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 19 August 2026, comparing them to the same period in the previous two years.

6 months to
19 Aug 2026
Same period 2025 Same period 2024
Rank 257 244 219
Rank change year-on-year -13 -25 +118
Contract jobs citing Local Government 529 356 439
As % of all contract jobs in the UK 0.99% 1.08% 1.13%
As % of the General category 1.79% 1.71% 1.97%
Number of daily rates quoted 382 224 276
10th Percentile £325 £250 £312
25th Percentile £413 £392 £398
Median daily rate (50th Percentile) £525 £475 £450
Median % change year-on-year +10.53% +5.56% -
75th Percentile £638 £552 £538
90th Percentile £738 £650 £638
UK excluding London median daily rate £525 £450 £450
% change year-on-year +16.67% - +0.83%
Number of hourly rates quoted 72 65 38
10th Percentile £16.06 £13.26 £18.73
25th Percentile £16.70 £23.50 £22.71
Median hourly rate £20.73 £30.00 £26.71
Median % change year-on-year -30.92% +12.34% +19.78%
75th Percentile £26.19 £52.50 £33.58
90th Percentile £31.74 £58.25 £42.85
UK excluding London median hourly rate £20.62 £21.92 £25.18
% change year-on-year -5.93% -12.97% +24.04%

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 29,481 20,839 22,293
As % of all contract IT jobs advertised in the UK 55.04% 63.50% 57.36%
Number of daily rates quoted 17,497 12,935 13,967
10th Percentile £313 £275 £292
25th Percentile £415 £400 £413
Median daily rate (50th Percentile) £525 £500 £525
Median % change year-on-year +5.00% -4.76% -4.55%
75th Percentile £638 £626 £650
90th Percentile £738 £746 £775
UK excluding London median daily rate £500 £475 £500
% change year-on-year +5.26% -5.00% -
Number of hourly rates quoted 2,248 1,152 1,327
10th Percentile £13.98 £13.25 £14.06
25th Percentile £17.25 £16.25 £16.86
Median hourly rate £31.50 £25.15 £38.07
Median % change year-on-year +25.25% -33.94% +38.44%
75th Percentile £56.30 £50.75 £58.75
90th Percentile £79.13 £71.48 £70.25
UK excluding London median hourly rate £32.00 £22.14 £38.12
% change year-on-year +44.53% -41.92% +52.48%

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 19 August 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 19 August 2026.

Hourly rate histogram for Local Government in the UK

Local Government
Top 15 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 19 August 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 -5 501 £525 +13.51% 438
UK excluding London +14 277 £525 +16.67% 339
London -34 218 £525 +10.53% 164
Work from Home -31 176 £525 +13.51% 216
Midlands +36 94 £525 +31.25% 57
West Midlands +9 71 £525 +31.25% 35
North of England -69 57 £475 - 92
South East -46 55 £650 +48.57% 82
South West -45 35 £625 +56.25% 49
East of England -2 29 £370 -7.50% 30
