Local Government Contract Job Trends

Local Government (Local Authority, Local Council)
UK

The table below looks at the prevalence of the term Local Government in contract job vacancies. Included is a benchmarking guide to the contractor rates offered in vacancies that cited Local Government over the 6 months leading up to 1 April 2026, comparing them to the same period in the previous two years.

6 months to
1 Apr 2026
Same period 2025 Same period 2024
Rank 304 223 256
Rank change year-on-year -81 +33 +143
Contract jobs citing Local Government 369 350 412
As % of all contract jobs in the UK 0.83% 1.21% 0.93%
As % of the General category 1.47% 1.92% 1.60%
Number of daily rates quoted 254 215 294
10th Percentile £350 £300 £313
25th Percentile £413 £400 £403
Median daily rate (50th Percentile) £500 £475 £475
Median % change year-on-year +5.26% - +5.56%
75th Percentile £600 £538 £575
90th Percentile £663 £600 £642
UK excluding London median daily rate £500 £450 £475
% change year-on-year +11.11% -5.26% +18.75%
Number of hourly rates quoted 42 55 70
10th Percentile £19.51 £17.49 £15.39
25th Percentile £22.85 £20.45 £17.01
Median hourly rate £25.38 £26.45 £24.05
Median % change year-on-year -4.05% +10.00% +8.02%
75th Percentile £27.72 £33.58 £31.71
90th Percentile £44.94 £36.05 £38.28
UK excluding London median hourly rate £25.12 £25.00 £18.35
% change year-on-year +0.48% +36.24% -17.84%

All General Skills
UK

Local Government falls under the General Skills category. For comparison with the information above, the following table provides summary statistics for all contract job vacancies requiring general skills.

Contract vacancies with a requirement for general skills 25,119 18,234 25,765
As % of all contract IT jobs advertised in the UK 56.22% 62.79% 58.21%
Number of daily rates quoted 15,660 11,696 16,405
10th Percentile £300 £300 £268
25th Percentile £406 £406 £413
Median daily rate (50th Percentile) £500 £525 £525
Median % change year-on-year -4.76% - -4.55%
75th Percentile £625 £640 £650
90th Percentile £738 £763 £750
UK excluding London median daily rate £475 £475 £500
% change year-on-year - -5.00% -
Number of hourly rates quoted 1,557 715 1,850
10th Percentile £13.71 £15.00 £12.78
25th Percentile £17.14 £19.00 £15.38
Median hourly rate £25.38 £29.07 £26.00
Median % change year-on-year -12.69% +11.81% -25.71%
75th Percentile £59.00 £58.56 £50.00
90th Percentile £78.75 £75.15 £65.00
UK excluding London median hourly rate £24.00 £27.70 £25.00
% change year-on-year -13.36% +10.80% -19.35%

Local Government
Job Vacancy Trend

Historical trend showing the proportion of contract IT job postings citing Local Government relative to all contract IT jobs advertised.

Local Government job vacancy trend in the UK

Local Government
Daily Rate Trend

Contractor daily rate distribution trend for jobs in the UK citing Local Government.

Contractor daily rate distribution trend for jobs in the UK citing Local Government

Local Government
Daily Rate Histogram

Daily rate distribution for jobs citing Local Government over the 6 months to 1 April 2026.

Daily rate histogram for Local Government in the UK

Local Government
Hourly Rate Trend

Contractor hourly rate distribution trend for jobs in the UK citing Local Government.

Contractor hourly rate distribution trend for jobs in the UK citing Local Government

Local Government
Hourly Rate Histogram

Hourly rate distribution of jobs citing Local Government over the 6 months to 1 April 2026.

