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 3 September 2026, comparing them to the same period in the previous two years.

6 months to
3 Sep 2026
Same period 2025 Same period 2024
Rank 257 258 206
Rank change year-on-year +1 -52 +127
Contract jobs citing Local Government 546 347 455
As % of all contract jobs in the UK 1.02% 1.07% 1.19%
As % of the General category 1.84% 1.68% 2.06%
Number of daily rates quoted 390 229 261
10th Percentile £325 £250 £300
25th Percentile £413 £379 £391
Median daily rate (50th Percentile) £525 £475 £450
Median % change year-on-year +10.53% +5.56% -
75th Percentile £614 £556 £538
90th Percentile £738 £650 £625
UK excluding London median daily rate £525 £450 £450
% change year-on-year +16.67% - -
Number of hourly rates quoted 72 61 35
10th Percentile £14.94 £20.83 £19.33
25th Percentile £16.70 £27.64 £22.92
Median hourly rate £20.62 £32.00 £26.68
Median % change year-on-year -35.58% +19.94% +18.63%
75th Percentile £27.74 £52.50 £33.41
90th Percentile £31.74 £58.75 £50.03
UK excluding London median hourly rate £20.51 £29.00 £25.09
% change year-on-year -29.28% +15.58% +13.53%

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 29,612 20,656 22,043
As % of all contract IT jobs advertised in the UK 55.22% 63.55% 57.57%
Number of daily rates quoted 17,492 12,822 13,546
10th Percentile £313 £275 £290
25th Percentile £417 £400 £413
Median daily rate (50th Percentile) £525 £500 £525
Median % change year-on-year +5.00% -4.76% -4.55%
75th Percentile £638 £625 £650
90th Percentile £738 £740 £775
UK excluding London median daily rate £500 £475 £496
% change year-on-year +5.26% -4.14% -0.90%
Number of hourly rates quoted 2,296 1,169 1,200
10th Percentile £13.69 £13.50 £14.27
25th Percentile £16.77 £16.17 £17.08
Median hourly rate £30.73 £25.15 £36.50
Median % change year-on-year +22.19% -31.10% +32.73%
75th Percentile £55.00 £50.00 £60.00
90th Percentile £77.50 £69.65 £70.39
UK excluding London median hourly rate £31.48 £22.05 £36.00
% change year-on-year +42.77% -38.75% +38.46%

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 3 September 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 3 September 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 3 September 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 +5 503 £525 +13.51% 545
UK excluding London +19 280 £525 +16.67% 385
London -33 218 £525 +10.53% 242
Work from Home -7 182 £517 +11.68% 282
Midlands +29 93 £525 +31.25% 69
West Midlands +14 68 £525 +31.25% 45
South East -38 57 £650 +48.46% 84
North of England -39 54 £488 +8.33% 104
South West -40 36 £625 +56.25% 55
East of England +3 31 £370 +23.33% 31
Yorkshire -26 28 £494 +9.72% 33
North West -40 25 £445 -6.32% 55
East Midlands -2 23 £500 +73.91% 26
