IT Engineer Contract Job Trends

IT Engineer
UK

The median IT Engineer daily rate in the UK is £190, according to job vacancies posted in the 6 months leading up to 12 November 2025.

The table below compares current contractor rates and summary statistics with the previous two years.

6 months to
12 Nov 2025
Same period 2024 Same period 2023
Rank 218 243 225
Rank change year-on-year +25 -18 +97
Contract jobs requiring an IT Engineer 460 354 508
As % of all contract jobs in the UK 1.31% 0.98% 1.09%
As % of the Job Titles category 1.44% 1.05% 1.16%
Number of daily rates quoted 294 226 313
10th Percentile £132 £129 £110
25th Percentile £151 £151 £143
Median daily rate (50th Percentile) £190 £200 £200
Median % change year-on-year -5.00% - -
75th Percentile £238 £300 £256
90th Percentile £329 £538 £400
UK excluding London median daily rate £189 £180 £200
% change year-on-year +4.86% -10.00% +11.11%
Number of hourly rates quoted 119 48 107
10th Percentile £18.66 £14.17 £13.16
25th Percentile £18.94 £15.22 £16.00
Median hourly rate £25.15 £21.59 £17.72
Median % change year-on-year +16.49% +21.84% +0.11%
75th Percentile - £24.18 £20.00
90th Percentile - - £30.00
UK excluding London median hourly rate £25.15 £21.59 £17.72
% change year-on-year +16.49% +21.84% +0.91%

All Contract IT Job Vacancies
UK

For comparison with the information above, the following table provides summary statistics for all contract IT job vacancies. Most job vacancies include a discernible job title that can be normalized. As such, the figures in the second row provide an indication of the number of contract jobs in our overall sample.

Contract vacancies in the UK with a recognized job title 31,989 33,651 43,674
% of contract IT jobs with a recognized job title 90.92% 92.86% 93.74%
Number of daily rates quoted 20,308 20,292 29,666
10th Percentile £279 £300 £294
25th Percentile £402 £412 £413
Median daily rate (50th Percentile) £500 £525 £525
Median % change year-on-year -4.76% - -4.55%
75th Percentile £624 £638 £650
90th Percentile £725 £738 £743
UK excluding London median daily rate £475 £490 £500
% change year-on-year -3.06% -2.00% -
Number of hourly rates quoted 1,833 1,257 1,539
10th Percentile £14.06 £15.10 £14.99
25th Percentile £17.69 £20.30 £19.06
Median hourly rate £25.15 £35.00 £44.50
Median % change year-on-year -28.14% -21.35% +60.48%
75th Percentile £51.80 £65.00 £65.00
90th Percentile £69.92 £73.75 £77.50
UK excluding London median hourly rate £25.15 £35.00 £44.50
% change year-on-year -28.14% -21.35% +87.37%

IT Engineer
Job Vacancy Trend

Historical trend showing the proportion of contract IT job postings featuring 'IT Engineer' in the job title relative to all contract IT jobs advertised.

IT Engineer job vacancy trend in the UK

IT Engineer
Daily Rate Trend

Contractor daily rate distribution trend for IT Engineer job vacancies in the UK.

Contractor daily rate distribution trend for IT Engineer job vacancies in the UK

IT Engineer
Daily Rate Histogram

Daily rate distribution for jobs citing IT Engineer over the 6 months to 12 November 2025.

Daily rate histogram for IT Engineer in the UK

IT Engineer
Hourly Rate Trend

Contractor hourly rate distribution trend for IT Engineer job vacancies in the UK.

Contractor hourly rate distribution trend for IT Engineer job vacancies in the UK

IT Engineer
Hourly Rate Histogram

Hourly rate distribution of jobs citing IT Engineer over the 6 months to 12 November 2025.

