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 10 October 2026, with comparisons to the same periods in the previous two years.

6 months to
10 Oct 2026
Same period 2025 Same period 2024
Rank 273 230 182
Rank change year-on-year -43 -48 -65
Contract jobs citing LAN 525 394 523
As % of all contract jobs in the UK 0.96% 1.19% 1.38%
As % of the Communications & Networking category 10.40% 10.45% 11.50%
Number of daily rates quoted 307 252 295
10th Percentile £213 £191 £223
25th Percentile £319 £303 £350
Median daily rate (50th Percentile) £475 £450 £475
Median % change year-on-year +5.56% -5.26% +5.56%
75th Percentile £538 £575 £575
90th Percentile £619 £624 £663
UK excluding London median daily rate £453 £380 £450
% change year-on-year +19.08% -15.56% +5.88%
Number of hourly rates quoted 42 28 23
10th Percentile £12.71 £14.74 £18.80
25th Percentile £16.81 £19.44 £20.00
Median hourly rate £26.72 £30.00 £23.80
Median % change year-on-year -10.93% +26.05% -29.42%
75th Percentile £71.94 £35.94 £37.63
90th Percentile £78.75 £68.07 £73.25
UK excluding London median hourly rate £22.50 £30.00 £22.45
% change year-on-year -25.00% +33.63% -32.86%

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 5,047 3,770 4,549
As % of all contract IT jobs advertised in the UK 9.25% 11.38% 11.99%
Number of daily rates quoted 2,920 2,391 2,612
10th Percentile £236 £214 £223
25th Percentile £391 £358 £363
Median daily rate (50th Percentile) £500 £475 £500
Median % change year-on-year +5.26% -5.00% -
75th Percentile £588 £588 £602
90th Percentile £680 £680 £688
UK excluding London median daily rate £475 £450 £485
% change year-on-year +5.56% -7.21% +6.49%
Number of hourly rates quoted 434 192 190
10th Percentile £14.10 £15.50 £14.16
25th Percentile £19.50 £20.13 £24.18
Median hourly rate £32.50 £36.25 £48.78
Median % change year-on-year -10.34% -25.69% -13.65%
75th Percentile £68.69 £65.00 £65.00
90th Percentile £92.11 £75.00 £75.00
UK excluding London median hourly rate £26.14 £41.72 £54.88
% change year-on-year -37.34% -23.97% -4.57%

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 10 October 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 10 October 2026.

Hourly rate histogram for LAN in the UK

LAN
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 LAN within the UK over the 6 months to 10 October 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 -63 424 £500 +11.11% 478
UK excluding London +1 373 £453 +19.08% 312
London -109 113 £500 - 164
South East -34 99 £500 -6.98% 97
Work from Home -54 98 £500 +5.26% 190
North of England -43 77 £500 +194.12% 65
Scotland +26 69 £265 -29.10% 14
Midlands -32 50 £375 -11.76% 60
East of England -12 44 £450 +125.00% 36
North West -44 44 £519 +291.74% 35
West Midlands -43 38 £450 -2.70% 42
Yorkshire -2 33 £463 +94.74% 22
South West -18 29 £425 +37.10% 27
East Midlands -5 12 £275 +37.50% 18
Wales -18 3 £200 -13.51% 9
Channel Islands - 3 £600 -
Northern Ireland +5 2 - - 7