North West -42 29 £390 -20.00% 54
Yorkshire -41 28 £494 +9.72% 24
East Midlands -2 20 £500 +73.91% 24
Scotland -13 7 £650 +30.00% 20
Wales -14 3 £425 - 17

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 24 (4.54%) SharePoint
2 8 (1.51%) Oracle Workflow
3 6 (1.13%) CMS
4 4 (0.76%) Confluence
4 4 (0.76%) OpenEdge
5 3 (0.57%) Drupal
5 3 (0.57%) WordPress
6 2 (0.38%) Apache Airflow
6 2 (0.38%) Apache Spark
6 2 (0.38%) govService
6 2 (0.38%) Microsoft Exchange
7 1 (0.19%) IBM HTTP Server
7 1 (0.19%) Palantir Foundry
Applications
1 24 (4.54%) Microsoft Excel
2 11 (2.08%) Spreadsheet
3 8 (1.51%) Microsoft Office
4 5 (0.95%) MS Visio
5 2 (0.38%) Microsoft PowerPoint
5 2 (0.38%) Trello
6 1 (0.19%) Gliffy
6 1 (0.19%) Microsoft Project
Business Applications
1 20 (3.78%) Oracle Receivables
2 17 (3.21%) ContrOCC
2 17 (3.21%) Oracle Payables
2 17 (3.21%) Oracle Procure-to-Pay
3 16 (3.02%) Oracle General Ledger
4 15 (2.84%) NEC Housing
5 14 (2.65%) SAP S/4HANA
6 7 (1.32%) Dynamics CRM
7 5 (0.95%) iTrent
8 4 (0.76%) SAP ERP
9 3 (0.57%) Oracle Financials
10 2 (0.38%) MIS ActiveH
10 2 (0.38%) SAP CO
10 2 (0.38%) SAP FI
10 2 (0.38%) SAP FI/CO
10 2 (0.38%) Sparx Enterprise Architect
11 1 (0.19%) Oracle EBS
11 1 (0.19%) Payment Gateway
11 1 (0.19%) SAP MM
11 1 (0.19%) SAP Payroll
Cloud Services
1 55 (10.40%) Azure
2 38 (7.18%) Power Platform
3 29 (5.48%) Microsoft 365
4 18 (3.40%) AWS
4 18 (3.40%) SaaS
5 17 (3.21%) Dynamics 365
6 16 (3.02%) Entra ID
7 14 (2.65%) Azure DevOps
8 9 (1.70%) GCP
8 9 (1.70%) Power Automate
8 9 (1.70%) PowerApps
9 8 (1.51%) GitHub
10 7 (1.32%) OCI
11 6 (1.13%) Azure Synapse Analytics
11 6 (1.13%) Microsoft Purview
12 5 (0.95%) Azure Data Factory
12 5 (0.95%) Azure Key Vault
12 5 (0.95%) Azure Logic Apps
12 5 (0.95%) Azure Sentinel
12 5 (0.95%) Microsoft Copilot
Communications & Networking
1 18 (3.40%) Firewall
2 11 (2.08%) DNS
3 7 (1.32%) DHCP
3 7 (1.32%) LAN
3 7 (1.32%) WAN
4 6 (1.13%) Network Security
5 5 (0.95%) VPN
6 4 (0.76%) Broadband
6 4 (0.76%) Wi-Fi
7 2 (0.38%) Intranet
7 2 (0.38%) PSTN
7 2 (0.38%) VSAN
8 1 (0.19%) TCP/IP
8 1 (0.19%) Unified Communications
Database & Business Intelligence
1 34 (6.43%) Power BI
2 19 (3.59%) Oracle Reports
3 8 (1.51%) SQL Server
4 7 (1.32%) GIS
5 6 (1.13%) NoSQL
6 5 (0.95%) Data Warehouse
6 5 (0.95%) Metadata
7 4 (0.76%) BusinessObjects
7 4 (0.76%) Power Query
7 4 (0.76%) SQL Server Reporting Services
8 3 (0.57%) Azure SQL Database
8 3 (0.57%) PostgreSQL
8 3 (0.57%) Spatial Data
9 2 (0.38%) Amazon Aurora
9 2 (0.38%) Amazon RDS
9 2 (0.38%) Big Data
9 2 (0.38%) Presto
9 2 (0.38%) Redis
9 2 (0.38%) Relational Database
9 2 (0.38%) Star Schema
Development Applications
1 10 (1.89%) JIRA
2 5 (0.95%) Jenkins
