft Office
3 15 (2.21%) Microsoft PowerPoint
4 10 (1.47%) Microsoft Project
5 2 (0.29%) MS Visio
5 2 (0.29%) Spreadsheet
6 1 (0.15%) Adobe After Effects
6 1 (0.15%) Adobe Illustrator
6 1 (0.15%) Adobe Premiere
6 1 (0.15%) Camtasia
Business Applications
1 12 (1.77%) Oracle EBS
2 4 (0.59%) NEC Housing
3 2 (0.29%) Remedy ITSM
3 2 (0.29%) SAP GRC
3 2 (0.29%) Temenos T24
4 1 (0.15%) Oracle Applications
Cloud Services
1 133 (19.59%) Azure
2 91 (13.40%) AWS
3 48 (7.07%) Microsoft 365
4 35 (5.15%) SaaS
5 32 (4.71%) Entra ID
6 31 (4.57%) GCP
7 23 (3.39%) Power Platform
8 20 (2.95%) Microsoft Purview
9 17 (2.50%) GitHub
10 16 (2.36%) OCI
11 11 (1.62%) Azure Sentinel
12 8 (1.18%) IaaS
12 8 (1.18%) Microsoft Copilot
12 8 (1.18%) PaaS
12 8 (1.18%) Power Automate
13 6 (0.88%) Azure Data Factory
13 6 (0.88%) Azure DevOps
13 6 (0.88%) Azure Logic Apps
13 6 (0.88%) OneDrive
13 6 (0.88%) PowerApps
Communications & Networking
1 51 (7.51%) Firewall
2 40 (5.89%) Network Security
3 16 (2.36%) DNS
4 15 (2.21%) TCP/IP
4 15 (2.21%) Wireless
5 13 (1.91%) HTTP
5 13 (1.91%) VPN
6 7 (1.03%) DHCP
6 7 (1.03%) SSH
6 7 (1.03%) WAN
7 6 (0.88%) SSL
8 5 (0.74%) FTP
8 5 (0.74%) Internet
8 5 (0.74%) SMTP
9 4 (0.59%) Cisco IPT
10 3 (0.44%) Intrusion Detection
10 3 (0.44%) SAN
10 3 (0.44%) SD-WAN
11 2 (0.29%) HTTPS
11 2 (0.29%) LAN
Database & Business Intelligence
1 21 (3.09%) Power BI
2 13 (1.91%) SQL Server
3 9 (1.33%) Data Warehouse
3 9 (1.33%) Metadata
4 6 (0.88%) Data Lake
5 4 (0.59%) Big Data
5 4 (0.59%) Hadoop
5 4 (0.59%) Oracle Reports
5 4 (0.59%) SQL Server Reporting Services
6 3 (0.44%) DynamoDB
6 3 (0.44%) NoSQL
6 3 (0.44%) PostgreSQL
6 3 (0.44%) Tableau
7 2 (0.29%) Elasticsearch
7 2 (0.29%) Electronic Patient Records
7 2 (0.29%) MongoDB
7 2 (0.29%) MySQL
7 2 (0.29%) Oracle BI Publisher
8 1 (0.15%) DB2
8 1 (0.15%) Relational Database
Development Applications
1 22 (3.24%) JIRA
2 14 (2.06%) Burp Suite
3 12 (1.77%) Metasploit
4 9 (1.33%) Git
5 2 (0.29%) GitLab
6 1 (0.15%) AppScan
6 1 (0.15%) Atlassian Bamboo
6 1 (0.15%) Bitbucket
6 1 (0.15%) git-flow
6 1 (0.15%) Jenkins
6 1 (0.15%) ScriptRunner
6 1 (0.15%) SoapUI
6 1 (0.15%) SonarQube
General
1 207 (30.49%) Social Skills
2 135 (19.88%) Finance
3 98 (14.43%) Public Sector
4 89 (13.11%) Analytical Skills
5 68 (10.01%) Legal
6 55 (8.10%) Banking
7 26 (3.83%) Organisational Skills
8 25 (3.68%) Documentation Skills
9 21 (3.09%) Influencing Skills
10 14 (2.06%) Retail
11 12 (1.77%) Local Government
11 12 (1.77%) Presentation Skills
12 10 (1.47%) Telecoms
13 9 (1.33%) Law
14 7 (1.03%) Police
15 6 (0.88%) Manufacturing
15 6 (0.88%) Marketing
16 5 (0.74%) Cyber-Physical System