Scotland -22 9 £650 +30.00% 28
Wales -14 3 £425 - 13
North East -42 1 - - 18

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 27 (4.95%) SharePoint
2 8 (1.47%) Oracle Workflow
3 6 (1.10%) CMS
4 5 (0.92%) Confluence
5 4 (0.73%) OpenEdge
6 3 (0.55%) Apache Airflow
6 3 (0.55%) Drupal
6 3 (0.55%) WordPress
7 2 (0.37%) Apache Spark
7 2 (0.37%) govService
7 2 (0.37%) Microsoft Exchange
8 1 (0.18%) Apache
8 1 (0.18%) IBM HTTP Server
8 1 (0.18%) Palantir Foundry
Applications
1 28 (5.13%) Microsoft Excel
2 10 (1.83%) Spreadsheet
3 9 (1.65%) MS Visio
4 8 (1.47%) Microsoft Office
5 3 (0.55%) Microsoft PowerPoint
5 3 (0.55%) Trello
6 2 (0.37%) Microsoft Project
7 1 (0.18%) Gliffy
Business Applications
1 20 (3.66%) Oracle Receivables
2 19 (3.48%) ContrOCC
3 17 (3.11%) Oracle Payables
3 17 (3.11%) Oracle Procure-to-Pay
4 16 (2.93%) NEC Housing
4 16 (2.93%) Oracle General Ledger
5 10 (1.83%) SAP S/4HANA
6 8 (1.47%) Dynamics CRM
7 5 (0.92%) iTrent
8 4 (0.73%) SAP ERP
9 2 (0.37%) MIS ActiveH
9 2 (0.37%) SAP CO
9 2 (0.37%) SAP FI
9 2 (0.37%) SAP FI/CO
9 2 (0.37%) Sparx Enterprise Architect
10 1 (0.18%) Oracle EBS
10 1 (0.18%) Oracle Financials
10 1 (0.18%) SAP MM
10 1 (0.18%) SAP Payroll
10 1 (0.18%) Unit4 Business World
Cloud Services
1 58 (10.62%) Azure
2 46 (8.42%) Power Platform
3 26 (4.76%) Microsoft 365
4 22 (4.03%) AWS
5 18 (3.30%) SaaS
6 16 (2.93%) Entra ID
7 15 (2.75%) Dynamics 365
8 14 (2.56%) Azure DevOps
9 12 (2.20%) GCP
10 10 (1.83%) GitHub
11 9 (1.65%) Miro
11 9 (1.65%) Power Automate
11 9 (1.65%) PowerApps
12 7 (1.28%) OCI
13 6 (1.10%) GitHub Actions
14 5 (0.92%) Azure Key Vault
14 5 (0.92%) Azure Logic Apps
14 5 (0.92%) Azure Sentinel
14 5 (0.92%) Azure Synapse Analytics
14 5 (0.92%) Microsoft Purview
Communications & Networking
1 17 (3.11%) Firewall
2 11 (2.01%) DNS
3 7 (1.28%) DHCP
3 7 (1.28%) Network Security
4 6 (1.10%) LAN
4 6 (1.10%) WAN
5 5 (0.92%) VPN
6 4 (0.73%) Wi-Fi
7 3 (0.55%) Broadband
8 2 (0.37%) Intranet
8 2 (0.37%) PSTN
8 2 (0.37%) VSAN
9 1 (0.18%) SSL
9 1 (0.18%) TCP/IP
9 1 (0.18%) Unified Communications
Database & Business Intelligence
1 42 (7.69%) Power BI
2 16 (2.93%) Oracle Reports
3 8 (1.47%) SQL Server
4 7 (1.28%) Power Query
5 6 (1.10%) Data Warehouse
5 6 (1.10%) Metadata
5 6 (1.10%) NoSQL
6 5 (0.92%) GIS
6 5 (0.92%) SQL Server Reporting Services
7 4 (0.73%) BusinessObjects
8 3 (0.55%) Azure SQL Database
8 3 (0.55%) PostgreSQL
9 2 (0.37%) Amazon Aurora
9 2 (0.37%) Amazon RDS
9 2 (0.37%) Big Data
9 2 (0.37%) MongoDB
9 2 (0.37%) Presto
9 2 (0.37%) Redis
9 2 (0.37%) Relational Database
9 2 (0.37%) Spatial Data
Development Applications
1 10 (1.83%) JIRA
2 6 (1.10%) Jenkins
3 3 (0.55%) Git
3 3 (0.55%) GitLab
4 2 (0.37%) Bitbucket
4 2 (0.37%) Cypress.io