Hourly rate histogram for IT Engineer in the UK

IT Engineer
Top 17 Contract Job Locations

The table below looks at the demand and provides a guide to the median contractor rates quoted in IT jobs citing IT Engineer within the UK over the 6 months to 12 November 2025. 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 +38 418 £190 -5.00% 388
UK excluding London +16 340 £189 +4.86% 374
London +21 109 £200 -16.67% 90
South East +28 93 £190 -2.56% 104
South West +29 66 £213 +13.33% 47
North of England -22 63 £170 -11.69% 71
Midlands -24 49 £195 +2.63% 61
East of England +7 44 £190 +5.56% 44
West Midlands -21 32 £250 +25.00% 29
North West -10 31 £160 -12.33% 40
Work from Home -20 29 £250 -31.03% 93
Scotland +3 24 £200 +21.21% 27
Yorkshire -26 23 £205 +2.50% 25
East Midlands -11 19 £128 -29.17% 32
Wales -11 10 £165 +16.81% 17
North East -3 9 £106 -47.00% 6
Northern Ireland -7 1 £195 - 7

IT Engineer Skill Set
Top 30 Co-Occurring Skills & Capabilities

For the 6 months to 12 November 2025, IT Engineer contract job roles required 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 job ads featuring IT Engineer in the job title.

1 198 (43.04%) Windows
2 138 (30.00%) Microsoft
3 135 (29.35%) Microsoft 365
4 124 (26.96%) Security Cleared
5 119 (25.87%) SC Cleared
6 114 (24.78%) Active Directory
7 104 (22.61%) Windows 10
8 84 (18.26%) Customer Service
9 76 (16.52%) Migration
10 63 (13.70%) Problem-Solving
11 57 (12.39%) Workflow
12 53 (11.52%) Workflow Management
13 52 (11.30%) Asset Management
14 47 (10.22%) Microsoft Intune
15 45 (9.78%) Azure
16 40 (8.70%) ITIL
16 40 (8.70%) ServiceNow
17 34 (7.39%) DBS Check
18 33 (7.17%) Microsoft Office
19 32 (6.96%) ITSM
20 31 (6.74%) TCP/IP
21 29 (6.30%) Firewall
22 28 (6.09%) DNS
22 28 (6.09%) SCCM
23 27 (5.87%) Android
24 26 (5.65%) SharePoint
25 25 (5.43%) Windows Server
26 24 (5.22%) Cisco
26 24 (5.22%) DHCP
26 24 (5.22%) Entra ID