17 4 (0.59%) Military
18 3 (0.44%) Investment Banking
Job Titles
1 102 (15.02%) Analyst
2 82 (12.08%) Consultant
3 55 (8.10%) Architect
4 53 (7.81%) Security Consultant
4 53 (7.81%) Security Engineer
5 51 (7.51%) Senior
6 43 (6.33%) Lead
7 42 (6.19%) Security Analyst
8 41 (6.04%) Security Architect
9 40 (5.89%) Security Manager
10 33 (4.86%) Security Officer
11 25 (3.68%) Project Manager
12 24 (3.53%) Developer
13 21 (3.09%) Information Security Officer
14 20 (2.95%) Business Analyst
15 19 (2.80%) Security Specialist
16 18 (2.65%) IT Manager
17 17 (2.50%) Cybersecurity Manager
17 17 (2.50%) Information Analyst
17 17 (2.50%) Information Security Analyst
Libraries, Frameworks & Software Standards
1 21 (3.09%) OAuth
2 16 (2.36%) Oracle Fusion
3 15 (2.21%) LDAP
3 15 (2.21%) OAuth2
3 15 (2.21%) SAML
4 14 (2.06%) OpenID
5 12 (1.77%) SailPoint
6 7 (1.03%) J2EE
6 7 (1.03%) JSP
6 7 (1.03%) Spring
6 7 (1.03%) Spring Boot
7 6 (0.88%) Middleware
7 6 (0.88%) Web Services
8 5 (0.74%) Node.js
9 4 (0.59%) .NET
9 4 (0.59%) Elastic Stack
10 3 (0.44%) ADO
10 3 (0.44%) JWT
10 3 (0.44%) Kafka
10 3 (0.44%) Lightning Web Components
Miscellaneous
1 111 (16.35%) Management Information System
2 62 (9.13%) Security Posture
3 48 (7.07%) Onboarding
4 37 (5.45%) Operational Technology
5 20 (2.95%) Data Protection Act
6 19 (2.80%) Cyber Threat
7 15 (2.21%) Cloud Native
8 12 (1.77%) Analytical Mindset
8 12 (1.77%) Mobile App
8 12 (1.77%) PKI
8 12 (1.77%) Virtual Team
9 11 (1.62%) BYOD
9 11 (1.62%) Insider Threat
10 10 (1.47%) Data Centre
10 10 (1.47%) Product Ownership
10 10 (1.47%) Security Operations Centre
11 9 (1.33%) Enterprise Software
11 9 (1.33%) Legacy Systems
11 9 (1.33%) Public Cloud
12 8 (1.18%) Self-Motivation
Operating Systems
1 66 (9.72%) Windows
2 38 (5.60%) Linux
3 26 (3.83%) Windows Server
4 12 (1.77%) Unix
5 5 (0.74%) Apple iOS
6 3 (0.44%) Mac OS
6 3 (0.44%) zOS
7 1 (0.15%) Kali Linux
7 1 (0.15%) Red Hat Enterprise Linux
7 1 (0.15%) Windows 10
Processes & Methodologies
1 252 (37.11%) Cybersecurity
2 180 (26.51%) Risk Management
3 115 (16.94%) Continuous Improvement
4 111 (16.35%) Problem-Solving
5 109 (16.05%) Data Protection
6 103 (15.17%) Stakeholder Management
7 84 (12.37%) Cloud Security
8 76 (11.19%) Security Management
9 65 (9.57%) Agile
10 61 (8.98%) Incident Response
10 61 (8.98%) Stakeholder Engagement
11 60 (8.84%) Change Management
11 60 (8.84%) Security Operations
12 58 (8.54%) Information Security Management
13 57 (8.39%) AI
14 55 (8.10%) Roadmaps
15 53 (7.81%) SIEM
16 52 (7.66%) Decision-Making
17 51 (7.51%) Computer Science
17 51 (7.51%) Risk Assessment
Programming Languages
1 70 (10.31%) Python