Hourly rate histogram for Local Government in the UK

Local Government
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 Local Government within the UK over the 6 months to 1 April 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 -84 347 £500 +5.26% 193
UK excluding London -71 190 £500 +11.11% 156
London -62 163 £525 +5.00% 53
Work from Home -25 126 £513 +7.89% 70
Midlands -8 94 £513 -1.44% 35
West Midlands -13 58 £525 - 25
North of England -78 34 £500 +5.26% 42
East Midlands -7 33 £500 -1.96% 10
North West -33 28 £375 -23.08% 22
South West -43 26 £500 +22.25% 22
East of England -31 17 £425 - 15
South East -67 10 £400 -11.11% 39
Scotland +9 7 £500 +25.00% 3
Yorkshire -70 4 £675 +38.46% 17
Wales -9 2 - - 4
North East -13 2 £500 +66.67% 4

Local Government
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 18 (4.88%) SharePoint
2 4 (1.08%) CMS
3 3 (0.81%) Confluence
4 2 (0.54%) ArcGIS
5 1 (0.27%) Drupal
5 1 (0.27%) govService
5 1 (0.27%) IBM HTTP Server
5 1 (0.27%) Microsoft Exchange
5 1 (0.27%) OpenEdge
Applications
1 19 (5.15%) Microsoft Excel
2 9 (2.44%) Microsoft Office
3 5 (1.36%) Microsoft PowerPoint
4 3 (0.81%) Spreadsheet
4 3 (0.81%) Trello
5 2 (0.54%) Microsoft Project
5 2 (0.54%) MS Visio
Business Applications
1 28 (7.59%) SAP S/4HANA
2 17 (4.61%) NEC Housing
3 6 (1.63%) ContrOCC
4 5 (1.36%) iTrent
4 5 (1.36%) Oracle Payables
5 4 (1.08%) Oracle Financials
5 4 (1.08%) Oracle General Ledger
5 4 (1.08%) Oracle Procure-to-Pay
5 4 (1.08%) Oracle Receivables
5 4 (1.08%) SAP ERP
6 3 (0.81%) Oracle Applications
6 3 (0.81%) SAP HR
7 2 (0.54%) Dynamics CRM
7 2 (0.54%) Unit4 Business World
8 1 (0.27%) IntelliMatch
8 1 (0.27%) Oracle EBS
8 1 (0.27%) SAP CO
8 1 (0.27%) SAP FI
8 1 (0.27%) SAP FI/CO
8 1 (0.27%) SAP Payroll
Cloud Services
1 44 (11.92%) Azure
2 26 (7.05%) Microsoft 365
3 18 (4.88%) Power Platform
4 15 (4.07%) SaaS
5 12 (3.25%) AWS
5 12 (3.25%) Dynamics 365
6 10 (2.71%) Microsoft Copilot
7 9 (2.44%) SuccessFactors
8 8 (2.17%) Azure DevOps
9 7 (1.90%) Entra ID
10 5 (1.36%) OCI
11 4 (1.08%) OneDrive
11 4 (1.08%) Power Automate
11 4 (1.08%) PowerApps
12 3 (0.81%) Amazon EKS
12 3 (0.81%) Azure Sentinel
12 3 (0.81%) IaaS
12 3 (0.81%) Microsoft Purview
12 3 (0.81%) Miro
13 2 (0.54%) Azure Monitor
Communications & Networking
1 11 (2.98%) Firewall
2 6 (1.63%) LAN
2 6 (1.63%) WAN
3 5 (1.36%) Broadband
3 5 (1.36%) DNS
3 5 (1.36%) Wi-Fi
3 5 (1.36%) Wireless
4 4 (1.08%) DHCP
4 4 (1.08%) Network Security
5 3 (0.81%) SD-WAN
5 3 (0.81%) VPN
6 2 (0.54%) Internet
6 2 (0.54%) WLAN
7 1 (0.27%) VLAN
Database & Business Intelligence
1 19 (5.15%) Oracle Reports
2 15 (4.07%) Power BI
