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 29 April 2026, comparing them to the same period in the previous two years.

6 months to
29 Apr 2026		 Same period 2025 Same period 2024
Rank 283 232 251
Rank change year-on-year -51 +19 +154
Contract jobs citing Local Government 394 331 413
As % of all contract jobs in the UK 0.84% 1.13% 0.95%
As % of the General category 1.54% 1.79% 1.64%
Number of daily rates quoted 274 210 307
10th Percentile £329 £300 £343
25th Percentile £411 £400 £410
Median daily rate (50th Percentile) £500 £475 £475
Median % change year-on-year +5.26% - +5.56%
75th Percentile £600 £550 £575
90th Percentile £660 £631 £640
UK excluding London median daily rate £500 £450 £500
% change year-on-year +11.11% -10.00% +25.00%
Number of hourly rates quoted 45 51 62
10th Percentile £16.92 £17.00 £15.39
25th Percentile £20.51 £20.36 £17.08
Median hourly rate £25.38 £26.12 £26.02
Median % change year-on-year -2.83% +0.40% +16.87%
75th Percentile £27.72 £30.20 £36.19
90th Percentile £31.94 £33.75 £42.25
UK excluding London median hourly rate £25.38 £24.24 £24.63
% change year-on-year +4.70% -1.57% +10.64%

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 25,650 18,445 25,224
As % of all contract IT jobs advertised in the UK 54.48% 63.22% 58.24%
Number of daily rates quoted 15,833 11,783 15,923
10th Percentile £305 £300 £270
25th Percentile £406 £409 £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 £763
UK excluding London median daily rate £475 £475 £496
% change year-on-year - -4.23% -0.80%
Number of hourly rates quoted 1,652 796 1,931
10th Percentile £13.72 £14.20 £12.78
25th Percentile £17.50 £18.13 £15.50
Median hourly rate £29.00 £28.08 £30.00
Median % change year-on-year +3.29% -6.42% -14.29%
75th Percentile £60.00 £56.00 £51.83
90th Percentile £79.90 £75.00 £65.00
UK excluding London median hourly rate £25.77 £25.29 £27.84
% change year-on-year +1.90% -9.14% -8.86%

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 29 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 29 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 29 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 -43 378 £500 +5.26% 173
UK excluding London -50 195 £500 +11.11% 146
London -51 182 £500 - 46
Work from Home 0 143 £500 +5.26% 74
Midlands +2 94 £525 +0.96% 31
West Midlands -12 56 £525 - 22
East Midlands -12 35 £500 -3.85% 9
North of England -81 31 £488 +2.63% 32
South West -49 27 £469 +14.61% 19
North West -25 23 £350 -20.00% 21
East of England -28 23 £425 -17.03% 14
South East -69 15 £519 +15.28% 43
Yorkshire -73 7 £650 +33.33% 6
Scotland -1 3 - - 9
Wales -11 2 - - 3
North East -18 1 £500 +5.26% 7

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 19 (4.82%) SharePoint
2 5 (1.27%) CMS
3 3 (0.76%) Confluence
3 3 (0.76%) Drupal
4 2 (0.51%) Apache Airflow
4 2 (0.51%) Apache Spark
4 2 (0.51%) ArcGIS
4 2 (0.51%) govService
4 2 (0.51%) OpenEdge
5 1 (0.25%) IBM HTTP Server
5 1 (0.25%) Microsoft Exchange
Applications
1 20 (5.08%) Microsoft Excel
2 7 (1.78%) Microsoft Office
3 5 (1.27%) Microsoft PowerPoint
4 4 (1.02%) Spreadsheet
5 2 (0.51%) Microsoft Project
5 2 (0.51%) Trello
6 1 (0.25%) MS Visio
Business Applications
1 24 (6.09%) SAP S/4HANA
2 20 (5.08%) NEC Housing
3 7 (1.78%) ContrOCC
3 7 (1.78%) Oracle Payables
4 6 (1.52%) Oracle General Ledger
4 6 (1.52%) Oracle Procure-to-Pay