2 48 (7.07%) PowerShell
3 24 (3.53%) Java
4 20 (2.95%) Bash
5 18 (2.65%) SQL
6 7 (1.03%) Kotlin
7 6 (0.88%) Kusto Query Language
8 5 (0.74%) Go
9 4 (0.59%) C#
10 3 (0.44%) RPG
11 2 (0.29%) Apex Code
11 2 (0.29%) JavaScript
12 1 (0.15%) BeanShell
12 1 (0.15%) Bicep
12 1 (0.15%) C++
12 1 (0.15%) Data Analysis Expressions
12 1 (0.15%) Lisp
12 1 (0.15%) R
12 1 (0.15%) TypeScript
12 1 (0.15%) VBA
Qualifications
1 186 (27.39%) Security Cleared
2 142 (20.91%) SC Cleared
3 139 (20.47%) Degree
4 116 (17.08%) CISSP
5 80 (11.78%) CISM
6 44 (6.48%) DV Cleared
7 31 (4.57%) CISA
8 25 (3.68%) Cisco Certification
9 24 (3.53%) Computer Science Degree
9 24 (3.53%) CRISC
10 21 (3.09%) (ISC)2 CCSP
11 17 (2.50%) CEH
11 17 (2.50%) CREST Certified
12 16 (2.36%) ISO 27001 Lead Implementer
12 16 (2.36%) Master's Degree
13 15 (2.21%) ISO 27001 Lead Auditor
13 15 (2.21%) Postgraduate
14 12 (1.77%) CompTIA Security+
15 11 (1.62%) CHECK Team Member
15 11 (1.62%) Cyber Scheme
Quality Assurance & Compliance
1 225 (33.14%) ISO/IEC 27001
2 157 (23.12%) NIST
3 117 (17.23%) GDPR
4 88 (12.96%) GRC
5 49 (7.22%) PCI DSS
6 32 (4.71%) COBIT
7 27 (3.98%) PMO
8 26 (3.83%) Cyber Essentials
8 26 (3.83%) QA
9 25 (3.68%) NCSC
10 24 (3.53%) Data Quality
11 18 (2.65%) Sarbanes-Oxley
12 17 (2.50%) NIST 800
13 13 (1.91%) ISO/IEC 27005
13 13 (1.91%) SOC 2
14 11 (1.62%) Accessibility
15 10 (1.47%) Cyber Essentials PLUS
16 8 (1.18%) RMADS
17 7 (1.03%) Government Security Classifications
17 7 (1.03%) HMG Security Policy Framework
System Software
1 49 (7.22%) Active Directory
2 8 (1.18%) Docker
3 7 (1.03%) Virtual Machines
4 5 (0.74%) VMware Infrastructure
5 4 (0.59%) Hyper-V
6 3 (0.44%) Squid
7 1 (0.15%) BitLocker
7 1 (0.15%) Ceph
7 1 (0.15%) Firmware
7 1 (0.15%) RACF
Systems Management
1 18 (2.65%) Microsoft Intune
2 14 (2.06%) Kubernetes
3 12 (1.77%) Terraform
4 11 (1.62%) Nmap
4 11 (1.62%) SCCM
5 9 (1.33%) Ansible
6 7 (1.03%) Single Sign-On
7 5 (0.74%) Functional Safety
8 4 (0.59%) QRadar
8 4 (0.59%) WSUS
9 3 (0.44%) CASB
10 2 (0.29%) FortiGate
10 2 (0.29%) Podman
10 2 (0.29%) Prometheus
10 2 (0.29%) Red Hat Satellite
10 2 (0.29%) SCOrch
11 1 (0.15%) HP Fortify
11 1 (0.15%) logstash
11 1 (0.15%) Nessus
11 1 (0.15%) Progress Chef
Vendors
1 114 (16.79%) Microsoft
2 33 (4.86%) ServiceNow
3 23 (3.39%) Oracle
4 17 (2.50%) CyberArk
5 14 (2.06%) Google
6 13 (1.91%) Cisco
7 11 (1.62%) BeyondTrust
8 9 (1.33%) CrowdStrike
9 7 (1.03%) Palo Alto
10 6 (0.88%) IBM
10 6 (0.88%) VMware
11 5 (0.74%) Databricks
11 5 (0.74%) Sophos
12 4 (0.59%) Fortinet
12 4 (0.59%) NEC
12 4 (0.59%) Qualys
12 4 (0.59%) Remedy
12 4 (0.59%) SAP
12 4 (0.59%) Splunk
12 4 (0.59%) UiPath