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 28 January 2026, with comparisons to the same periods in the previous two years.

6 months to
28 Jan 2026
Same period 2025 Same period 2024
Rank 238 175 125
Rank change year-on-year -63 -50 +51
Contract jobs citing LAN 435 466 833
As % of all contract jobs in the UK 1.13% 1.49% 1.89%
As % of the Communications & Networking category 10.86% 11.46% 13.78%
Number of daily rates quoted 276 282 512
10th Percentile £213 £223 £203
25th Percentile £314 £350 £313
Median daily rate (50th Percentile) £445 £450 £461
Median % change year-on-year -1.11% -2.44% +2.50%
75th Percentile £538 £569 £619
90th Percentile £619 £670 £725
UK excluding London median daily rate £425 £428 £450
% change year-on-year -0.58% -5.00% -
Number of hourly rates quoted 21 12 39
10th Percentile £12.97 £18.65 £15.43
25th Percentile £15.50 £20.00 £20.10
Median hourly rate £22.50 £20.19 £38.04
Median % change year-on-year +11.46% -46.93% +14.41%
75th Percentile £35.00 £34.06 £48.75
90th Percentile £69.99 £42.88 £63.50
UK excluding London median hourly rate £18.38 £20.00 £31.25
% change year-on-year -8.13% -36.00% +12.61%

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 4,007 4,068 6,044
As % of all contract IT jobs advertised in the UK 10.44% 13.00% 13.69%
Number of daily rates quoted 2,631 2,361 3,669
10th Percentile £204 £213 £207
25th Percentile £356 £363 £359
Median daily rate (50th Percentile) £475 £500 £495
Median % change year-on-year -5.00% +1.01% -3.88%
75th Percentile £588 £600 £600
90th Percentile £675 £685 £700
UK excluding London median daily rate £450 £467 £475
% change year-on-year -3.64% -1.68% +2.70%
Number of hourly rates quoted 164 139 388
10th Percentile £15.50 £17.76 £16.25
25th Percentile £18.97 £21.46 £22.00
Median hourly rate £30.00 £35.00 £51.65
Median % change year-on-year -14.29% -32.24% +149.47%
75th Percentile £65.00 £58.69 £65.00
90th Percentile £75.00 £70.00 £75.00
UK excluding London median hourly rate £40.54 £31.79 £56.45
% change year-on-year +27.52% -43.68% +186.89%

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 28 January 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 28 January 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 28 January 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 -79 361 £450 -1.64% 211
UK excluding London -55 279 £425 -0.58% 203
London -35 120 £500 - 53
Work from Home -16 111 £450 -10.00% 91
South East -11 86 £450 +12.50% 57
North of England -79 56 £433 -3.89% 50
Scotland +32 42 £275 -31.25% 16
Midlands -65 40 £425 -10.53% 31
North West -44 37 £423 -7.95% 21
West Midlands -33 35 £450 -10.00% 25
East of England -18 32 £350 -31.71% 19