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 21 (4.00%) Microsoft Exchange
2 19 (3.62%) SharePoint
3 9 (1.71%) OpenStack
4 8 (1.52%) CMS
5 7 (1.33%) Skype for Business
6 3 (0.57%) Confluence
7 2 (0.38%) IIS
Applications
1 34 (6.48%) Microsoft Office
2 26 (4.95%) MS Visio
3 25 (4.76%) Microsoft Excel
4 10 (1.90%) Microsoft PowerPoint
5 5 (0.95%) Microsoft Project
6 1 (0.19%) Spreadsheet
Business Applications
1 1 (0.19%) Sparx Enterprise Architect
Cloud Services
1 104 (19.81%) Azure
2 76 (14.48%) Microsoft 365
3 52 (9.90%) AWS
4 30 (5.71%) Entra ID
5 13 (2.48%) GCP
6 11 (2.10%) OneDrive
7 10 (1.90%) AWS Direct Connect
7 10 (1.90%) SaaS
8 8 (1.52%) Virtual Private Cloud
9 7 (1.33%) Azure ExpressRoute
10 4 (0.76%) Azure DevOps
10 4 (0.76%) Microsoft Copilot
10 4 (0.76%) OpenShift
11 3 (0.57%) Azure Sentinel
11 3 (0.57%) Smartsheet
12 2 (0.38%) Azure Monitor
12 2 (0.38%) GitHub
12 2 (0.38%) IaaS
12 2 (0.38%) WhatsApp
13 1 (0.19%) Route 53
Communications & Networking
1 436 (83.05%) WAN
2 241 (45.90%) Firewall
3 143 (27.24%) VPN
4 132 (25.14%) Network Security
5 123 (23.43%) Wireless
6 115 (21.90%) Wi-Fi
7 108 (20.57%) BGP
8 106 (20.19%) SD-WAN
9 100 (19.05%) MPLS
10 86 (16.38%) DNS
11 82 (15.62%) TCP/IP
12 77 (14.67%) OSPF
13 70 (13.33%) DHCP
14 67 (12.76%) VLAN
14 67 (12.76%) WLAN
15 51 (9.71%) IPsec
16 50 (9.52%) Cisco Nexus
17 35 (6.67%) Cisco ASA
17 35 (6.67%) Cisco ISE
18 24 (4.57%) Cisco Firepower
Database & Business Intelligence
1 6 (1.14%) SQL Server
2 1 (0.19%) DTS
2 1 (0.19%) Metadata
2 1 (0.19%) Power BI
2 1 (0.19%) Tableau
Development Applications
1 10 (1.90%) JIRA
2 5 (0.95%) Git
3 3 (0.57%) Sonatype Nexus
4 2 (0.38%) SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS)
5 1 (0.19%) Browser DevTools
5 1 (0.19%) Fiddler
5 1 (0.19%) MSI
5 1 (0.19%) Visual Studio
General
1 175 (33.33%) Social Skills
2 89 (16.95%) Telecoms
3 52 (9.90%) Analytical Skills
4 47 (8.95%) Public Sector
5 34 (6.48%) Finance
6 27 (5.14%) Organisational Skills
7 24 (4.57%) Documentation Skills
8 19 (3.62%) Banking
9 13 (2.48%) Legal
9 13 (2.48%) Retail
10 11 (2.10%) Manufacturing
11 7 (1.33%) Influencing Skills
11 7 (1.33%) Police
12 5 (0.95%) Financial Institution
12 5 (0.95%) Local Government
13 2 (0.38%) Billing
13 2 (0.38%) Inclusion and Diversity
13 2 (0.38%) Law
13 2 (0.38%) Military
14 1 (0.19%) Presentation Skills
Job Titles
1 230 (43.81%) Network Engineer
2 63 (12.00%) Senior
3 60 (11.43%) Architect
4 44 (8.38%) Network Architect
4 44 (8.38%) Support Engineer
5 40 (7.62%) IT Support
5 40 (7.62%) Senior Network Engineer
6 31 (5.90%) IT Engineer
7 29 (5.52%) Cisco Engineer
8 26 (4.95%) Field Engineer
8 26 (4.95%) IT Support Engineer
9 25 (4.76%) SC Cleared Network Engineer
9 25 (4.76%) Telecoms Engineer
10 22 (4.19%) Infrastructure Engineer
11 20 (3.81%) Cisco Network Engineer
12 17 (3.24%) Developer
12 17 (3.24%) Project Engineer
13 16 (3.05%) Network Field Engineer
14 15 (2.86%) Consultant
14 15 (2.86%) Project Manager
Libraries, Frameworks & Software Standards
1 20 (3.81%) 802.1X
2 17 (3.24%) Terraform
3 13 (2.48%) NETCONF
4 10 (1.90%) REST
5 9 (1.71%) YANG
6 7 (1.33%) XMPP
7 4 (0.76%) OpenConfig
7 4 (0.76%) RESTCONF
7 4 (0.76%) SAML
8 3 (0.57%) Java RMI
8 3 (0.57%) LDAP
8 3 (0.57%) RFC 2544
8 3 (0.57%) YAML
9 2 (0.38%) JSON
9 2 (0.38%) Middleware
9 2 (0.38%) ODBC
9 2 (0.38%) Software Packaging
10 1 (0.19%) .NET Framework
10 1 (0.19%) ModSecurity
10 1 (0.19%) SailPoint
Miscellaneous
1 108 (20.57%) Data Centre
2 41 (7.81%) Driving Licence
3 26 (4.95%) Hybrid Cloud
3 26 (4.95%) Self-Motivation
4 25 (4.76%) Video Conferencing
5 23 (4.38%) Onboarding
6 17 (3.24%) Operational Technology
7 16 (3.05%) PKI
8 12 (2.29%) Cloud Native
8 12 (2.29%) Private Cloud
