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

6 months to
19 Jan 2026
Same period 2025 Same period 2024
Rank 241 174 131
Rank change year-on-year -67 -43 +50
Contract jobs citing LAN 419 465 814
As % of all contract jobs in the UK 1.13% 1.48% 1.88%
As % of the Communications & Networking category 10.82% 11.48% 13.83%
Number of daily rates quoted 268 282 515
10th Percentile £213 £223 £201
25th Percentile £313 £350 £313
Median daily rate (50th Percentile) £450 £450 £450
75th Percentile £546 £569 £606
90th Percentile £638 £670 £725
UK excluding London median daily rate £425 £430 £445
% change year-on-year -1.16% -3.37% +2.65%
Number of hourly rates quoted 18 12 31
10th Percentile £12.97 £18.65 £17.22
25th Percentile £15.50 £20.00 £20.75
Median hourly rate £18.38 £20.19 £33.44
Median % change year-on-year -8.98% -39.63% +45.39%
75th Percentile £48.19 £34.06 £50.00
90th Percentile £74.49 £42.88 £67.50
UK excluding London median hourly rate £16.00 £20.00 £27.75
% change year-on-year -20.00% -27.93% +23.33%

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 3,871 4,052 5,885
As % of all contract IT jobs advertised in the UK 10.47% 12.87% 13.62%
Number of daily rates quoted 2,546 2,354 3,612
10th Percentile £204 £213 £210
25th Percentile £356 £363 £363
Median daily rate (50th Percentile) £475 £500 £500
Median % change year-on-year -5.00% - -2.91%
75th Percentile £588 £600 £600
90th Percentile £675 £688 £700
UK excluding London median daily rate £450 £469 £475
% change year-on-year -4.00% -1.32% +2.70%
Number of hourly rates quoted 161 140 348
10th Percentile £15.50 £15.22 £17.72
25th Percentile £18.87 £21.46 £23.00
Median hourly rate £30.00 £35.00 £56.45
Median % change year-on-year -14.29% -37.99% +156.57%
75th Percentile £65.00 £57.81 £65.00
90th Percentile £74.26 £70.00 £74.30
UK excluding London median hourly rate £41.94 £32.50 £57.99
% change year-on-year +29.05% -43.96% +205.21%

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 19 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 19 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 19 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 -78 346 £450 - 237
UK excluding London -54 261 £425 -1.16% 225
London -23 122 £500 - 56
Work from Home +2 112 £450 -13.88% 93
South East -13 80 £455 +13.75% 70
North of England -74 54 £420 -6.67% 48
Scotland +35 40 £273 -31.88% 12
North West -42 37 £378 -17.76% 20
Midlands -59 36 £425 -4.23% 35
West Midlands -34 32 £450 -10.00% 20
East of England -23 29 £350 -31.71% 27
Yorkshire -60 16 £445 +91.40% 22
South West -31 11 £513 +24.24% 25
Wales 0 6 £335 +67.50% 8