Yorkshire -59 18 £440 +95.56% 24
South West -42 12 £513 +24.24% 24
Wales 0 5 £293 +46.25% 6
Northern Ireland -1 5 £475 - 3
East Midlands -52 5 £200 -42.86% 6
North East -15 1 £550 - 5

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 24 (5.52%) SharePoint
2 18 (4.14%) Microsoft Exchange
3 14 (3.22%) OpenStack
4 10 (2.30%) Skype for Business
5 6 (1.38%) Confluence
6 1 (0.23%) Apache
6 1 (0.23%) CICS
6 1 (0.23%) IIS
6 1 (0.23%) Tomcat
6 1 (0.23%) WebSphere
6 1 (0.23%) WebSphere Application Server
Applications
1 40 (9.20%) Microsoft Office
2 25 (5.75%) MS Visio
3 17 (3.91%) Microsoft Excel
4 16 (3.68%) Microsoft PowerPoint
5 5 (1.15%) Acrobat
6 4 (0.92%) Microsoft Project
7 1 (0.23%) Spreadsheet
Business Applications
1 2 (0.46%) DELMIA
2 1 (0.23%) Remedy ITSM
Cloud Services
1 95 (21.84%) Azure
2 57 (13.10%) AWS
3 49 (11.26%) Microsoft 365
4 22 (5.06%) Entra ID
5 18 (4.14%) GCP
6 9 (2.07%) Virtual Private Cloud
7 7 (1.61%) SaaS
8 6 (1.38%) OpenShift
9 4 (0.92%) Azure DevOps
9 4 (0.92%) Azure ExpressRoute
9 4 (0.92%) Microsoft Purview
10 3 (0.69%) AWS Direct Connect
10 3 (0.69%) Nutanix
10 3 (0.69%) Serverless
11 2 (0.46%) Azure Functions
11 2 (0.46%) Azure Service Bus
11 2 (0.46%) GitHub
11 2 (0.46%) Google Ads
11 2 (0.46%) OneDrive
11 2 (0.46%) Slack
Communications & Networking
1 364 (83.68%) WAN
2 168 (38.62%) Firewall
3 137 (31.49%) VPN
4 91 (20.92%) BGP
5 87 (20.00%) SD-WAN
6 83 (19.08%) Wi-Fi
7 73 (16.78%) TCP/IP
7 73 (16.78%) Wireless
8 72 (16.55%) DNS
8 72 (16.55%) OSPF
9 71 (16.32%) Network Security
10 70 (16.09%) MPLS
11 56 (12.87%) DHCP
11 56 (12.87%) VLAN
12 48 (11.03%) WLAN
13 38 (8.74%) IPsec
14 30 (6.90%) Cisco Nexus
15 27 (6.21%) Cisco ASA
16 25 (5.75%) Structured Cabling
17 21 (4.83%) Internet
Database & Business Intelligence
1 7 (1.61%) SQL Server
2 4 (0.92%) MS Access
3 2 (0.46%) MariaDB
3 2 (0.46%) NoSQL
3 2 (0.46%) Oracle Database
3 2 (0.46%) PostgreSQL
3 2 (0.46%) Power BI
4 1 (0.23%) Amazon RDS
4 1 (0.23%) Apache Cassandra
4 1 (0.23%) Data Warehouse
4 1 (0.23%) DynamoDB
4 1 (0.23%) MongoDB
4 1 (0.23%) MySQL
4 1 (0.23%) SQL Server Reporting Services
Development Applications
1 11 (2.53%) JIRA
2 3 (0.69%) Sonatype Nexus
3 2 (0.46%) Jenkins
4 1 (0.23%) Bitbucket
4 1 (0.23%) Git
4 1 (0.23%) GitLab
4 1 (0.23%) Tricentis qTest
General
1 137 (31.49%) Social Skills
2 50 (11.49%) Public Sector
3 49 (11.26%) Analytical Skills
4 38 (8.74%) Finance
5 35 (8.05%) Telecoms
6 34 (7.82%) Documentation Skills
7 22 (5.06%) Manufacturing
8 16 (3.68%) Military
9 13 (2.99%) Legal
10 10 (2.30%) Banking
11 9 (2.07%) Organisational Skills
11 9 (2.07%) Presentation Skills
12 6 (1.38%) Financial Institution
12 6 (1.38%) Law
12 6 (1.38%) Local Government
