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

6 months to
19 Mar 2026
Same period 2025 Same period 2024
Rank 211 202 126
Rank change year-on-year -9 -76 +46
Contract jobs citing LAN 536 394 824
As % of all contract jobs in the UK 1.24% 1.35% 1.86%
As % of the Communications & Networking category 12.25% 10.12% 13.87%
Number of daily rates quoted 344 259 495
10th Percentile £206 £223 £204
25th Percentile £313 £350 £313
Median daily rate (50th Percentile) £441 £450 £475
Median % change year-on-year -1.94% -5.26% +5.56%
75th Percentile £538 £570 £649
90th Percentile £620 £655 £738
UK excluding London median daily rate £434 £425 £475
% change year-on-year +2.06% -10.53% +11.76%
Number of hourly rates quoted 29 7 46
10th Percentile £12.43 £13.96 £13.61
25th Percentile £15.50 £16.92 £16.00
Median hourly rate £22.50 £32.50 £23.69
Median % change year-on-year -30.77% +37.22% -52.63%
75th Percentile £44.06 £39.38 £40.00
90th Percentile £70.39 £46.25 £55.00
UK excluding London median hourly rate £22.00 £15.33 £23.69
% change year-on-year +43.51% -35.28% -28.77%

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 4,375 3,894 5,939
As % of all contract IT jobs advertised in the UK 10.09% 13.30% 13.37%
Number of daily rates quoted 2,827 2,392 3,579
10th Percentile £213 £210 £205
25th Percentile £375 £364 £350
Median daily rate (50th Percentile) £489 £495 £475
Median % change year-on-year -1.21% +4.21% -9.52%
75th Percentile £588 £600 £600
90th Percentile £675 £675 £700
UK excluding London median daily rate £475 £473 £475
% change year-on-year +0.53% -0.53% -
Number of hourly rates quoted 191 142 394
10th Percentile £15.50 £15.01 £14.00
25th Percentile £18.69 £21.46 £18.00
Median hourly rate £34.00 £35.00 £32.50
Median % change year-on-year -2.86% +7.69% +71.05%
75th Percentile £65.50 £63.06 £63.75
90th Percentile £77.50 £75.00 £70.00
UK excluding London median hourly rate £41.94 £32.50 £45.88
% change year-on-year +29.05% -29.16% +148.00%

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 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 19 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 19 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 -29 445 £445 -2.89% 164
UK excluding London -9 355 £434 +2.06% 158
Work from Home +2 135 £445 -11.00% 40
London -29 134 £475 -1.04% 31
South East +2 130 £448 +2.29% 60
North of England -76 63 £445 +4.65% 41
Midlands -44 50 £340 -27.47% 18
Scotland +38 45 £281 -29.69% 5
West Midlands -36 41 £413 -19.51% 13
East of England -6 39 £350 -26.32% 17
North West -43 36 £495 +10.00% 20
Yorkshire -47 27 £313 +27.76% 18
South West -45 16 £513 +24.24% 14
Wales -4 10 £425 +41.67% 7