4 2 (0.37%) Mocha
5 1 (0.18%) Capybara
5 1 (0.18%) Oracle APEX
5 1 (0.18%) RSpec
General
1 247 (45.24%) Public Sector
2 161 (29.49%) Social Skills
3 151 (27.66%) Finance
4 87 (15.93%) Analytical Skills
5 42 (7.69%) Organisational Skills
6 21 (3.85%) Inclusion and Diversity
6 21 (3.85%) Influencing Skills
7 20 (3.66%) Legal
7 20 (3.66%) Social Housing
8 9 (1.65%) Manufacturing
8 9 (1.65%) Retail
9 8 (1.47%) Documentation Skills
9 8 (1.47%) Police
10 5 (0.92%) Banking
11 4 (0.73%) Back Office
11 4 (0.73%) Fire and Rescue
11 4 (0.73%) General Ledger
11 4 (0.73%) Presentation Skills
11 4 (0.73%) Publishing
12 3 (0.55%) Law
Job Titles
1 78 (14.29%) Analyst
2 68 (12.45%) Lead
3 67 (12.27%) Senior
4 40 (7.33%) Business Analyst
5 35 (6.41%) Architect
6 34 (6.23%) Developer
7 26 (4.76%) Consultant
8 25 (4.58%) Project Manager
9 22 (4.03%) Senior Analyst
9 22 (4.03%) Support Officer
10 19 (3.48%) Finance Manager
11 16 (2.93%) Data Analyst
11 16 (2.93%) Transformation Manager
12 14 (2.56%) Finance Systems Manager
13 13 (2.38%) Team Leader
14 12 (2.20%) Applications Support
15 11 (2.01%) Designer
15 11 (2.01%) Systems Analyst
16 10 (1.83%) Information Officer
16 10 (1.83%) Solutions Architect
Libraries, Frameworks & Software Standards
1 39 (7.14%) Oracle Fusion
2 15 (2.75%) Terraform
3 10 (1.83%) RESTful
4 6 (1.10%) HTML
5 5 (0.92%) .NET
5 5 (0.92%) REST
5 5 (0.92%) SAP Fiori
6 4 (0.73%) CSS
7 3 (0.55%) ARM Templates
7 3 (0.55%) ASP.NET
7 3 (0.55%) ASP.NET Core
8 2 (0.37%) Chai
8 2 (0.37%) Express.js
8 2 (0.37%) FHIR
8 2 (0.37%) Jest
8 2 (0.37%) JWT
8 2 (0.37%) Node.js
8 2 (0.37%) Nunjucks
8 2 (0.37%) Play Framework
8 2 (0.37%) PySpark
Miscellaneous
1 34 (6.23%) Management Information System
2 21 (3.85%) NHS
3 20 (3.66%) Freedom of Information
4 19 (3.48%) Analytical Mindset
5 14 (2.56%) Onboarding
6 13 (2.38%) Product Ownership
7 12 (2.20%) Legacy Systems
8 10 (1.83%) Cloud Native
8 10 (1.83%) Housing Association
9 9 (1.65%) Enterprise Software
10 8 (1.47%) Public Cloud
11 5 (0.92%) Hybrid Cloud
11 5 (0.92%) Security Posture
12 4 (0.73%) Data Structures
12 4 (0.73%) Distributed Systems
13 3 (0.55%) Cyber Security Posture
13 3 (0.55%) Cyber Threat
13 3 (0.55%) Cyberattack
13 3 (0.55%) Manufacturing Execution System
13 3 (0.55%) Mobile App
Operating Systems
1 14 (2.56%) Windows
2 7 (1.28%) Windows Server
3 6 (1.10%) Windows 10
4 3 (0.55%) Linux
5 2 (0.37%) Unix
6 1 (0.18%) Apple iOS
6 1 (0.18%) Red Hat Enterprise Linux
6 1 (0.18%) VMS
6 1 (0.18%) Windows Server 2012
Processes & Methodologies
1 114 (20.88%) Stakeholder Management
2 108 (19.78%) Stakeholder Engagement
3 97 (17.77%) Agile
4 86 (15.75%) Continuous Improvement
5 77 (14.10%) Decision-Making
6 68 (12.45%) Service Delivery
7 52 (9.52%) Migration
