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 December 2025, with comparisons to the same periods in the previous two years.

6 months to
28 Dec 2025
Same period 2024 Same period 2023
Rank 241 182 127
Rank change year-on-year -59 -55 +57
Contract jobs citing LAN 423 486 874
As % of all contract jobs in the UK 1.14% 1.45% 2.01%
As % of the Communications & Networking category 10.69% 11.38% 14.75%
Number of daily rates quoted 273 294 562
10th Percentile £209 £223 £205
25th Percentile £313 £350 £313
Median daily rate (50th Percentile) £450 £450 £450
75th Percentile £550 £575 £627
90th Percentile £638 £650 £737
UK excluding London median daily rate £420 £430 £445
% change year-on-year -2.33% -3.37% +1.14%
Number of hourly rates quoted 18 14 31
10th Percentile £12.97 £18.95 £17.72
25th Percentile £15.50 £20.00 £21.25
Median hourly rate £18.38 £21.44 £38.04
Median % change year-on-year -14.29% -43.64% +72.91%
75th Percentile £48.19 £34.69 £50.00
90th Percentile £74.49 £63.00 £75.00
UK excluding London median hourly rate £16.00 £20.00 £33.44
% change year-on-year -20.00% -40.19% +52.00%

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 3,957 4,269 5,925
As % of all contract IT jobs advertised in the UK 10.71% 12.72% 13.62%
Number of daily rates quoted 2,586 2,515 3,653
10th Percentile £206 £220 £210
25th Percentile £356 £365 £363
Median daily rate (50th Percentile) £475 £500 £500
Median % change year-on-year -5.00% - -
75th Percentile £588 £600 £601
90th Percentile £675 £675 £700
UK excluding London median daily rate £450 £473 £473
% change year-on-year -4.76% - +5.00%
Number of hourly rates quoted 179 139 332
10th Percentile £15.50 £14.90 £17.72
25th Percentile £20.00 £21.36 £22.94
Median hourly rate £34.00 £35.00 £56.45
Median % change year-on-year -2.86% -37.99% +61.27%
75th Percentile £65.00 £59.31 £65.98
90th Percentile £80.00 £70.25 £75.23
UK excluding London median hourly rate £42.50 £33.75 £56.49
% change year-on-year +25.93% -40.25% +46.73%

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 December 2025.

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 December 2025.

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 December 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 -77 350 £450 -0.83% 348
UK excluding London -70 254 £420 -2.33% 278
London -5 133 £475 -5.00% 121
Work from Home -15 107 £448 -10.50% 114
South East -16 77 £485 +17.58% 92
North of England -75 53 £289 -35.83% 49
Scotland +32 38 £260 -35.00% 10
North West -43 38 £275 -40.64% 27
Midlands -67 34 £438 +1.45% 47
West Midlands -28 31 £463 -7.50% 29
East of England -29 29 £350 -36.36% 30
Yorkshire -71 13 £339 +41.15% 21