East Midlands -37 6 £200 -40.30% 5
Northern Ireland - 3 £385 -

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 (5.78%) SharePoint
2 26 (4.85%) Microsoft Exchange
3 13 (2.43%) Confluence
4 10 (1.87%) Skype for Business
5 2 (0.37%) IIS
5 2 (0.37%) OpenStack
6 1 (0.19%) Apache
6 1 (0.19%) Oracle Workflow
Applications
1 35 (6.53%) Microsoft Office
2 23 (4.29%) MS Visio
3 13 (2.43%) Microsoft Excel
4 12 (2.24%) Microsoft PowerPoint
5 5 (0.93%) Acrobat
5 5 (0.93%) Microsoft Project
6 1 (0.19%) Spreadsheet
Business Applications
1 2 (0.37%) DELMIA
Cloud Services
1 126 (23.51%) Azure
2 81 (15.11%) Microsoft 365
3 60 (11.19%) AWS
4 40 (7.46%) Entra ID
5 21 (3.92%) GCP
6 16 (2.99%) SaaS
7 13 (2.43%) OneDrive
8 11 (2.05%) PaaS
9 9 (1.68%) Virtual Private Cloud
10 7 (1.31%) Azure DevOps
10 7 (1.31%) Azure ExpressRoute
11 6 (1.12%) IaaS
11 6 (1.12%) Nutanix
11 6 (1.12%) Power Platform
12 5 (0.93%) PowerApps
13 4 (0.75%) AWS Direct Connect
13 4 (0.75%) Microsoft Purview
14 3 (0.56%) Azure Monitor
14 3 (0.56%) Google Workspace
14 3 (0.56%) Serverless
Communications & Networking
1 442 (82.46%) WAN
2 240 (44.78%) Firewall
3 153 (28.54%) VPN
4 131 (24.44%) BGP
5 122 (22.76%) OSPF
5 122 (22.76%) Wi-Fi
6 110 (20.52%) SD-WAN
7 103 (19.22%) DNS
8 101 (18.84%) Network Security
9 85 (15.86%) DHCP
10 80 (14.93%) TCP/IP
10 80 (14.93%) Wireless
11 76 (14.18%) VLAN
12 72 (13.43%) MPLS
13 51 (9.51%) WLAN
14 43 (8.02%) IPsec
15 38 (7.09%) Cisco ASA
15 38 (7.09%) Cisco ISE
16 37 (6.90%) BIG-IP
17 36 (6.72%) VXLAN
Database & Business Intelligence
1 8 (1.49%) SQL Server
2 4 (0.75%) MS Access
3 2 (0.37%) MariaDB
3 2 (0.37%) PostgreSQL
4 1 (0.19%) Amazon RDS
4 1 (0.19%) Data Warehouse
4 1 (0.19%) DynamoDB
4 1 (0.19%) MongoDB
4 1 (0.19%) MySQL
4 1 (0.19%) NoSQL
4 1 (0.19%) Oracle Database
4 1 (0.19%) Power BI
4 1 (0.19%) SQL Server Reporting Services
Development Applications
1 30 (5.60%) JIRA
2 2 (0.37%) Browser DevTools
2 2 (0.37%) GitLab
2 2 (0.37%) Jenkins
2 2 (0.37%) Sonatype Nexus
3 1 (0.19%) Bitbucket
3 1 (0.19%) Git
3 1 (0.19%) Tricentis qTest
General
1 149 (27.80%) Social Skills
2 54 (10.07%) Analytical Skills
3 53 (9.89%) Finance
3 53 (9.89%) Public Sector
4 37 (6.90%) Telecoms
5 33 (6.16%) Documentation Skills
6 29 (5.41%) Manufacturing
7 21 (3.92%) Legal
8 19 (3.54%) Financial Institution
9 18 (3.36%) Military
10 14 (2.61%) Banking
11 13 (2.43%) Organisational Skills
12 9 (1.68%) Law
13 8 (1.49%) Presentation Skills
14 7 (1.31%) Local Government
14 7 (1.31%) Retail
15 6 (1.12%) Inclusion and Diversity
16 5 (0.93%) Influencing Skills
16 5 (0.93%) Marketing
17 4 (0.75%) Electronics
Job Titles
1 184 (34.33%) Network Engineer