IT Engineer Skill Set
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 26 (5.65%) SharePoint
2 23 (5.00%) Microsoft Exchange
3 2 (0.43%) IIS
4 1 (0.22%) Apache
4 1 (0.22%) Confluence
4 1 (0.22%) Skype for Business
4 1 (0.22%) Tomcat
4 1 (0.22%) WebSphere
Applications
1 33 (7.17%) Microsoft Office
2 8 (1.74%) Microsoft Excel
3 2 (0.43%) MS Visio
4 1 (0.22%) Spreadsheet
Business Applications
1 5 (1.09%) Remedy ITSM
2 1 (0.22%) Maximo
2 1 (0.22%) Pegasus Opera
2 1 (0.22%) SystmOne
Cloud Services
1 135 (29.35%) Microsoft 365
2 45 (9.78%) Azure
3 24 (5.22%) Entra ID
4 20 (4.35%) Google Workspace
5 10 (2.17%) OneDrive
6 6 (1.30%) Azure Stack
6 6 (1.30%) Slack
7 5 (1.09%) AWS
8 4 (0.87%) Power Platform
9 3 (0.65%) IaaS
9 3 (0.65%) PaaS
9 3 (0.65%) SaaS
10 2 (0.43%) AWS IoT
10 2 (0.43%) Azure Sentinel
10 2 (0.43%) Google Drive
11 1 (0.22%) Microsoft Copilot
11 1 (0.22%) Microsoft Purview
11 1 (0.22%) Mimecast
11 1 (0.22%) Power Automate
11 1 (0.22%) PowerApps
Communications & Networking
1 31 (6.74%) TCP/IP
2 29 (6.30%) Firewall
3 28 (6.09%) DNS
4 24 (5.22%) DHCP
5 21 (4.57%) ATM
5 21 (4.57%) LAN
5 21 (4.57%) VPN
6 20 (4.35%) Wi-Fi
7 16 (3.48%) WAN
8 14 (3.04%) Network Security
8 14 (3.04%) Wireless
9 11 (2.39%) VLAN
10 10 (2.17%) VoIP
11 7 (1.52%) PABX
12 5 (1.09%) Remote Desktop
13 4 (0.87%) Ethernet
13 4 (0.87%) IP Telephony
14 3 (0.65%) SAN
15 2 (0.43%) Broadband
15 2 (0.43%) Intranet
Database & Business Intelligence
1 4 (0.87%) SQL Server
2 3 (0.65%) Power BI
3 1 (0.22%) Amazon RDS
3 1 (0.22%) DB2
3 1 (0.22%) Electronic Patient Records
3 1 (0.22%) Metadata
3 1 (0.22%) SQL Server Reporting Services
Development Applications
1 5 (1.09%) JIRA
2 1 (0.22%) Hudson
General
1 176 (38.26%) Social Skills
2 29 (6.30%) Finance
3 25 (5.43%) Manufacturing
4 23 (5.00%) Public Sector
5 20 (4.35%) Inclusion and Diversity
6 18 (3.91%) Organisational Skills
7 15 (3.26%) Electronics
7 15 (3.26%) Marketing
7 15 (3.26%) Telecoms
8 13 (2.83%) Banking
9 8 (1.74%) Aerospace
10 7 (1.52%) Local Government
11 5 (1.09%) Analytical Skills
12 4 (0.87%) Documentation Skills
12 4 (0.87%) Retail
13 3 (0.65%) Pharmaceutical
14 2 (0.43%) Automotive
14 2 (0.43%) Law
14 2 (0.43%) Legal
15 1 (0.22%) Financial Institution
Libraries, Frameworks & Software Standards
1 2 (0.43%) Middleware
1 2 (0.43%) XML
2 1 (0.22%) 802.1X
2 1 (0.22%) JSON
2 1 (0.22%) SOAP
2 1 (0.22%) Web Services
Miscellaneous
1 32 (6.96%) Driving Licence
2 25 (5.43%) EPoS
3 17 (3.70%) Smartphone
4 14 (3.04%) Onboarding
4 14 (3.04%) Self-Motivation
5 10 (2.17%) Operational Technology
6 9 (1.96%) Data Centre
7 8 (1.74%) Legacy Systems
8 7 (1.52%) iPhone
9 6 (1.30%) Hybrid Cloud
9 6 (1.30%) Video Conferencing
10 4 (0.87%) Enterprise Software
11 3 (0.65%) CCTV
11 3 (0.65%) Management Information System
12 2 (0.43%) 3D Printing
12 2 (0.43%) IoT
12 2 (0.43%) Manufacturing Execution System
12 2 (0.43%) NHS
12 2 (0.43%) Replication
12 2 (0.43%) SCADA
Operating Systems