3 3 (0.57%) Git
4 2 (0.38%) Bitbucket
4 2 (0.38%) Cypress.io
4 2 (0.38%) GitLab
4 2 (0.38%) Mocha
5 1 (0.19%) Capybara
5 1 (0.19%) Oracle APEX
5 1 (0.19%) RSpec
General
1 238 (44.99%) Public Sector
2 147 (27.79%) Finance
3 146 (27.60%) Social Skills
4 76 (14.37%) Analytical Skills
5 34 (6.43%) Organisational Skills
6 20 (3.78%) Legal
7 18 (3.40%) Influencing Skills
7 18 (3.40%) Social Housing
8 9 (1.70%) Inclusion and Diversity
8 9 (1.70%) Manufacturing
8 9 (1.70%) Retail
9 7 (1.32%) Police
10 6 (1.13%) Documentation Skills
11 5 (0.95%) Banking
12 4 (0.76%) General Ledger
12 4 (0.76%) Publishing
13 3 (0.57%) Fire and Rescue
13 3 (0.57%) Presentation Skills
14 2 (0.38%) Back Office
14 2 (0.38%) Law
Job Titles
1 75 (14.18%) Analyst
2 69 (13.04%) Lead
3 61 (11.53%) Senior
4 37 (6.99%) Developer
5 36 (6.81%) Business Analyst
6 35 (6.62%) Architect
7 25 (4.73%) Project Manager
8 23 (4.35%) Consultant
9 21 (3.97%) Support Officer
10 20 (3.78%) Senior Analyst
11 19 (3.59%) Finance Manager
12 16 (3.02%) Data Analyst
13 15 (2.84%) Transformation Manager
14 14 (2.65%) Finance Systems Manager
15 13 (2.46%) Accountant
16 12 (2.27%) Applications Support
16 12 (2.27%) Solutions Architect
16 12 (2.27%) Tester
17 11 (2.08%) Systems Analyst
17 11 (2.08%) Team Leader
Libraries, Frameworks & Software Standards
1 43 (8.13%) Oracle Fusion
2 8 (1.51%) RESTful
3 6 (1.13%) HTML
4 5 (0.95%) .NET
4 5 (0.95%) REST
4 5 (0.95%) SAP Fiori
5 4 (0.76%) CSS
6 3 (0.57%) ARM Templates
6 3 (0.57%) ASP.NET
6 3 (0.57%) ASP.NET Core
6 3 (0.57%) Middleware
7 2 (0.38%) Chai
7 2 (0.38%) Express.js
7 2 (0.38%) FHIR
7 2 (0.38%) Jest
7 2 (0.38%) JWT
7 2 (0.38%) Node.js
7 2 (0.38%) Nunjucks
7 2 (0.38%) Play Framework
7 2 (0.38%) PySpark
Miscellaneous
1 34 (6.43%) Management Information System
2 18 (3.40%) Freedom of Information
3 17 (3.21%) NHS
4 16 (3.02%) Analytical Mindset
5 15 (2.84%) Legacy Systems
6 12 (2.27%) Onboarding
6 12 (2.27%) Product Ownership
6 12 (2.27%) Public Cloud
7 10 (1.89%) Cloud Native
7 10 (1.89%) Housing Association
8 9 (1.70%) Enterprise Software
9 5 (0.95%) Data Structures
9 5 (0.95%) Hybrid Cloud
9 5 (0.95%) Security Posture
10 4 (0.76%) Distributed Systems
11 3 (0.57%) Cyber Security Posture
11 3 (0.57%) Cyberattack
11 3 (0.57%) Manufacturing Execution System
11 3 (0.57%) Mobile App
12 2 (0.38%) Cyber Threat
Operating Systems
1 14 (2.65%) Windows
2 7 (1.32%) Windows 10
3 6 (1.13%) Windows Server
4 2 (0.38%) Linux
4 2 (0.38%) Unix
5 1 (0.19%) Apple iOS
5 1 (0.19%) VMS
5 1 (0.19%) Windows Server 2012
Processes & Methodologies
1 106 (20.04%) Stakeholder Management
2 101 (19.09%) Stakeholder Engagement
3 86 (16.26%) Continuous Improvement
4 79 (14.93%) Agile
5 70 (13.23%) Service Delivery
