LAN Contract Job Trends

Local Area Network (LAN)
UK

The table below provides summary statistics and contractor rates for jobs requiring LAN skills. It covers contract job vacancies from the 6 months leading up to 7 March 2026, with comparisons to the same periods in the previous two years.

6 months to
7 Mar 2026
Same period 2025 Same period 2024
Rank 229 196 128
Rank change year-on-year -33 -68 +38
Contract jobs citing LAN 512 411 840
As % of all contract jobs in the UK 1.20% 1.34% 1.87%
As % of the Communications & Networking category 11.82% 10.09% 13.90%
Number of daily rates quoted 330 266 508
10th Percentile £206 £223 £203
25th Percentile £313 £353 £313
Median daily rate (50th Percentile) £441 £454 £475
Median % change year-on-year -2.75% -4.47% +5.56%
75th Percentile £538 £575 £636
90th Percentile £621 £674 £738
UK excluding London median daily rate £430 £430 £475
% change year-on-year - -9.47% +5.56%
Number of hourly rates quoted 29 10 41
10th Percentile £12.43 £14.99 £14.36
25th Percentile £15.50 £18.88 £19.95
Median hourly rate £22.50 £21.25 £24.87
Median % change year-on-year +5.88% -14.56% -50.26%
75th Percentile £44.06 £34.69 £47.50
90th Percentile £70.39 £46.75 £62.50
UK excluding London median hourly rate £22.50 £20.00 £24.87
% change year-on-year +12.50% -19.58% -25.20%

All Communications and Computer Networking Skills
UK

LAN falls under the Communications and Computer Networking category. For comparison with the information above, the following table provides summary statistics for all contract job vacancies requiring communications or computer networking skills.

Contract vacancies with a requirement for communications or computer networking skills 4,332 4,074 6,043
As % of all contract IT jobs advertised in the UK 10.14% 13.29% 13.46%
Number of daily rates quoted 2,816 2,461 3,625
10th Percentile £205 £208 £205
25th Percentile £363 £363 £350
Median daily rate (50th Percentile) £480 £500 £475
Median % change year-on-year -4.00% +5.26% -8.65%
75th Percentile £588 £600 £600
90th Percentile £675 £680 £700
UK excluding London median daily rate £466 £475 £475
% change year-on-year -1.89% - -
Number of hourly rates quoted 174 141 394
10th Percentile £15.50 £15.44 £14.27
25th Percentile £20.04 £21.46 £19.25
Median hourly rate £36.75 £35.00 £40.00
Median % change year-on-year +5.00% -12.50% +110.53%
75th Percentile £65.00 £63.25 £65.00
90th Percentile £75.00 £75.00 £73.72
UK excluding London median hourly rate £41.94 £32.50 £47.50
% change year-on-year +29.05% -31.58% +152.39%

LAN
Job Vacancy Trend

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

LAN job vacancy trend in the UK

LAN
Daily Rate Trend

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

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

LAN
Daily Rate Histogram

Daily rate distribution for jobs citing LAN over the 6 months to 7 March 2026.

Daily rate histogram for LAN in the UK

LAN
Hourly Rate Trend

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

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

LAN
Hourly Rate Histogram

Hourly rate distribution of jobs citing LAN over the 6 months to 7 March 2026.

Hourly rate histogram for LAN in the UK

LAN
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 LAN within the UK over the 6 months to 7 March 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 -50 424 £450 -5.26% 180
UK excluding London -30 336 £430 - 157
Work from Home -2 131 £445 -11.00% 56
London -25 131 £475 -5.00% 52
South East +13 118 £448 +5.29% 65
North of England -77 58 £445 +2.89% 32
Midlands -51 47 £321 -35.75% 21
Scotland +43 46 £294 -26.56% 5
West Midlands -33 41 £416 -20.71% 14
East of England -15 38 £350 -33.33% 18
North West -50 30 £500 +11.11% 15
Yorkshire -55 28 £313 +29.07% 15
South West -50 16 £513 +24.24% 15
Wales +5 10 £425 +41.67% 8
East Midlands -38 6 £200 -40.30% 7
Northern Ireland - 4 £430 -