Northern Ireland -2 4 £475 - 5
East Midlands -45 4 £200 -37.50% 15
North East -14 1 £550 - 6

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 (5.73%) SharePoint
2 16 (3.82%) Microsoft Exchange
3 12 (2.86%) OpenStack
4 9 (2.15%) Skype for Business
5 6 (1.43%) 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 37 (8.83%) Microsoft Office
2 24 (5.73%) MS Visio
3 16 (3.82%) Microsoft Excel
3 16 (3.82%) Microsoft PowerPoint
4 5 (1.19%) Acrobat
5 4 (0.95%) Microsoft Project
6 1 (0.24%) Spreadsheet
Business Applications
1 2 (0.48%) DELMIA
2 1 (0.24%) Remedy ITSM
Cloud Services
1 91 (21.72%) Azure
2 55 (13.13%) AWS
3 45 (10.74%) Microsoft 365
4 20 (4.77%) Entra ID
5 17 (4.06%) GCP
6 9 (2.15%) Virtual Private Cloud
7 7 (1.67%) SaaS
8 6 (1.43%) OpenShift
9 4 (0.95%) Azure DevOps
9 4 (0.95%) Azure ExpressRoute
9 4 (0.95%) Microsoft Purview
10 3 (0.72%) AWS Direct Connect
10 3 (0.72%) Nutanix
10 3 (0.72%) Serverless
11 2 (0.48%) AWS IoT
11 2 (0.48%) Azure Functions
11 2 (0.48%) Azure Monitor
11 2 (0.48%) Azure Sentinel
11 2 (0.48%) Azure Service Bus
11 2 (0.48%) Google Ads
Communications & Networking
1 349 (83.29%) WAN
2 165 (39.38%) Firewall
3 132 (31.50%) VPN
4 85 (20.29%) BGP
5 84 (20.05%) SD-WAN
5 84 (20.05%) Wi-Fi
6 72 (17.18%) Wireless
7 68 (16.23%) DNS
7 68 (16.23%) Network Security
7 68 (16.23%) TCP/IP
8 67 (15.99%) OSPF
9 62 (14.80%) MPLS
10 54 (12.89%) DHCP
11 52 (12.41%) VLAN
12 43 (10.26%) WLAN
13 38 (9.07%) IPsec
14 32 (7.64%) Cisco Nexus
15 25 (5.97%) Cisco ASA
16 24 (5.73%) Structured Cabling
17 19 (4.53%) Internet
Database & Business Intelligence
1 7 (1.67%) SQL Server
2 4 (0.95%) MS Access
3 3 (0.72%) Oracle Database
4 2 (0.48%) MariaDB
4 2 (0.48%) PostgreSQL
4 2 (0.48%) Power BI
5 1 (0.24%) Amazon RDS
5 1 (0.24%) Apache Cassandra
5 1 (0.24%) Data Warehouse
5 1 (0.24%) DynamoDB
5 1 (0.24%) MongoDB
5 1 (0.24%) MySQL
5 1 (0.24%) NoSQL
5 1 (0.24%) SQL Server Reporting Services
Development Applications
1 10 (2.39%) JIRA
2 2 (0.48%) Sonatype Nexus
3 1 (0.24%) Git
3 1 (0.24%) Jenkins
3 1 (0.24%) Tricentis qTest
General
1 129 (30.79%) Social Skills
2 48 (11.46%) Public Sector
3 46 (10.98%) Analytical Skills
4 36 (8.59%) Telecoms
5 34 (8.11%) Finance
6 33 (7.88%) Documentation Skills
7 20 (4.77%) Manufacturing
8 17 (4.06%) Military
9 13 (3.10%) Legal
10 10 (2.39%) Banking
11 9 (2.15%) Organisational Skills
11 9 (2.15%) Presentation Skills
12 6 (1.43%) Law
12 6 (1.43%) Local Government
12 6 (1.43%) Marketing
13 5 (1.19%) Electronics
13 5 (1.19%) Inclusion and Diversity
14 4 (0.95%) Financial Institution
15 3 (0.72%) Influencing Skills
15 3 (0.72%) Police