4 6 (1.52%) Oracle Receivables
5 4 (1.02%) Dynamics CRM
5 4 (1.02%) Oracle Financials
6 3 (0.76%) iTrent
6 3 (0.76%) Oracle Applications
6 3 (0.76%) SAP ERP
7 2 (0.51%) Oracle EBS
7 2 (0.51%) Unit4 Business World
8 1 (0.25%) Oracle ERP
8 1 (0.25%) Payment Gateway
8 1 (0.25%) SAP CO
8 1 (0.25%) SAP FI
8 1 (0.25%) SAP FI/CO
8 1 (0.25%) SAP HR
Cloud Services
1 44 (11.17%) Azure
2 28 (7.11%) Microsoft 365
3 26 (6.60%) Power Platform
4 15 (3.81%) Dynamics 365
5 14 (3.55%) AWS
5 14 (3.55%) SaaS
6 9 (2.28%) Microsoft Copilot
7 8 (2.03%) Azure DevOps
8 7 (1.78%) Entra ID
9 6 (1.52%) PowerApps
10 5 (1.27%) Power Automate
11 4 (1.02%) OCI
11 4 (1.02%) OneDrive
11 4 (1.02%) SuccessFactors
12 3 (0.76%) Amazon EKS
12 3 (0.76%) Azure Sentinel
12 3 (0.76%) IaaS
12 3 (0.76%) Microsoft Purview
12 3 (0.76%) Miro
13 2 (0.51%) Amazon ECS
Communications & Networking
1 11 (2.79%) Firewall
2 6 (1.52%) LAN
2 6 (1.52%) WAN
3 5 (1.27%) Broadband
3 5 (1.27%) DNS
3 5 (1.27%) Network Security
3 5 (1.27%) Wi-Fi
3 5 (1.27%) Wireless
4 4 (1.02%) DHCP
4 4 (1.02%) VPN
5 3 (0.76%) SD-WAN
6 2 (0.51%) Internet
6 2 (0.51%) Intranet
6 2 (0.51%) WLAN
7 1 (0.25%) VLAN
Database & Business Intelligence
1 21 (5.33%) Power BI
2 20 (5.08%) Oracle Reports
3 9 (2.28%) GIS
4 8 (2.03%) SQL Server
5 3 (0.76%) Geospatial Data
5 3 (0.76%) OLTP
6 2 (0.51%) Amazon Aurora
6 2 (0.51%) Amazon RDS
6 2 (0.51%) Apache Hudi
6 2 (0.51%) Big Data
6 2 (0.51%) Crystal Reports
6 2 (0.51%) Data Lake
6 2 (0.51%) MongoDB
6 2 (0.51%) MS Access
6 2 (0.51%) Oracle Database
6 2 (0.51%) PostgreSQL
6 2 (0.51%) Presto
6 2 (0.51%) Spatial Data
6 2 (0.51%) SQL Server Integration Services
6 2 (0.51%) SQL Server Reporting Services
Development Applications
1 6 (1.52%) JIRA
2 3 (0.76%) GitLab
3 2 (0.51%) Jenkins
4 1 (0.25%) JUnit
General
1 180 (45.69%) Public Sector
2 123 (31.22%) Finance
3 101 (25.63%) Social Skills
4 37 (9.39%) Analytical Skills
5 19 (4.82%) Influencing Skills
6 17 (4.31%) Fire and Rescue
7 15 (3.81%) Inclusion and Diversity
8 14 (3.55%) Legal
9 12 (3.05%) Organisational Skills
10 10 (2.54%) Social Housing
11 7 (1.78%) Police
12 6 (1.52%) Back Office
13 4 (1.02%) Marketing
14 2 (0.51%) Documentation Skills
14 2 (0.51%) General Ledger
14 2 (0.51%) Retail
14 2 (0.51%) Welsh Language
15 1 (0.25%) Manufacturing
15 1 (0.25%) Presentation Skills
15 1 (0.25%) Social Science
Job Titles
1 54 (13.71%) Senior
2 48 (12.18%) Analyst
3 39 (9.90%) Lead
4 31 (7.87%) Accountant
5 30 (7.61%) Systems Accountant
6 26 (6.60%) Developer
6 26 (6.60%) Project Manager
7 22 (5.58%) Architect
8 20 (5.08%) Business Analyst
9 17 (4.31%) Support Officer
10 14 (3.55%) Consultant
11 13 (3.30%) Applications Support
12 11 (2.79%) Senior Accountant
12 11 (2.79%) Senior Systems Accountant
12 11 (2.79%) Tester
13 10 (2.54%) Oracle Developer
13 10 (2.54%) Project Officer
13 10 (2.54%) Senior Analyst
14 9 (2.28%) Service Analyst
14 9 (2.28%) Solutions Architect
Libraries, Frameworks & Software Standards
1 24 (6.09%) Oracle Fusion
2 10 (2.54%) EDI
3 5 (1.27%) Middleware
4 4 (1.02%) CSS
4 4 (1.02%) HTML
5 3 (0.76%) REST
5 3 (0.76%) RESTful
6 2 (0.51%) Play Framework
7 1 (0.25%) .NET
7 1 (0.25%) FHIR
7 1 (0.25%) Node.js
7 1 (0.25%) OAuth
7 1 (0.25%) SAP Fiori
7 1 (0.25%) SPFx
7 1 (0.25%) Spring
7 1 (0.25%) Spring Boot
7 1 (0.25%) Web Services
Miscellaneous
1 43 (10.91%) Management Information System