3 8 (2.17%) GIS
3 8 (2.17%) SQL Server
4 4 (1.08%) SQL Server Integration Services
5 3 (0.81%) Geospatial Data
5 3 (0.81%) OLTP
6 2 (0.54%) Data Lake
6 2 (0.54%) MS Access
6 2 (0.54%) Oracle Database
6 2 (0.54%) Spatial Data
7 1 (0.27%) Data Mining
7 1 (0.27%) Metadata
7 1 (0.27%) QGIS
7 1 (0.27%) SAP BW
7 1 (0.27%) SAP HANA
7 1 (0.27%) Semantic Layer
7 1 (0.27%) SQL Server Reporting Services
7 1 (0.27%) Star Schema
7 1 (0.27%) Tableau
Development Applications
1 7 (1.90%) JIRA
2 3 (0.81%) GitLab
3 1 (0.27%) JUnit
General
1 172 (46.61%) Public Sector
2 125 (33.88%) Finance
3 98 (26.56%) Social Skills
4 30 (8.13%) Analytical Skills
5 17 (4.61%) Fire and Rescue
5 17 (4.61%) Influencing Skills
6 13 (3.52%) Inclusion and Diversity
6 13 (3.52%) Legal
7 8 (2.17%) Organisational Skills
8 7 (1.90%) Back Office
9 6 (1.63%) Social Housing
10 5 (1.36%) Police
11 3 (0.81%) Marketing
12 2 (0.54%) Documentation Skills
12 2 (0.54%) General Ledger
12 2 (0.54%) Welsh Language
13 1 (0.27%) Law
13 1 (0.27%) Presentation Skills
13 1 (0.27%) Retail
13 1 (0.27%) Social Science
Job Titles
1 54 (14.63%) Senior
2 46 (12.47%) Analyst
3 42 (11.38%) Lead
4 29 (7.86%) Accountant
4 29 (7.86%) Systems Accountant
5 28 (7.59%) Business Analyst
6 25 (6.78%) Architect
6 25 (6.78%) Project Manager
7 21 (5.69%) Developer
8 16 (4.34%) Consultant
9 14 (3.79%) Support Officer
10 13 (3.52%) Applications Support
11 11 (2.98%) Project Officer
11 11 (2.98%) Solutions Architect
12 10 (2.71%) Administrator
12 10 (2.71%) Financial Analyst
12 10 (2.71%) Senior Accountant
12 10 (2.71%) Senior Analyst
12 10 (2.71%) Senior Systems Accountant
12 10 (2.71%) Tester
Libraries, Frameworks & Software Standards
1 22 (5.96%) Oracle Fusion
2 10 (2.71%) EDI
3 3 (0.81%) Middleware
4 2 (0.54%) CSS
4 2 (0.54%) HTML
4 2 (0.54%) REST
5 1 (0.27%) FHIR
5 1 (0.27%) Node.js
5 1 (0.27%) OAuth
5 1 (0.27%) RESTful
5 1 (0.27%) SPFx
5 1 (0.27%) Spring
5 1 (0.27%) Spring Boot
5 1 (0.27%) Web Services
Miscellaneous
1 39 (10.57%) Management Information System
2 23 (6.23%) Public Cloud
3 16 (4.34%) Legacy Systems
4 13 (3.52%) Data Structures
5 9 (2.44%) NHS
6 7 (1.90%) Product Ownership
7 6 (1.63%) Driving Licence
7 6 (1.63%) Housing Association
8 4 (1.08%) Enterprise Cloud
8 4 (1.08%) Enterprise Software
8 4 (1.08%) Freedom of Information
8 4 (1.08%) Onboarding
9 3 (0.81%) Data Protection Act
9 3 (0.81%) Legacy Code
9 3 (0.81%) Team-Oriented Environment
9 3 (0.81%) Virtual Team
10 2 (0.54%) Data Centre
10 2 (0.54%) PKI
10 2 (0.54%) Self-Motivation
10 2 (0.54%) Taxonomies
Operating Systems
1 20 (5.42%) Windows
2 6 (1.63%) Windows Server