Job Titles
1 139 (33.17%) Network Engineer
2 86 (20.53%) Architect
3 62 (14.80%) Network Architect
4 32 (7.64%) Analyst
4 32 (7.64%) Senior
5 22 (5.25%) Support Analyst
6 21 (5.01%) IT Support
7 20 (4.77%) Infrastructure Engineer
8 19 (4.53%) Lead
8 19 (4.53%) Support Engineer
9 18 (4.30%) SC Cleared Network Engineer
10 17 (4.06%) Field Engineer
10 17 (4.06%) Project Manager
10 17 (4.06%) Senior Network Engineer
11 16 (3.82%) 2nd Line Support
11 16 (3.82%) Cisco Engineer
12 15 (3.58%) Cisco Network Engineer
12 15 (3.58%) Technical Architect
12 15 (3.58%) Technical Support
13 13 (3.10%) Technical Analyst
Libraries, Frameworks & Software Standards
1 10 (2.39%) LDAP
2 8 (1.91%) Middleware
3 6 (1.43%) NETCONF
3 6 (1.43%) REST
3 6 (1.43%) SAML
3 6 (1.43%) YANG
4 3 (0.72%) 802.1X
5 2 (0.48%) ARM Templates
5 2 (0.48%) CSS
5 2 (0.48%) HTML
5 2 (0.48%) XMPP
5 2 (0.48%) YAML
6 1 (0.24%) .NET
6 1 (0.24%) EDI
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%) Node.js
6 1 (0.24%) SOAP
Miscellaneous
1 79 (18.85%) Data Centre
2 22 (5.25%) Hybrid Cloud
3 20 (4.77%) Driving Licence
4 17 (4.06%) Onboarding
5 14 (3.34%) CMDB
6 12 (2.86%) Data Protection Act
7 11 (2.63%) NHS
8 10 (2.39%) Management Information System
9 8 (1.91%) Operational Technology
10 7 (1.67%) PKI
10 7 (1.67%) Security Posture
10 7 (1.67%) Self-Motivation
11 6 (1.43%) Cloud Native
11 6 (1.43%) SCADA
12 5 (1.19%) Analytical Mindset
12 5 (1.19%) Enterprise Software
12 5 (1.19%) Video Conferencing
12 5 (1.19%) Virtual Team
13 4 (0.95%) iPhone
13 4 (0.95%) Public Cloud
Operating Systems
1 99 (23.63%) Windows
2 38 (9.07%) Windows Server
3 30 (7.16%) Windows 10
4 20 (4.77%) Linux
5 12 (2.86%) Windows Server 2016
5 12 (2.86%) Windows Server 2019
6 8 (1.91%) Windows 7
7 7 (1.67%) Android
8 4 (0.95%) Apple iOS
8 4 (0.95%) CatOS
8 4 (0.95%) Mac OS
9 3 (0.72%) Red Hat Enterprise Linux
9 3 (0.72%) Ubuntu
9 3 (0.72%) Windows Server 2012
10 1 (0.24%) MVS
10 1 (0.24%) Solaris
10 1 (0.24%) Unix
10 1 (0.24%) VMS
10 1 (0.24%) Windows Server 2003
10 1 (0.24%) zOS
Processes & Methodologies
1 66 (15.75%) Problem-Solving
2 58 (13.84%) Network Design
3 57 (13.60%) ITIL
4 54 (12.89%) Migration
5 48 (11.46%) Network Architecture
6 43 (10.26%) Cybersecurity
7 39 (9.31%) Stakeholder Management
8 35 (8.35%) Infrastructure Engineering
8 35 (8.35%) Project Delivery
9 32 (7.64%) ITSM
10 31 (7.40%) High Availability
11 29 (6.92%) Change Management
11 29 (6.92%) Network Monitoring
12 28 (6.68%) Customer Service
13 25 (5.97%) Zero Trust
14 23 (5.49%) Stakeholder Engagement
15 22 (5.25%) Roadmaps
16 21 (5.01%) Continuous Improvement