2 20 (5.08%) Public Cloud
3 17 (4.31%) Legacy Systems
4 14 (3.55%) Data Structures
5 12 (3.05%) NHS
6 9 (2.28%) Freedom of Information
6 9 (2.28%) Product Ownership
7 7 (1.78%) Driving Licence
7 7 (1.78%) Housing Association
8 5 (1.27%) Onboarding
9 4 (1.02%) Enterprise Cloud
9 4 (1.02%) Enterprise Software
9 4 (1.02%) Security Posture
10 3 (0.76%) Cyber Security Posture
10 3 (0.76%) Legacy Code
10 3 (0.76%) Taxonomies
10 3 (0.76%) Virtual Team
11 2 (0.51%) Data Protection Act
11 2 (0.51%) PKI
11 2 (0.51%) Self-Motivation
Operating Systems
1 20 (5.08%) Windows
2 7 (1.78%) Linux
3 6 (1.52%) Windows Server
4 5 (1.27%) Windows 10
5 2 (0.51%) Unix
6 1 (0.25%) Android
6 1 (0.25%) VMS
Processes & Methodologies
1 69 (17.51%) Stakeholder Management
2 63 (15.99%) Stakeholder Engagement
3 52 (13.20%) ERP
4 51 (12.94%) Continuous Improvement
5 47 (11.93%) Decision-Making
5 47 (11.93%) Migration
6 43 (10.91%) Service Delivery
7 38 (9.64%) Agile
8 35 (8.88%) Change Management
9 34 (8.63%) Project Management
9 34 (8.63%) Roadmaps
10 29 (7.36%) Problem-Solving
11 28 (7.11%) Digital Transformation Programme
12 27 (6.85%) Cybersecurity
12 27 (6.85%) Data Protection
13 26 (6.60%) User Acceptance Testing
14 25 (6.35%) Business Intelligence
15 24 (6.09%) Project Delivery
15 24 (6.09%) Validation
16 23 (5.84%) Analytics
Programming Languages
1 32 (8.12%) SQL
2 6 (1.52%) PL/SQL
3 5 (1.27%) Python
4 4 (1.02%) JavaScript
4 4 (1.02%) PowerShell
5 3 (0.76%) C#
5 3 (0.76%) Java
5 3 (0.76%) ProC
5 3 (0.76%) Shell Script
6 2 (0.51%) Data Analysis Expressions
6 2 (0.51%) Scala
6 2 (0.51%) T-SQL
7 1 (0.25%) ABAP
7 1 (0.25%) Apex Code
7 1 (0.25%) Bash
7 1 (0.25%) Bicep
7 1 (0.25%) C
7 1 (0.25%) Korn
7 1 (0.25%) R
Qualifications
1 18 (4.57%) DBS Check
2 11 (2.79%) Degree
3 10 (2.54%) BPSS Clearance
4 9 (2.28%) Security Cleared
5 6 (1.52%) SC Cleared
6 5 (1.27%) NVQ Level 3
7 4 (1.02%) CCNA
7 4 (1.02%) CCNP
7 4 (1.02%) CIPFA
7 4 (1.02%) Cisco Certification
8 3 (0.76%) ITIL Certification
8 3 (0.76%) JNCIA
8 3 (0.76%) JNCIP
8 3 (0.76%) JNCIS
8 3 (0.76%) SAP Certification
9 2 (0.51%) CCAB
9 2 (0.51%) ISEB
9 2 (0.51%) ISTQB
9 2 (0.51%) PMI Certification
9 2 (0.51%) PMP
Quality Assurance & Compliance
1 25 (6.35%) Data Quality
2 17 (4.31%) GDPR
3 12 (3.05%) Accessibility
4 9 (2.28%) QA
5 6 (1.52%) PMO
5 6 (1.52%) SLA
5 6 (1.52%) WCAG
6 5 (1.27%) NCSC
6 5 (1.27%) PCI DSS
7 4 (1.02%) Actionable Recommendations
8 3 (0.76%) Cyber Essentials
8 3 (0.76%) PERC
9 2 (0.51%) Cyber Essentials PLUS
10 1 (0.25%) BS7666
10 1 (0.25%) Disclosure Scotland
10 1 (0.25%) GRC
10 1 (0.25%) IFRS
10 1 (0.25%) ISO/IEC 27001
System Software
1 8 (2.03%) Active Directory
1 8 (2.03%) Hyper-V
2 5 (1.27%) VMware Infrastructure
3 3 (0.76%) Docker
Systems Management
1 4 (1.02%) Microsoft Intune
2 3 (0.76%) Prometheus
2 3 (0.76%) Terraform
3 2 (0.51%) Grafana
3 2 (0.51%) Kibana
3 2 (0.51%) SCCM
4 1 (0.25%) FortiGate
4 1 (0.25%) Kubernetes
Vendors
1 64 (16.24%) Microsoft
2 45 (11.42%) Oracle
3 35 (8.88%) SAP
4 22 (5.58%) NEC
5 10 (2.54%) VMware
6 7 (1.78%) Liquidlogic
7 6 (1.52%) Civica
8 4 (1.02%) Ariba
9 3 (0.76%) Dynatrace
9 3 (0.76%) ESRI
9 3 (0.76%) Juniper
9 3 (0.76%) ServiceNow
9 3 (0.76%) Workday
10 2 (0.51%) Blue Prism
10 2 (0.51%) Cisco
10 2 (0.51%) OneLogin
10 2 (0.51%) Orchard
10 2 (0.51%) Palo Alto
10 2 (0.51%) Salesforce
10 2 (0.51%) Splunk
193 Local Government jobs Nationwide