9 11 (2.10%) Data Protection Act
9 11 (2.10%) Management Information System
9 11 (2.10%) Security Posture
10 9 (1.71%) Smartphone
11 8 (1.52%) Analytical Mindset
11 8 (1.52%) IoT
11 8 (1.52%) NHS
11 8 (1.52%) SCADA
12 7 (1.33%) CCTV
12 7 (1.33%) Virtual Team
Operating Systems
1 133 (25.33%) Windows
2 47 (8.95%) Windows Server
3 33 (6.29%) Windows 10
4 31 (5.90%) Linux
5 13 (2.48%) Mac OS
6 12 (2.29%) Windows 7
7 8 (1.52%) Unix
8 6 (1.14%) Android
9 5 (0.95%) Apple iOS
9 5 (0.95%) Red Hat Enterprise Linux
9 5 (0.95%) Windows Server 2019
10 2 (0.38%) Ubuntu
10 2 (0.38%) Windows Server 2012
10 2 (0.38%) Windows Server 2016
11 1 (0.19%) CatOS
11 1 (0.19%) Windows Server 2003
Processes & Methodologies
1 103 (19.62%) Problem-Solving
2 82 (15.62%) ITIL
3 81 (15.43%) Project Delivery
4 58 (11.05%) Stakeholder Management
5 55 (10.48%) Continuous Improvement
6 53 (10.10%) High Availability
7 46 (8.76%) Load Balancing
8 44 (8.38%) Customer Service
8 44 (8.38%) Roadmaps
9 43 (8.19%) Infrastructure Engineering
10 41 (7.81%) Network Architecture
10 41 (7.81%) Network Design
11 37 (7.05%) Zero Trust
12 36 (6.86%) Service Management
13 35 (6.67%) Migration
13 35 (6.67%) Technical Leadership
14 34 (6.48%) Cybersecurity
14 34 (6.48%) Mentoring
14 34 (6.48%) Network Monitoring
15 33 (6.29%) ITSM
Programming Languages
1 31 (5.90%) Python
2 22 (4.19%) PowerShell
3 6 (1.14%) VB
3 6 (1.14%) VBScript
4 3 (0.57%) Bicep
4 3 (0.57%) SQL
5 2 (0.38%) Bash
5 2 (0.38%) T-SQL
6 1 (0.19%) C++
Qualifications
1 154 (29.33%) Security Cleared
2 141 (26.86%) Cisco Certification
3 93 (17.71%) SC Cleared
4 88 (16.76%) CCNP
5 66 (12.57%) CCNA
6 48 (9.14%) DV Cleared
7 34 (6.48%) CCIE
8 29 (5.52%) Degree
9 13 (2.48%) Azure Certification
9 13 (2.48%) Microsoft Certification
10 11 (2.10%) A+ Certification
11 9 (1.71%) AWS Certification
11 9 (1.71%) JNCIE
12 8 (1.52%) ITIL Foundation Certificate
12 8 (1.52%) PMI Certification
12 8 (1.52%) PMP
13 6 (1.14%) BPSS Clearance
13 6 (1.14%) JNCIP
13 6 (1.14%) JNCIS
14 5 (0.95%) Computer Science Degree
Quality Assurance & Compliance
1 27 (5.14%) SLA
2 11 (2.10%) QA
3 10 (1.90%) ISO/IEC 27001
4 8 (1.52%) NIST
5 7 (1.33%) NCSC
6 4 (0.76%) Disclosure Scotland
6 4 (0.76%) PMO
7 3 (0.57%) Cyber Essentials
7 3 (0.57%) GRC
7 3 (0.57%) JSP 440
8 2 (0.38%) Cyber Essentials PLUS
8 2 (0.38%) GDPR
8 2 (0.38%) PCI DSS
9 1 (0.19%) Actionable Recommendations
9 1 (0.19%) Data Quality
9 1 (0.19%) ISO 9001
9 1 (0.19%) NEBOSH
System Software
1 84 (16.00%) Active Directory
2 51 (9.71%) VMware Infrastructure
3 19 (3.62%) VMware NSX
4 18 (3.43%) vSphere
5 13 (2.48%) Firmware
6 10 (1.90%) Virtual Desktop
6 10 (1.90%) Virtual Machines
7 7 (1.33%) BitLocker
7 7 (1.33%) Hyper-V
7 7 (1.33%) VMware ESXi
8 4 (0.76%) FreeRADIUS
9 3 (0.57%) Virtual Servers
10 2 (0.38%) Microsoft Virtual Server
11 1 (0.19%) NFS
11 1 (0.19%) ProxySG
Systems Management
1 33 (6.29%) Ansible
2 28 (5.33%) FortiGate
3 23 (4.38%) Microsoft Intune
4 17 (3.24%) SCCM
5 9 (1.71%) Cisco CUCM
6 7 (1.33%) vCenter Server
7 6 (1.14%) Nagios
7 6 (1.14%) Single Sign-On
8 5 (0.95%) Cisco Prime
8 5 (0.95%) Grafana
9 3 (0.57%) Prometheus
10 2 (0.38%) CASB
10 2 (0.38%) VxRail
10 2 (0.38%) WSUS
11 1 (0.19%) AirWatch
11 1 (0.19%) Backup Exec
11 1 (0.19%) Jamf Pro
11 1 (0.19%) Nessus
11 1 (0.19%) TrustSec
Vendors
1 272 (51.81%) Cisco
2 147 (28.00%) Microsoft
3 88 (16.76%) Palo Alto
4 77 (14.67%) VMware
5 75 (14.29%) Fortinet
6 50 (9.52%) Juniper
7 48 (9.14%) SolarWinds
8 45 (8.57%) F5
9 43 (8.19%) Aruba
10 36 (6.86%) Meraki
11 32 (6.10%) CheckPoint
12 28 (5.33%) ServiceNow
13 21 (4.00%) Nokia
14 17 (3.24%) Zscaler
15 9 (1.71%) Arista
15 9 (1.71%) Google
15 9 (1.71%) HP
15 9 (1.71%) Splunk
16 8 (1.52%) Extreme Networks
17 7 (1.33%) Veeam