LAN
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 31 (6.05%) SharePoint
2 25 (4.88%) Microsoft Exchange
3 13 (2.54%) Confluence
4 10 (1.95%) Skype for Business
5 4 (0.78%) OpenStack
6 1 (0.20%) Apache
6 1 (0.20%) IIS
Applications
1 36 (7.03%) Microsoft Office
2 23 (4.49%) MS Visio
3 14 (2.73%) Microsoft Excel
4 13 (2.54%) Microsoft PowerPoint
5 5 (0.98%) Acrobat
6 4 (0.78%) Microsoft Project
7 1 (0.20%) Spreadsheet
Business Applications
1 2 (0.39%) DELMIA
Cloud Services
1 113 (22.07%) Azure
2 73 (14.26%) Microsoft 365
3 53 (10.35%) AWS
4 35 (6.84%) Entra ID
5 21 (4.10%) GCP
6 16 (3.13%) SaaS
7 13 (2.54%) OneDrive
8 10 (1.95%) PaaS
9 9 (1.76%) Virtual Private Cloud
10 6 (1.17%) Azure ExpressRoute
10 6 (1.17%) Nutanix
10 6 (1.17%) Power Platform
11 5 (0.98%) Azure DevOps
11 5 (0.98%) IaaS
11 5 (0.98%) PowerApps
12 4 (0.78%) AWS Direct Connect
12 4 (0.78%) Microsoft Purview
13 3 (0.59%) Google Ads
13 3 (0.59%) Serverless
14 2 (0.39%) WhatsApp
Communications & Networking
1 420 (82.03%) WAN
2 222 (43.36%) Firewall
3 150 (29.30%) VPN
4 125 (24.41%) BGP
5 116 (22.66%) Wi-Fi
6 114 (22.27%) OSPF
7 98 (19.14%) SD-WAN
8 95 (18.55%) DNS
9 90 (17.58%) Network Security
10 79 (15.43%) DHCP
11 75 (14.65%) VLAN
12 74 (14.45%) Wireless
13 73 (14.26%) TCP/IP
14 71 (13.87%) MPLS
15 51 (9.96%) WLAN
16 42 (8.20%) IPsec
17 34 (6.64%) VXLAN
18 33 (6.45%) Cisco ASA
19 32 (6.25%) Cisco ISE
20 31 (6.05%) Cisco Nexus
Database & Business Intelligence
1 7 (1.37%) SQL Server
2 4 (0.78%) MS Access
3 2 (0.39%) MariaDB
3 2 (0.39%) PostgreSQL
4 1 (0.20%) Amazon RDS
4 1 (0.20%) Apache Cassandra
4 1 (0.20%) Data Warehouse
4 1 (0.20%) DynamoDB
4 1 (0.20%) MongoDB
4 1 (0.20%) MySQL
4 1 (0.20%) NoSQL
4 1 (0.20%) Oracle Database
4 1 (0.20%) Power BI
4 1 (0.20%) SQL Server Reporting Services
Development Applications
1 25 (4.88%) JIRA
2 2 (0.39%) Sonatype Nexus
3 1 (0.20%) Bitbucket
3 1 (0.20%) Browser DevTools
3 1 (0.20%) Git
3 1 (0.20%) GitLab
3 1 (0.20%) Jenkins
3 1 (0.20%) Tricentis qTest
General
1 148 (28.91%) Social Skills
2 50 (9.77%) Analytical Skills
2 50 (9.77%) Public Sector
3 48 (9.38%) Finance
4 36 (7.03%) Telecoms
5 34 (6.64%) Documentation Skills
6 27 (5.27%) Manufacturing
7 19 (3.71%) Legal
7 19 (3.71%) Military
8 17 (3.32%) Financial Institution
9 13 (2.54%) Banking
10 12 (2.34%) Organisational Skills
11 9 (1.76%) Presentation Skills
12 8 (1.56%) Law
13 7 (1.37%) Local Government
14 6 (1.17%) Inclusion and Diversity
15 5 (0.98%) Influencing Skills
15 5 (0.98%) Marketing
15 5 (0.98%) Retail
16 4 (0.78%) Electronics
Job Titles
1 180 (35.16%) Network Engineer
2 77 (15.04%) Architect