16 21 (5.01%) Network Management
17 20 (4.77%) Network Segmentation
Programming Languages
1 33 (7.88%) Python
2 29 (6.92%) PowerShell
3 11 (2.63%) SQL
4 9 (2.15%) VBScript
5 8 (1.91%) VB
6 6 (1.43%) Perl
7 2 (0.48%) Bash
7 2 (0.48%) Bicep
7 2 (0.48%) JavaScript
8 1 (0.24%) C#
8 1 (0.24%) Java
8 1 (0.24%) Ruby
8 1 (0.24%) Shell Script
8 1 (0.24%) T-SQL
Qualifications
1 128 (30.55%) Security Cleared
2 124 (29.59%) Cisco Certification
3 98 (23.39%) CCNP
4 95 (22.67%) SC Cleared
5 45 (10.74%) Degree
6 44 (10.50%) CCIE
7 43 (10.26%) DV Cleared
8 38 (9.07%) CCNA
9 21 (5.01%) JNCIE
10 14 (3.34%) AWS Certification
11 12 (2.86%) JNCIP
12 11 (2.63%) CCSE
12 11 (2.63%) Network+ Certification
13 10 (2.39%) Azure Certification
13 10 (2.39%) JNCIS
14 8 (1.91%) BPSS Clearance
15 7 (1.67%) CCDP
15 7 (1.67%) CISSP
15 7 (1.67%) PMI Certification
16 6 (1.43%) Microsoft Certification
Quality Assurance & Compliance
1 14 (3.34%) ISO/IEC 27001
2 12 (2.86%) SLA
3 10 (2.39%) NIST
4 9 (2.15%) GDPR
5 7 (1.67%) PCI DSS
5 7 (1.67%) QA
6 5 (1.19%) PMO
7 4 (0.95%) Cyber Essentials
8 3 (0.72%) JSP 440
8 3 (0.72%) NCSC
9 2 (0.48%) RMADS
10 1 (0.24%) Accessibility
10 1 (0.24%) Disclosure Scotland
10 1 (0.24%) GRC
10 1 (0.24%) MiFID
10 1 (0.24%) Sarbanes-Oxley
System Software
1 64 (15.27%) Active Directory
2 33 (7.88%) VMware Infrastructure
3 20 (4.77%) VMware NSX
4 8 (1.91%) BitLocker
4 8 (1.91%) Hyper-V
5 6 (1.43%) Virtual Desktop
6 5 (1.19%) vSphere
7 3 (0.72%) Docker
7 3 (0.72%) KVM
8 2 (0.48%) Firmware
8 2 (0.48%) NFS
8 2 (0.48%) ProxySG
8 2 (0.48%) VMware ESXi
8 2 (0.48%) Xen
9 1 (0.24%) Ceph
9 1 (0.24%) RHEV
9 1 (0.24%) Samba
9 1 (0.24%) SRDF
9 1 (0.24%) Veritas Cluster Server
9 1 (0.24%) VMware Workstation
Systems Management
1 35 (8.35%) Ansible
2 31 (7.40%) Terraform
3 23 (5.49%) Microsoft Intune
4 18 (4.30%) FortiGate
5 17 (4.06%) SCCM
6 10 (2.39%) Single Sign-On
7 5 (1.19%) Cisco Prime
8 4 (0.95%) Nagios
8 4 (0.95%) SCOM
9 3 (0.72%) Cisco CUCM
9 3 (0.72%) Endace
9 3 (0.72%) Jamf Pro
9 3 (0.72%) WSUS
10 2 (0.48%) Check_MK
10 2 (0.48%) Grafana
10 2 (0.48%) Nessus
10 2 (0.48%) vCenter Server
11 1 (0.24%) Backup Exec
11 1 (0.24%) Norton AntiVirus
11 1 (0.24%) WhatsUp Gold
Vendors
1 194 (46.30%) Cisco
2 86 (20.53%) Microsoft
3 82 (19.57%) Palo Alto
4 55 (13.13%) Fortinet
5 52 (12.41%) Juniper
6 47 (11.22%) CheckPoint
7 46 (10.98%) VMware
8 43 (10.26%) Aruba
8 43 (10.26%) F5
9 34 (8.11%) Meraki
10 29 (6.92%) SolarWinds
11 25 (5.97%) ServiceNow
12 21 (5.01%) Zscaler
13 14 (3.34%) Veeam
14 13 (3.10%) Citrix
15 8 (1.91%) Arista
16 7 (1.67%) SAP
17 6 (1.43%) LogicMonitor
17 6 (1.43%) Nokia
17 6 (1.43%) Remedy