1 198 (43.04%) Windows
2 104 (22.61%) Windows 10
3 27 (5.87%) Android
4 25 (5.43%) Windows Server
5 23 (5.00%) Apple iOS
5 23 (5.00%) Mac OS
6 17 (3.70%) Linux
7 15 (3.26%) Windows 7
8 3 (0.65%) VMS
9 2 (0.43%) Mac OS X
9 2 (0.43%) Solaris
9 2 (0.43%) Unix
9 2 (0.43%) Windows 8
9 2 (0.43%) Windows Server 2016
9 2 (0.43%) Windows Server 2019
10 1 (0.22%) CentOS
10 1 (0.22%) Red Hat Enterprise Linux
10 1 (0.22%) Windows Server 2008
Processes & Methodologies
1 84 (18.26%) Customer Service
2 76 (16.52%) Migration
3 63 (13.70%) Problem-Solving
4 57 (12.39%) Workflow
5 53 (11.52%) Workflow Management
6 52 (11.30%) Asset Management
7 40 (8.70%) ITIL
8 32 (6.96%) ITSM
9 21 (4.57%) Cybersecurity
10 20 (4.35%) Infrastructure Engineering
11 17 (3.70%) Break/Fix
11 17 (3.70%) Business Intelligence
12 14 (3.04%) Digital Marketing
12 14 (3.04%) Programme Management
12 14 (3.04%) Service Management
12 14 (3.04%) Ticket Management
13 13 (2.83%) Logistics
14 12 (2.61%) Service Delivery
14 12 (2.61%) User Experience
15 10 (2.17%) IT Asset Management
Programming Languages
1 17 (3.70%) PowerShell
2 5 (1.09%) SQL
3 3 (0.65%) Python
4 1 (0.22%) Bash
4 1 (0.22%) C
4 1 (0.22%) Java
4 1 (0.22%) JavaScript
Qualifications
1 124 (26.96%) Security Cleared
2 119 (25.87%) SC Cleared
3 34 (7.39%) DBS Check
4 9 (1.96%) Degree
4 9 (1.96%) Network+ Certification
5 7 (1.52%) Cisco Certification
6 6 (1.30%) Azure Certification
7 5 (1.09%) A+ Certification
7 5 (1.09%) DV Cleared
7 5 (1.09%) Microsoft Certification
8 4 (0.87%) BPSS Clearance
8 4 (0.87%) CCNA
9 3 (0.65%) CCNP
9 3 (0.65%) ITIL Foundation Certificate
10 2 (0.43%) City & Guilds
10 2 (0.43%) Computer Science Degree
10 2 (0.43%) HNC
10 2 (0.43%) HND
10 2 (0.43%) MCSE
11 1 (0.22%) PRINCE2 Certification
Quality Assurance & Compliance
1 17 (3.70%) SLA
2 3 (0.65%) GDPR
3 2 (0.43%) Cyber Essentials
4 1 (0.22%) Cyber Essentials PLUS
4 1 (0.22%) ISO/IEC 27001
4 1 (0.22%) PMO
4 1 (0.22%) QA
System Software
1 114 (24.78%) Active Directory
2 13 (2.83%) VMware Infrastructure
3 8 (1.74%) Hyper-V
3 8 (1.74%) Virtual Desktop
4 5 (1.09%) Virtual Machines
5 3 (0.65%) Firmware
5 3 (0.65%) vSphere
6 2 (0.43%) VMware Workstation
7 1 (0.22%) BitLocker
7 1 (0.22%) Terminal Services
7 1 (0.22%) VMware ESXi
Systems Management
1 47 (10.22%) Microsoft Intune
2 28 (6.09%) SCCM
3 12 (2.61%) Jamf Pro
4 3 (0.65%) WSUS
5 2 (0.43%) Autotask
5 2 (0.43%) SCOM
6 1 (0.22%) Active Directory Federation Services
6 1 (0.22%) Ansible
6 1 (0.22%) FortiGate
6 1 (0.22%) Single Sign-On
6 1 (0.22%) vCenter Server
Vendors
1 138 (30.00%) Microsoft
2 40 (8.70%) ServiceNow
3 24 (5.22%) Cisco
4 22 (4.78%) Google
5 21 (4.57%) Apple
6 20 (4.35%) HP
6 20 (4.35%) VMware
7 17 (3.70%) Dell
8 16 (3.48%) SAP
9 6 (1.30%) Citrix
9 6 (1.30%) Okta
9 6 (1.30%) Remedy
10 4 (0.87%) IBM
11 3 (0.65%) CheckPoint
11 3 (0.65%) Datto
11 3 (0.65%) Meraki
11 3 (0.65%) Palo Alto
11 3 (0.65%) Sophos
11 3 (0.65%) Veeam
12 2 (0.43%) CyberArk