3 54 (10.55%) Senior
4 53 (10.35%) Network Architect
5 42 (8.20%) Analyst
6 40 (7.81%) IT Support
7 35 (6.84%) Support Engineer
8 30 (5.86%) IT Engineer
9 25 (4.88%) Infrastructure Engineer
9 25 (4.88%) IT Support Engineer
10 24 (4.69%) Senior Network Engineer
11 23 (4.49%) SC Cleared Network Engineer
12 22 (4.30%) Lead
13 21 (4.10%) Cisco Engineer
13 21 (4.10%) Project Manager
13 21 (4.10%) Technical Architect
14 20 (3.91%) Cisco Network Engineer
15 18 (3.52%) Field Engineer
15 18 (3.52%) Support Analyst
16 16 (3.13%) Technical Support
Libraries, Frameworks & Software Standards
1 30 (5.86%) 802.1X
2 10 (1.95%) LDAP
3 8 (1.56%) Microsoft Graph
3 8 (1.56%) Middleware
4 6 (1.17%) SAML
5 3 (0.59%) NETCONF
5 3 (0.59%) REST
5 3 (0.59%) YANG
6 2 (0.39%) ARM Templates
6 2 (0.39%) CSS
6 2 (0.39%) Django
6 2 (0.39%) HTML
6 2 (0.39%) RFC 2544
6 2 (0.39%) XMPP
6 2 (0.39%) YAML
7 1 (0.20%) .NET
7 1 (0.20%) EDI
7 1 (0.20%) LAMP
7 1 (0.20%) Node.js
7 1 (0.20%) SOAP
Miscellaneous
1 101 (19.73%) Data Centre
2 24 (4.69%) PKI
3 20 (3.91%) Clustering
3 20 (3.91%) Driving Licence
4 19 (3.71%) Onboarding
5 17 (3.32%) Hybrid Cloud
6 15 (2.93%) CMDB
7 14 (2.73%) NHS
8 13 (2.54%) Data Protection Act
9 12 (2.34%) Security Posture
10 9 (1.76%) Management Information System
10 9 (1.76%) Operational Technology
11 8 (1.56%) IoT
11 8 (1.56%) Public Cloud
11 8 (1.56%) Self-Motivation
11 8 (1.56%) Virtual Team
12 6 (1.17%) Analytical Mindset
12 6 (1.17%) Enterprise Software
13 5 (0.98%) Cloud Native
13 5 (0.98%) iPhone
Operating Systems
1 150 (29.30%) Windows
2 51 (9.96%) Windows Server
3 38 (7.42%) Windows 10
4 24 (4.69%) Linux
5 15 (2.93%) Windows Server 2019
6 11 (2.15%) Android
6 11 (2.15%) Windows 7
7 9 (1.76%) Mac OS
8 8 (1.56%) Windows Server 2016
9 7 (1.37%) Apple iOS
10 5 (0.98%) VMS
10 5 (0.98%) Windows Server 2012
11 4 (0.78%) CatOS
12 3 (0.59%) Red Hat Enterprise Linux
12 3 (0.59%) Ubuntu
12 3 (0.59%) Windows Server 2003
13 2 (0.39%) AIX
14 1 (0.20%) Data ONTAP
14 1 (0.20%) Unix
Processes & Methodologies
1 84 (16.41%) Problem-Solving
2 71 (13.87%) ITIL
3 61 (11.91%) Migration
4 56 (10.94%) High Availability
5 46 (8.98%) Network Design
5 46 (8.98%) Stakeholder Management
6 45 (8.79%) ITSM
7 41 (8.01%) Change Management
7 41 (8.01%) Network Architecture
8 40 (7.81%) Infrastructure Engineering
9 38 (7.42%) Load Balancing
10 37 (7.23%) Cybersecurity
11 34 (6.64%) Network Monitoring
11 34 (6.64%) Project Delivery
12 32 (6.25%) Service Management
13 30 (5.86%) Customer Service
14 27 (5.27%) Mentoring
15 26 (5.08%) Continuous Improvement
15 26 (5.08%) Stakeholder Engagement