12 6 (1.38%) Marketing
13 5 (1.15%) Electronics
13 5 (1.15%) Inclusion and Diversity
14 4 (0.92%) Influencing Skills
15 3 (0.69%) Police
Job Titles
1 145 (33.33%) Network Engineer
2 81 (18.62%) Architect
3 56 (12.87%) Network Architect
4 35 (8.05%) Analyst
4 35 (8.05%) Senior
5 24 (5.52%) IT Support
6 23 (5.29%) Infrastructure Engineer
6 23 (5.29%) Support Engineer
7 22 (5.06%) Lead
8 21 (4.83%) Support Analyst
9 20 (4.60%) Project Manager
10 18 (4.14%) SC Cleared Network Engineer
10 18 (4.14%) Senior Network Engineer
11 17 (3.91%) 2nd Line Support
11 17 (3.91%) Field Engineer
11 17 (3.91%) Technical Architect
12 16 (3.68%) Cisco Engineer
12 16 (3.68%) IT Engineer
12 16 (3.68%) Technical Support
13 15 (3.45%) Technical Analyst
Libraries, Frameworks & Software Standards
1 11 (2.53%) LDAP
2 8 (1.84%) Middleware
2 8 (1.84%) NETCONF
2 8 (1.84%) REST
2 8 (1.84%) YANG
3 6 (1.38%) SAML
4 3 (0.69%) 802.1X
5 2 (0.46%) ARM Templates
5 2 (0.46%) CSS
5 2 (0.46%) Django
5 2 (0.46%) HTML
5 2 (0.46%) XMPP
5 2 (0.46%) YAML
6 1 (0.23%) .NET
6 1 (0.23%) EDI
6 1 (0.23%) Java RMI
6 1 (0.23%) LAMP
6 1 (0.23%) LAPP Stack
6 1 (0.23%) Node.js
6 1 (0.23%) SOAP
Miscellaneous
1 83 (19.08%) Data Centre
2 24 (5.52%) Hybrid Cloud
3 20 (4.60%) Driving Licence
4 18 (4.14%) Onboarding
5 14 (3.22%) CMDB
6 13 (2.99%) Data Protection Act
7 12 (2.76%) NHS
8 9 (2.07%) Cloud Native
8 9 (2.07%) Management Information System
9 8 (1.84%) Operational Technology
10 7 (1.61%) PKI
10 7 (1.61%) Security Posture
10 7 (1.61%) Virtual Team
11 6 (1.38%) SCADA
11 6 (1.38%) Self-Motivation
12 5 (1.15%) Analytical Mindset
12 5 (1.15%) Enterprise Software
12 5 (1.15%) iPhone
12 5 (1.15%) Public Cloud
12 5 (1.15%) Video Conferencing
Operating Systems
1 104 (23.91%) Windows
2 42 (9.66%) Windows Server
3 34 (7.82%) Windows 10
4 20 (4.60%) Linux
5 15 (3.45%) Windows Server 2019
6 13 (2.99%) Windows Server 2016
7 10 (2.30%) Windows 7
8 8 (1.84%) Android
9 5 (1.15%) Apple iOS
9 5 (1.15%) Windows Server 2012
10 4 (0.92%) CatOS
10 4 (0.92%) Mac OS
11 3 (0.69%) Red Hat Enterprise Linux
11 3 (0.69%) Ubuntu
12 2 (0.46%) Windows Server 2003
13 1 (0.23%) AIX
13 1 (0.23%) MVS
13 1 (0.23%) Solaris
13 1 (0.23%) VMS
13 1 (0.23%) zOS
Processes & Methodologies
1 69 (15.86%) Problem-Solving
2 59 (13.56%) ITIL
3 57 (13.10%) Network Design
4 55 (12.64%) Migration
5 49 (11.26%) Network Architecture
6 43 (9.89%) Cybersecurity
7 40 (9.20%) Stakeholder Management
8 37 (8.51%) Infrastructure Engineering
8 37 (8.51%) ITSM
9 35 (8.05%) Project Delivery
10 31 (7.13%) Change Management
10 31 (7.13%) High Availability
11 30 (6.90%) Network Monitoring
12 28 (6.44%) Customer Service
13 26 (5.98%) Zero Trust
14 24 (5.52%) Roadmaps