7 52 (9.52%) Problem-Solving
8 46 (8.42%) Business Intelligence
8 46 (8.42%) Roadmaps
9 43 (7.88%) Project Delivery
10 41 (7.51%) Business Analysis
10 41 (7.51%) Collaborative Working
10 41 (7.51%) Digital Transformation Programme
10 41 (7.51%) Validation
11 39 (7.14%) ERP
12 37 (6.78%) Data Protection
12 37 (6.78%) DevOps
13 36 (6.59%) Case Management
14 35 (6.41%) AI
Programming Languages
1 42 (7.69%) SQL
2 12 (2.20%) JavaScript
3 11 (2.01%) Python
4 8 (1.47%) PowerShell
5 7 (1.28%) Java
6 6 (1.10%) Data Analysis Expressions
7 4 (0.73%) C#
7 4 (0.73%) TypeScript
8 3 (0.55%) ABAP
8 3 (0.55%) Bicep
9 2 (0.37%) Go
9 2 (0.37%) Scala
10 1 (0.18%) Bash
10 1 (0.18%) Groovy
10 1 (0.18%) Kusto Query Language
10 1 (0.18%) PL/SQL
10 1 (0.18%) Ruby
10 1 (0.18%) Search Processing Language
10 1 (0.18%) Swift
10 1 (0.18%) T-SQL
Qualifications
1 47 (8.61%) Security Cleared
2 40 (7.33%) SC Cleared
3 21 (3.85%) Degree
4 13 (2.38%) DBS Check
5 11 (2.01%) BPSS Clearance
6 9 (1.65%) DV Cleared
7 6 (1.10%) Cisco Certification
7 6 (1.10%) CISSP
8 5 (0.92%) Azure Certification
8 5 (0.92%) ITIL Certification
8 5 (0.92%) Microsoft Certification
9 4 (0.73%) CCNP
9 4 (0.73%) CISM
10 3 (0.55%) AWS Certification
10 3 (0.55%) CCNA
10 3 (0.55%) CIPFA
10 3 (0.55%) PMI Certification
10 3 (0.55%) PMP
11 2 (0.37%) AWS Certified Solutions Architect
11 2 (0.37%) CIPD
Quality Assurance & Compliance
1 47 (8.61%) Data Quality
2 41 (7.51%) GDPR
3 25 (4.58%) Accessibility
3 25 (4.58%) PMO
4 19 (3.48%) QA
5 13 (2.38%) SLA
6 12 (2.20%) NCSC
7 9 (1.65%) WCAG
8 8 (1.47%) Cyber Essentials
8 8 (1.47%) ISO/IEC 27001
9 6 (1.10%) PCI DSS
10 4 (0.73%) Cyber Essentials PLUS
10 4 (0.73%) Disclosure Scotland
10 4 (0.73%) IFRS
10 4 (0.73%) NIST
11 2 (0.37%) GRC
11 2 (0.37%) HMG Security Policy Framework
11 2 (0.37%) PERC
12 1 (0.18%) Government Security Classifications
12 1 (0.18%) P3O
System Software
1 12 (2.20%) Active Directory
2 10 (1.83%) Docker
3 2 (0.37%) Hyper-V
3 2 (0.37%) Virtual Machines
3 2 (0.37%) VMware Infrastructure
4 1 (0.18%) Firmware
Systems Management
1 12 (2.20%) Kubernetes
2 3 (0.55%) Grafana
2 3 (0.55%) Microsoft Intune
3 2 (0.37%) Failover Clustering
3 2 (0.37%) Kibana
3 2 (0.37%) Single Sign-On
3 2 (0.37%) VxRail
4 1 (0.18%) Ansible
4 1 (0.18%) Argo
4 1 (0.18%) Prometheus
4 1 (0.18%) SCCM
Vendors
1 91 (16.67%) Microsoft
2 54 (9.89%) Oracle
3 27 (4.95%) SAP
4 18 (3.30%) Liquidlogic
5 16 (2.93%) NEC
6 14 (2.56%) Civica
6 14 (2.56%) ServiceNow
7 9 (1.65%) Google
8 7 (1.28%) Orchard
9 6 (1.10%) Databricks
10 4 (0.73%) Cisco
10 4 (0.73%) Palo Alto
10 4 (0.73%) Splunk
11 3 (0.55%) Infoblox
11 3 (0.55%) Juniper
11 3 (0.55%) Kronos
11 3 (0.55%) Northgate
11 3 (0.55%) OneLogin
11 3 (0.55%) Sitecore
11 3 (0.55%) VMware