South West -22 12 £506 +22.73% 32
Wales +4 6 £335 +67.50% 18
Northern Ireland -6 4 £475 - 6
East Midlands -48 3 £258 -23.13% 17
North East -5 2 £550 - 2

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 25 (5.91%) SharePoint
2 15 (3.55%) Microsoft Exchange
3 12 (2.84%) OpenStack
4 6 (1.42%) Skype for Business
5 5 (1.18%) Confluence
6 1 (0.24%) Apache
6 1 (0.24%) CICS
6 1 (0.24%) IIS
6 1 (0.24%) Tomcat
6 1 (0.24%) WebSphere
6 1 (0.24%) WebSphere Application Server
Applications
1 33 (7.80%) Microsoft Office
2 18 (4.26%) MS Visio
3 15 (3.55%) Microsoft Excel
3 15 (3.55%) Microsoft PowerPoint
4 4 (0.95%) Microsoft Project
5 3 (0.71%) Acrobat
6 2 (0.47%) Spreadsheet
Business Applications
1 1 (0.24%) DELMIA
1 1 (0.24%) Remedy ITSM
Cloud Services
1 86 (20.33%) Azure
2 59 (13.95%) AWS
3 43 (10.17%) Microsoft 365
4 19 (4.49%) Entra ID
5 18 (4.26%) GCP
6 9 (2.13%) Virtual Private Cloud
7 6 (1.42%) OpenShift
8 5 (1.18%) Microsoft Purview
8 5 (1.18%) SaaS
9 4 (0.95%) Azure DevOps
9 4 (0.95%) Azure ExpressRoute
10 3 (0.71%) AWS Direct Connect
10 3 (0.71%) Power Platform
10 3 (0.71%) Serverless
11 2 (0.47%) Azure Functions
11 2 (0.47%) Azure Monitor
11 2 (0.47%) Azure Sentinel
11 2 (0.47%) Azure Service Bus
11 2 (0.47%) Google Ads
11 2 (0.47%) Slack
Communications & Networking
1 332 (78.49%) WAN
2 180 (42.55%) Firewall
3 121 (28.61%) VPN
4 99 (23.40%) SD-WAN
5 97 (22.93%) Wi-Fi
6 78 (18.44%) BGP
7 69 (16.31%) TCP/IP
8 68 (16.08%) Wireless
9 66 (15.60%) Network Security
10 63 (14.89%) MPLS
11 61 (14.42%) DNS
11 61 (14.42%) OSPF
12 49 (11.58%) DHCP
13 48 (11.35%) VLAN
14 44 (10.40%) Cisco Nexus
15 40 (9.46%) WLAN
16 33 (7.80%) IPsec
17 23 (5.44%) Cisco ASA
18 21 (4.96%) Structured Cabling
18 21 (4.96%) VoIP
Database & Business Intelligence
1 10 (2.36%) SQL Server
2 6 (1.42%) Oracle Database
3 4 (0.95%) MS Access
4 3 (0.71%) Apache Cassandra
4 3 (0.71%) Power BI
5 2 (0.47%) MariaDB
5 2 (0.47%) PostgreSQL
6 1 (0.24%) Amazon RDS
6 1 (0.24%) Data Warehouse
6 1 (0.24%) DynamoDB
6 1 (0.24%) MongoDB
6 1 (0.24%) MySQL
6 1 (0.24%) NoSQL
6 1 (0.24%) SQL Server Reporting Services
Development Applications
1 10 (2.36%) JIRA
2 2 (0.47%) Sonatype Nexus
3 1 (0.24%) Git
3 1 (0.24%) Jenkins
3 1 (0.24%) Tricentis qTest
General
1 129 (30.50%) Social Skills
2 53 (12.53%) Analytical Skills
3 50 (11.82%) Public Sector
4 45 (10.64%) Telecoms
5 33 (7.80%) Finance
6 30 (7.09%) Documentation Skills
7 19 (4.49%) Manufacturing
8 14 (3.31%) Military
9 9 (2.13%) Banking
9 9 (2.13%) Organisational Skills
10 8 (1.89%) Presentation Skills
11 6 (1.42%) Inclusion and Diversity
11 6 (1.42%) Local Government
11 6 (1.42%) Marketing
12 5 (1.18%) Electronics
12 5 (1.18%) Legal