15 26 (5.08%) Zero Trust
Programming Languages
1 49 (9.57%) PowerShell
2 34 (6.64%) Python
3 14 (2.73%) SQL
4 11 (2.15%) VBScript
5 9 (1.76%) VB
6 3 (0.59%) JavaScript
6 3 (0.59%) Perl
7 2 (0.39%) Bash
7 2 (0.39%) Bicep
8 1 (0.20%) C#
8 1 (0.20%) Ruby
8 1 (0.20%) Shell Script
8 1 (0.20%) T-SQL
Qualifications
1 168 (32.81%) Security Cleared
2 148 (28.91%) Cisco Certification
3 122 (23.83%) SC Cleared
4 114 (22.27%) CCNP
5 59 (11.52%) Degree
6 55 (10.74%) DV Cleared
7 48 (9.38%) CCNA
8 38 (7.42%) CCIE
9 18 (3.52%) JNCIP
9 18 (3.52%) JNCIS
10 13 (2.54%) Network+ Certification
11 12 (2.34%) Microsoft Certification
11 12 (2.34%) PMP
12 11 (2.15%) JNCIE
12 11 (2.15%) PMI Certification
13 10 (1.95%) Azure Certification
13 10 (1.95%) CCSE
13 10 (1.95%) JNCIA
14 9 (1.76%) AWS Certification
14 9 (1.76%) Computer Science Degree
Quality Assurance & Compliance
1 14 (2.73%) ISO/IEC 27001
2 13 (2.54%) SLA
3 11 (2.15%) NIST
4 9 (1.76%) GDPR
4 9 (1.76%) QA
5 7 (1.37%) NCSC
6 5 (0.98%) PCI DSS
6 5 (0.98%) PMO
7 4 (0.78%) Cyber Essentials
8 3 (0.59%) JSP 440
9 2 (0.39%) Disclosure Scotland
9 2 (0.39%) RMADS
10 1 (0.20%) GRC
10 1 (0.20%) MiFID
10 1 (0.20%) Sarbanes-Oxley
System Software
1 95 (18.55%) Active Directory
2 37 (7.23%) VMware Infrastructure
3 17 (3.32%) VMware NSX
4 12 (2.34%) vSphere
5 9 (1.76%) BitLocker
6 5 (0.98%) Hyper-V
6 5 (0.98%) Virtual Desktop
7 4 (0.78%) Docker
7 4 (0.78%) VMware ESXi
8 2 (0.39%) KVM
8 2 (0.39%) ProxySG
9 1 (0.20%) Ceph
9 1 (0.20%) Citrix Presentation Server
9 1 (0.20%) iptables
9 1 (0.20%) Microsoft Virtual Server
9 1 (0.20%) RHEV
9 1 (0.20%) Slurm Workload Manager
9 1 (0.20%) Virtual Machines
9 1 (0.20%) Virtual Servers
9 1 (0.20%) Xen
Systems Management
1 41 (8.01%) FortiGate
2 37 (7.23%) Microsoft Intune
3 34 (6.64%) Ansible
4 27 (5.27%) Terraform
5 21 (4.10%) SCCM
6 11 (2.15%) Jamf Pro
7 9 (1.76%) Single Sign-On
8 6 (1.17%) Cisco Prime
8 6 (1.17%) Nagios
9 4 (0.78%) WSUS
10 3 (0.59%) Cisco CUCM
10 3 (0.59%) Endace
10 3 (0.59%) Grafana
10 3 (0.59%) vCenter Server
11 2 (0.39%) Check_MK
11 2 (0.39%) Nessus
11 2 (0.39%) SCOM
12 1 (0.20%) HAProxy
12 1 (0.20%) Progress Chef
12 1 (0.20%) WhatsUp Gold
Vendors
1 241 (47.07%) Cisco
2 112 (21.88%) Microsoft
3 102 (19.92%) Palo Alto
4 71 (13.87%) Juniper
5 66 (12.89%) F5
6 61 (11.91%) CheckPoint
7 60 (11.72%) Aruba
8 52 (10.16%) Fortinet
9 50 (9.77%) VMware
10 45 (8.79%) SolarWinds
11 31 (6.05%) ServiceNow
12 30 (5.86%) Meraki
13 25 (4.88%) Extreme Networks
14 23 (4.49%) Zscaler
15 22 (4.30%) Splunk
16 14 (2.73%) Dell
16 14 (2.73%) Veeam
17 12 (2.34%) Citrix
18 11 (2.15%) Arista
19 7 (1.37%) SAP