2 81 (15.11%) Architect
3 60 (11.19%) Senior
4 55 (10.26%) Network Architect
5 43 (8.02%) Analyst
5 43 (8.02%) IT Support
6 37 (6.90%) Support Engineer
7 33 (6.16%) IT Engineer
8 28 (5.22%) Infrastructure Engineer
8 28 (5.22%) IT Support Engineer
9 27 (5.04%) Senior Network Engineer
10 24 (4.48%) SC Cleared Network Engineer
11 23 (4.29%) Lead
12 22 (4.10%) Cisco Engineer
12 22 (4.10%) Technical Architect
13 21 (3.92%) Cisco Network Engineer
14 20 (3.73%) Project Manager
15 19 (3.54%) Support Analyst
16 17 (3.17%) 2nd Line Support
16 17 (3.17%) Network Manager
Libraries, Frameworks & Software Standards
1 35 (6.53%) 802.1X
2 12 (2.24%) LDAP
3 8 (1.49%) Microsoft Graph
3 8 (1.49%) Middleware
3 8 (1.49%) SAML
4 3 (0.56%) ARM Templates
5 2 (0.37%) .NET
5 2 (0.37%) CSS
5 2 (0.37%) Django
5 2 (0.37%) HTML
5 2 (0.37%) NETCONF
5 2 (0.37%) REST
5 2 (0.37%) RFC 2544
5 2 (0.37%) XMPP
5 2 (0.37%) YAML
5 2 (0.37%) YANG
6 1 (0.19%) EDI
6 1 (0.19%) Java RMI
6 1 (0.19%) libvirt
6 1 (0.19%) React
Miscellaneous
1 105 (19.59%) Data Centre
2 25 (4.66%) PKI
3 23 (4.29%) Onboarding
4 22 (4.10%) Clustering
5 19 (3.54%) Driving Licence
6 16 (2.99%) Hybrid Cloud
7 15 (2.80%) CMDB
8 14 (2.61%) NHS
9 13 (2.43%) Data Protection Act
10 12 (2.24%) Security Posture
11 10 (1.87%) Management Information System
11 10 (1.87%) Operational Technology
11 10 (1.87%) Public Cloud
12 8 (1.49%) Enterprise Software
12 8 (1.49%) IoT
12 8 (1.49%) Self-Motivation
13 7 (1.31%) Analytical Mindset
13 7 (1.31%) iPhone
13 7 (1.31%) Virtual Team
14 5 (0.93%) Video Conferencing
Operating Systems
1 163 (30.41%) Windows
2 55 (10.26%) Windows Server
3 38 (7.09%) Windows 10
4 25 (4.66%) Linux
5 15 (2.80%) Windows Server 2019
6 11 (2.05%) Android
6 11 (2.05%) Windows 7
7 10 (1.87%) Mac OS
8 8 (1.49%) Apple iOS
9 7 (1.31%) Windows Server 2016
10 6 (1.12%) VMS
11 5 (0.93%) Windows Server 2012
12 4 (0.75%) CatOS
13 3 (0.56%) Red Hat Enterprise Linux
13 3 (0.56%) Ubuntu
13 3 (0.56%) Windows Server 2003
14 2 (0.37%) AIX
15 1 (0.19%) Data ONTAP
15 1 (0.19%) Unix
Processes & Methodologies
1 92 (17.16%) Problem-Solving
2 84 (15.67%) ITIL
3 65 (12.13%) High Availability
4 63 (11.75%) Migration
5 52 (9.70%) Stakeholder Management
6 51 (9.51%) Change Management
7 49 (9.14%) ITSM
8 44 (8.21%) Network Design
9 42 (7.84%) Network Architecture
10 41 (7.65%) Infrastructure Engineering
10 41 (7.65%) Load Balancing
11 39 (7.28%) Cybersecurity
11 39 (7.28%) Project Delivery
12 37 (6.90%) Service Management
13 33 (6.16%) Network Monitoring
14 30 (5.60%) Disaster Recovery
15 29 (5.41%) Customer Service
15 29 (5.41%) Stakeholder Engagement
15 29 (5.41%) Technical Leadership