3 5 (1.36%) Linux
3 5 (1.36%) Windows 10
4 1 (0.27%) Android
4 1 (0.27%) VMS
Processes & Methodologies
1 66 (17.89%) Stakeholder Management
2 63 (17.07%) Stakeholder Engagement
3 60 (16.26%) ERP
4 42 (11.38%) Migration
5 40 (10.84%) Decision-Making
6 39 (10.57%) Continuous Improvement
7 38 (10.30%) Change Management
8 33 (8.94%) Agile
8 33 (8.94%) Service Delivery
9 32 (8.67%) Project Management
9 32 (8.67%) Roadmaps
10 31 (8.40%) User Acceptance Testing
11 30 (8.13%) Problem-Solving
12 28 (7.59%) Digital Transformation Programme
13 25 (6.78%) Data Protection
14 24 (6.50%) Project Delivery
15 22 (5.96%) Cybersecurity
16 19 (5.15%) Analytics
16 19 (5.15%) Business Analysis
17 18 (4.88%) Data Modelling
Programming Languages
1 26 (7.05%) SQL
2 5 (1.36%) PL/SQL
3 3 (0.81%) PowerShell
3 3 (0.81%) ProC
3 3 (0.81%) Python
3 3 (0.81%) Shell Script
4 2 (0.54%) Data Analysis Expressions
5 1 (0.27%) Apex Code
5 1 (0.27%) Bash
5 1 (0.27%) Bicep
5 1 (0.27%) C
5 1 (0.27%) C#
5 1 (0.27%) Java
5 1 (0.27%) JavaScript
5 1 (0.27%) Korn
5 1 (0.27%) R
5 1 (0.27%) T-SQL
Qualifications
1 15 (4.07%) DBS Check
2 12 (3.25%) Degree
3 11 (2.98%) BPSS Clearance
4 8 (2.17%) Security Cleared
5 6 (1.63%) SC Cleared
6 5 (1.36%) NVQ Level 3
6 5 (1.36%) SAP Certification
7 4 (1.08%) CCNA
7 4 (1.08%) CCNP
7 4 (1.08%) CIPFA
7 4 (1.08%) Cisco Certification
7 4 (1.08%) ITIL Certification
8 3 (0.81%) ISTQB
8 3 (0.81%) JNCIA
8 3 (0.81%) JNCIP
8 3 (0.81%) JNCIS
9 2 (0.54%) CCAB
9 2 (0.54%) Computer Science Degree
9 2 (0.54%) ISEB
9 2 (0.54%) TOGAF Certification
Quality Assurance & Compliance
1 16 (4.34%) Data Quality
2 15 (4.07%) GDPR
3 8 (2.17%) QA
4 7 (1.90%) Accessibility
5 6 (1.63%) SLA
6 5 (1.36%) Actionable Recommendations
6 5 (1.36%) PCI DSS
6 5 (1.36%) PMO
7 3 (0.81%) Cyber Essentials
7 3 (0.81%) NCSC
7 3 (0.81%) PERC
7 3 (0.81%) WCAG
8 2 (0.54%) Cyber Essentials PLUS
9 1 (0.27%) Disclosure Scotland
9 1 (0.27%) GRC
9 1 (0.27%) ISO/IEC 27001
System Software
1 8 (2.17%) Active Directory
1 8 (2.17%) Hyper-V
2 5 (1.36%) VMware Infrastructure
3 1 (0.27%) Docker
Systems Management
1 4 (1.08%) Microsoft Intune
2 3 (0.81%) Prometheus
3 2 (0.54%) SCCM
4 1 (0.27%) FortiGate
4 1 (0.27%) Kubernetes
4 1 (0.27%) Terraform
Vendors
1 59 (15.99%) Microsoft
2 44 (11.92%) Oracle
3 41 (11.11%) SAP
4 19 (5.15%) NEC
5 10 (2.71%) VMware
6 8 (2.17%) Liquidlogic
7 4 (1.08%) Ariba
7 4 (1.08%) Civica
7 4 (1.08%) Workday
8 3 (0.81%) Dynatrace
8 3 (0.81%) ESRI
8 3 (0.81%) Juniper
9 2 (0.54%) Blue Prism
9 2 (0.54%) Cisco
9 2 (0.54%) Citrix
9 2 (0.54%) OneLogin
9 2 (0.54%) Palo Alto
9 2 (0.54%) Salesforce
9 2 (0.54%) ServiceNow
9 2 (0.54%) UiPath