13 4 (0.95%) Financial Institution
13 4 (0.95%) Retail
14 3 (0.71%) Influencing Skills
15 2 (0.47%) Police
Job Titles
1 130 (30.73%) Network Engineer
2 96 (22.70%) Architect
3 74 (17.49%) Network Architect
4 35 (8.27%) Analyst
5 32 (7.57%) Senior
6 25 (5.91%) Support Analyst
7 21 (4.96%) IT Support
7 21 (4.96%) Support Engineer
8 19 (4.49%) Project Manager
8 19 (4.49%) Technical Support
9 18 (4.26%) Field Engineer
9 18 (4.26%) Infrastructure Engineer
9 18 (4.26%) Senior Network Engineer
10 17 (4.02%) Lead
11 16 (3.78%) 2nd Line Support
11 16 (3.78%) Technical Analyst
11 16 (3.78%) Technical Support Analyst
12 14 (3.31%) IT Engineer
12 14 (3.31%) SC Cleared Network Engineer
13 13 (3.07%) Solutions Architect
Libraries, Frameworks & Software Standards
1 8 (1.89%) Middleware
2 7 (1.65%) LDAP
3 6 (1.42%) NETCONF
3 6 (1.42%) REST
3 6 (1.42%) YANG
4 3 (0.71%) 802.1X
4 3 (0.71%) SAML
5 2 (0.47%) ARM Templates
5 2 (0.47%) EDI
5 2 (0.47%) Node.js
5 2 (0.47%) YAML
6 1 (0.24%) .NET
6 1 (0.24%) CSS
6 1 (0.24%) HTML
6 1 (0.24%) Java RMI
6 1 (0.24%) LAMP
6 1 (0.24%) LAPP Stack
6 1 (0.24%) libvirt
6 1 (0.24%) React
6 1 (0.24%) XMPP
Miscellaneous
1 73 (17.26%) Data Centre
2 21 (4.96%) Hybrid Cloud
3 20 (4.73%) Driving Licence
4 14 (3.31%) NHS
4 14 (3.31%) Onboarding
5 12 (2.84%) CMDB
6 11 (2.60%) Data Protection Act
7 10 (2.36%) Management Information System
8 8 (1.89%) Operational Technology
8 8 (1.89%) SCADA
9 6 (1.42%) Cloud Native
9 6 (1.42%) Video Conferencing
10 5 (1.18%) Analytical Mindset
10 5 (1.18%) PKI
10 5 (1.18%) Self-Motivation
11 4 (0.95%) iPhone
11 4 (0.95%) Public Cloud
11 4 (0.95%) Replication
11 4 (0.95%) Virtual Team
12 3 (0.71%) Enterprise Software
Operating Systems
1 97 (22.93%) Windows
2 36 (8.51%) Windows Server
3 27 (6.38%) Windows 10
4 22 (5.20%) Linux
5 13 (3.07%) Windows Server 2016
6 9 (2.13%) Windows Server 2019
7 8 (1.89%) Android
8 6 (1.42%) Windows 7
9 5 (1.18%) Apple iOS
9 5 (1.18%) Mac OS
10 4 (0.95%) Windows Server 2012
11 3 (0.71%) Red Hat Enterprise Linux
11 3 (0.71%) Ubuntu
12 2 (0.47%) CatOS
13 1 (0.24%) MVS
13 1 (0.24%) Solaris
13 1 (0.24%) VMS
13 1 (0.24%) Windows 8
13 1 (0.24%) Windows Server 2003
13 1 (0.24%) zOS
Processes & Methodologies
1 72 (17.02%) Problem-Solving
2 66 (15.60%) Network Design
3 48 (11.35%) Migration
4 47 (11.11%) ITIL
5 45 (10.64%) Network Architecture
6 38 (8.98%) Cybersecurity
6 38 (8.98%) Stakeholder Management
7 32 (7.57%) Project Delivery
8 31 (7.33%) Infrastructure Engineering
9 28 (6.62%) Customer Service
10 27 (6.38%) High Availability
10 27 (6.38%) Network Monitoring
11 24 (5.67%) Zero Trust
12 23 (5.44%) ITSM
12 23 (5.44%) Stakeholder Engagement
13 22 (5.20%) Roadmaps