16 27 (5.04%) Zero Trust
Programming Languages
1 51 (9.51%) PowerShell
2 34 (6.34%) Python
3 15 (2.80%) SQL
4 11 (2.05%) VBScript
5 9 (1.68%) VB
6 3 (0.56%) JavaScript
6 3 (0.56%) Perl
7 2 (0.37%) Bash
7 2 (0.37%) Bicep
8 1 (0.19%) C#
8 1 (0.19%) C++
8 1 (0.19%) Java
8 1 (0.19%) Ruby
8 1 (0.19%) Shell Script
8 1 (0.19%) T-SQL
Qualifications
1 182 (33.96%) Security Cleared
2 148 (27.61%) Cisco Certification
3 132 (24.63%) SC Cleared
4 116 (21.64%) CCNP
5 61 (11.38%) DV Cleared
6 59 (11.01%) Degree
7 49 (9.14%) CCNA
8 37 (6.90%) CCIE
9 20 (3.73%) JNCIS
10 19 (3.54%) JNCIP
11 15 (2.80%) PMP
12 13 (2.43%) Network+ Certification
13 12 (2.24%) Azure Certification
13 12 (2.24%) JNCIA
13 12 (2.24%) Microsoft Certification
13 12 (2.24%) PMI Certification
14 10 (1.87%) CCSE
14 10 (1.87%) Computer Science Degree
15 9 (1.68%) AWS Certification
15 9 (1.68%) JNCIE
Quality Assurance & Compliance
1 17 (3.17%) ISO/IEC 27001
1 17 (3.17%) SLA
2 13 (2.43%) NIST
3 11 (2.05%) GDPR
4 10 (1.87%) QA
5 7 (1.31%) NCSC
6 5 (0.93%) PCI DSS
6 5 (0.93%) PMO
7 4 (0.75%) Cyber Essentials
8 3 (0.56%) JSP 440
9 2 (0.37%) RMADS
10 1 (0.19%) DICOM
10 1 (0.19%) Disclosure Scotland
10 1 (0.19%) GRC
10 1 (0.19%) MiFID
10 1 (0.19%) Sarbanes-Oxley
System Software
1 103 (19.22%) Active Directory
2 47 (8.77%) VMware Infrastructure
3 19 (3.54%) VMware NSX
4 13 (2.43%) vSphere
5 9 (1.68%) BitLocker
6 8 (1.49%) Hyper-V
7 5 (0.93%) Virtual Desktop
8 4 (0.75%) Docker
8 4 (0.75%) VMware ESXi
9 3 (0.56%) Firmware
10 2 (0.37%) KVM
10 2 (0.37%) ProxySG
11 1 (0.19%) Ceph
11 1 (0.19%) Citrix Presentation Server
11 1 (0.19%) iptables
11 1 (0.19%) Microsoft Virtual Server
11 1 (0.19%) RHEV
11 1 (0.19%) Virtual Machines
11 1 (0.19%) Virtual Servers
11 1 (0.19%) Xen
Systems Management
1 42 (7.84%) FortiGate
2 38 (7.09%) Microsoft Intune
3 33 (6.16%) Ansible
4 28 (5.22%) Terraform
5 22 (4.10%) SCCM
6 11 (2.05%) Jamf Pro
6 11 (2.05%) Single Sign-On
7 6 (1.12%) Cisco Prime
7 6 (1.12%) Nagios
8 4 (0.75%) Endace
8 4 (0.75%) WSUS
9 3 (0.56%) Cisco CUCM
9 3 (0.56%) Grafana
9 3 (0.56%) Progress Chef
9 3 (0.56%) vCenter Server
9 3 (0.56%) vRealize Orchestrator
10 2 (0.37%) Check_MK
10 2 (0.37%) Nessus
10 2 (0.37%) SCOM
11 1 (0.19%) WhatsUp Gold
Vendors
1 245 (45.71%) Cisco
2 122 (22.76%) Microsoft
3 105 (19.59%) Palo Alto
4 75 (13.99%) Juniper
5 70 (13.06%) F5
6 65 (12.13%) Aruba
6 65 (12.13%) CheckPoint
7 61 (11.38%) VMware
8 50 (9.33%) Fortinet
9 49 (9.14%) SolarWinds
10 37 (6.90%) ServiceNow
11 30 (5.60%) Meraki
12 26 (4.85%) Extreme Networks
13 24 (4.48%) Splunk
14 23 (4.29%) Zscaler
15 15 (2.80%) Dell
16 14 (2.61%) Veeam
17 12 (2.24%) Citrix
18 11 (2.05%) Arista
18 11 (2.05%) Ekahau