14 24 (5.52%) Stakeholder Engagement
15 23 (5.29%) Continuous Improvement
16 22 (5.06%) Network Segmentation
17 21 (4.83%) Network Management
Programming Languages
1 38 (8.74%) Python
2 32 (7.36%) PowerShell
3 12 (2.76%) SQL
4 10 (2.30%) VBScript
5 9 (2.07%) VB
6 6 (1.38%) Perl
7 3 (0.69%) JavaScript
8 2 (0.46%) Bash
8 2 (0.46%) Bicep
9 1 (0.23%) C#
9 1 (0.23%) Java
9 1 (0.23%) Ruby
9 1 (0.23%) Shell Script
9 1 (0.23%) T-SQL
Qualifications
1 126 (28.97%) Security Cleared
2 125 (28.74%) Cisco Certification
3 100 (22.99%) SC Cleared
4 97 (22.30%) CCNP
5 51 (11.72%) Degree
6 45 (10.34%) CCIE
7 39 (8.97%) CCNA
8 37 (8.51%) DV Cleared
9 21 (4.83%) JNCIE
10 14 (3.22%) AWS Certification
11 11 (2.53%) JNCIS
11 11 (2.53%) Network+ Certification
12 10 (2.30%) Azure Certification
12 10 (2.30%) JNCIP
13 9 (2.07%) CCSE
14 8 (1.84%) PMI Certification
14 8 (1.84%) PMP
15 7 (1.61%) BPSS Clearance
15 7 (1.61%) CCDP
15 7 (1.61%) CISSP
Quality Assurance & Compliance
1 14 (3.22%) ISO/IEC 27001
2 10 (2.30%) NIST
2 10 (2.30%) SLA
3 9 (2.07%) GDPR
4 7 (1.61%) PCI DSS
4 7 (1.61%) QA
5 5 (1.15%) PMO
6 4 (0.92%) Cyber Essentials
7 3 (0.69%) JSP 440
7 3 (0.69%) NCSC
8 2 (0.46%) RMADS
9 1 (0.23%) Accessibility
9 1 (0.23%) Disclosure Scotland
9 1 (0.23%) GRC
9 1 (0.23%) MiFID
9 1 (0.23%) Sarbanes-Oxley
System Software
1 72 (16.55%) Active Directory
2 35 (8.05%) VMware Infrastructure
3 22 (5.06%) VMware NSX
4 9 (2.07%) BitLocker
5 7 (1.61%) Hyper-V
5 7 (1.61%) vSphere
6 6 (1.38%) Virtual Desktop
7 4 (0.92%) Docker
8 3 (0.69%) KVM
8 3 (0.69%) VMware ESXi
9 2 (0.46%) Firmware
9 2 (0.46%) NFS
9 2 (0.46%) ProxySG
9 2 (0.46%) Xen
10 1 (0.23%) Microsoft Virtual Server
10 1 (0.23%) RHEV
10 1 (0.23%) Samba
10 1 (0.23%) SRDF
10 1 (0.23%) Veritas Cluster Server
10 1 (0.23%) VMware Workstation
Systems Management
1 41 (9.43%) Ansible
2 31 (7.13%) Terraform
3 24 (5.52%) Microsoft Intune
4 19 (4.37%) FortiGate
5 18 (4.14%) SCCM
6 10 (2.30%) Single Sign-On
7 5 (1.15%) Cisco Prime
8 4 (0.92%) Nagios
8 4 (0.92%) SCOM
9 3 (0.69%) Cisco CUCM
9 3 (0.69%) Endace
9 3 (0.69%) Grafana
9 3 (0.69%) Jamf Pro
9 3 (0.69%) WSUS
10 2 (0.46%) Check_MK
10 2 (0.46%) Kubernetes
10 2 (0.46%) Nessus
10 2 (0.46%) vCenter Server
11 1 (0.23%) Prometheus
11 1 (0.23%) Proxmox
Vendors
1 198 (45.52%) Cisco
2 92 (21.15%) Microsoft
3 85 (19.54%) Palo Alto
4 55 (12.64%) Fortinet
5 50 (11.49%) CheckPoint
5 50 (11.49%) VMware
6 48 (11.03%) Juniper
7 45 (10.34%) F5
8 44 (10.11%) Aruba
9 34 (7.82%) Meraki
10 31 (7.13%) SolarWinds
11 27 (6.21%) ServiceNow
12 20 (4.60%) Zscaler
13 14 (3.22%) Veeam
14 12 (2.76%) Citrix
15 11 (2.53%) Arista
16 8 (1.84%) Dell
16 8 (1.84%) SAP
17 6 (1.38%) LogicMonitor
17 6 (1.38%) Nokia