13 22 (5.20%) Service Management
14 21 (4.96%) Change Management
14 21 (4.96%) Load Balancing
15 20 (4.73%) Network Management
Programming Languages
1 36 (8.51%) Python
2 20 (4.73%) PowerShell
3 11 (2.60%) SQL
4 6 (1.42%) Perl
4 6 (1.42%) VB
4 6 (1.42%) VBScript
5 2 (0.47%) Bash
5 2 (0.47%) Bicep
6 1 (0.24%) C#
6 1 (0.24%) Java
6 1 (0.24%) JavaScript
6 1 (0.24%) Ruby
6 1 (0.24%) Shell Script
6 1 (0.24%) T-SQL
Qualifications
1 125 (29.55%) Security Cleared
2 118 (27.90%) Cisco Certification
3 93 (21.99%) CCNP
4 85 (20.09%) SC Cleared
5 45 (10.64%) DV Cleared
6 44 (10.40%) Degree
7 39 (9.22%) CCIE
8 37 (8.75%) CCNA
9 20 (4.73%) JNCIE
10 13 (3.07%) AWS Certification
11 11 (2.60%) Network+ Certification
12 10 (2.36%) BPSS Clearance
12 10 (2.36%) JNCIP
12 10 (2.36%) Microsoft Certification
13 9 (2.13%) Azure Certification
14 8 (1.89%) CCSE
14 8 (1.89%) JNCIS
15 7 (1.65%) CISSP
15 7 (1.65%) HNC
15 7 (1.65%) MCP
Quality Assurance & Compliance
1 16 (3.78%) SLA
2 13 (3.07%) ISO/IEC 27001
3 9 (2.13%) GDPR
3 9 (2.13%) NIST
4 7 (1.65%) PCI DSS
5 5 (1.18%) PMO
5 5 (1.18%) QA
6 4 (0.95%) Cyber Essentials
7 2 (0.47%) Accessibility
7 2 (0.47%) JSP 440
7 2 (0.47%) NCSC
8 1 (0.24%) COBIT
8 1 (0.24%) Disclosure Scotland
8 1 (0.24%) GRC
8 1 (0.24%) MiFID
8 1 (0.24%) RMADS
System Software
1 62 (14.66%) Active Directory
2 26 (6.15%) VMware Infrastructure
3 17 (4.02%) VMware NSX
4 8 (1.89%) Hyper-V
5 5 (1.18%) BitLocker
5 5 (1.18%) Virtual Desktop
6 3 (0.71%) Docker
6 3 (0.71%) Firmware
6 3 (0.71%) KVM
7 2 (0.47%) NFS
7 2 (0.47%) ProxySG
7 2 (0.47%) VMware ESXi
7 2 (0.47%) VMware Workstation
7 2 (0.47%) Xen
8 1 (0.24%) Ceph
8 1 (0.24%) iptables
8 1 (0.24%) RHEV
8 1 (0.24%) Samba
8 1 (0.24%) Slurm Workload Manager
8 1 (0.24%) Virtual Machines
Systems Management
1 38 (8.98%) Ansible
2 31 (7.33%) Terraform
3 20 (4.73%) FortiGate
4 18 (4.26%) Microsoft Intune
5 14 (3.31%) SCCM
6 7 (1.65%) Single Sign-On
7 5 (1.18%) Cisco CUCM
8 4 (0.95%) Nagios
8 4 (0.95%) SCOM
9 3 (0.71%) Jamf Pro
9 3 (0.71%) WSUS
10 2 (0.47%) Check_MK
10 2 (0.47%) Endace
10 2 (0.47%) Grafana
10 2 (0.47%) Nessus
10 2 (0.47%) vCenter Server
11 1 (0.24%) Backup Exec
11 1 (0.24%) Cisco Prime
11 1 (0.24%) Norton AntiVirus
11 1 (0.24%) WhatsUp Gold
Vendors
1 208 (49.17%) Cisco
2 79 (18.68%) Microsoft
3 71 (16.78%) Palo Alto
4 69 (16.31%) Fortinet
5 57 (13.48%) Juniper
6 40 (9.46%) VMware
7 38 (8.98%) CheckPoint
7 38 (8.98%) F5
8 33 (7.80%) Meraki
9 32 (7.57%) Aruba
10 23 (5.44%) SolarWinds
11 21 (4.96%) ServiceNow
12 19 (4.49%) Zscaler
13 18 (4.26%) Citrix
14 11 (2.60%) Oracle
15 10 (2.36%) SAP
16 9 (2.13%) Veeam
17 7 (1.65%) Arista
17 7 (1.65%) LogicMonitor
18 6 (1.42%) Nokia