6 64 (12.10%) Decision-Making
7 51 (9.64%) Migration
7 51 (9.64%) Problem-Solving
8 43 (8.13%) Validation
9 42 (7.94%) ERP
10 41 (7.75%) Project Delivery
10 41 (7.75%) Roadmaps
11 38 (7.18%) Business Intelligence
11 38 (7.18%) Collaborative Working
12 37 (6.99%) Digital Transformation Programme
13 36 (6.81%) Data Protection
14 34 (6.43%) Case Management
14 34 (6.43%) Cybersecurity
14 34 (6.43%) DevOps
15 33 (6.24%) Data Migration
Programming Languages
1 37 (6.99%) SQL
2 11 (2.08%) JavaScript
3 9 (1.70%) Python
4 7 (1.32%) Java
5 6 (1.13%) PowerShell
6 5 (0.95%) Data Analysis Expressions
7 4 (0.76%) C#
7 4 (0.76%) TypeScript
8 3 (0.57%) ABAP
8 3 (0.57%) Bicep
9 2 (0.38%) Go
9 2 (0.38%) Scala
10 1 (0.19%) Apex Code
10 1 (0.19%) Groovy
10 1 (0.19%) Kusto Query Language
10 1 (0.19%) PL/SQL
10 1 (0.19%) Ruby
10 1 (0.19%) Search Processing Language
10 1 (0.19%) Swift
10 1 (0.19%) T-SQL
Qualifications
1 36 (6.81%) Security Cleared
2 30 (5.67%) SC Cleared
3 18 (3.40%) Degree
4 15 (2.84%) DBS Check
5 11 (2.08%) BPSS Clearance
6 8 (1.51%) DV Cleared
7 6 (1.13%) Cisco Certification
7 6 (1.13%) CISSP
8 5 (0.95%) Azure Certification
8 5 (0.95%) Microsoft Certification
9 4 (0.76%) CCNP
9 4 (0.76%) CISM
9 4 (0.76%) ITIL Certification
10 3 (0.57%) CCNA
10 3 (0.57%) CIPFA
11 2 (0.38%) CCSP
11 2 (0.38%) CIMA
11 2 (0.38%) PMI Certification
11 2 (0.38%) PMP
11 2 (0.38%) Postgraduate
Quality Assurance & Compliance
1 42 (7.94%) Data Quality
2 34 (6.43%) GDPR
3 25 (4.73%) PMO
4 20 (3.78%) Accessibility
5 18 (3.40%) QA
6 15 (2.84%) SLA
7 9 (1.70%) NCSC
8 8 (1.51%) Cyber Essentials
9 7 (1.32%) ISO/IEC 27001
10 6 (1.13%) PCI DSS
10 6 (1.13%) WCAG
11 4 (0.76%) Cyber Essentials PLUS
11 4 (0.76%) IFRS
12 3 (0.57%) Disclosure Scotland
12 3 (0.57%) NIST
12 3 (0.57%) PERC
13 2 (0.38%) GRC
13 2 (0.38%) HMG Security Policy Framework
14 1 (0.19%) Government Security Classifications
14 1 (0.19%) P3O
System Software
1 12 (2.27%) Active Directory
2 9 (1.70%) Docker
3 2 (0.38%) Hyper-V
3 2 (0.38%) Virtual Machines
3 2 (0.38%) VMware Infrastructure
4 1 (0.19%) Firmware
Systems Management
1 13 (2.46%) Terraform
2 10 (1.89%) Kubernetes
3 3 (0.57%) Microsoft Intune
4 2 (0.38%) Failover Clustering
4 2 (0.38%) Grafana
4 2 (0.38%) Kibana
4 2 (0.38%) Single Sign-On
4 2 (0.38%) VxRail
Vendors
1 92 (17.39%) Microsoft
2 60 (11.34%) Oracle
3 31 (5.86%) SAP
4 16 (3.02%) NEC
5 15 (2.84%) Liquidlogic
6 13 (2.46%) ServiceNow
7 12 (2.27%) Civica
8 8 (1.51%) Google
9 6 (1.13%) Databricks
9 6 (1.13%) Orchard
10 4 (0.76%) Cisco
10 4 (0.76%) Palo Alto
11 3 (0.57%) Infoblox
11 3 (0.57%) Juniper
11 3 (0.57%) Kronos
11 3 (0.57%) Sitecore
11 3 (0.57%) Splunk
11 3 (0.57%) VMware
12 2 (0.38%) Ariba
12 2 (0.38%) Ribbon