Support Engineer Contract Job Trends

Support Engineer
UK

The median Support Engineer daily rate in the UK is £211, according to job vacancies posted in the 6 months leading up to 3 June 2026.

The table below compares current contractor rates and summary statistics with the previous two years.

6 months to
3 Jun 2026
Same period 2025 Same period 2024
Rank 171 124 110
Rank change year-on-year -47 -14 +5
Contract jobs requiring a Support Engineer 762 621 864
As % of all contract jobs in the UK 1.56% 2.16% 2.01%
As % of the Job Titles category 1.69% 2.34% 2.16%
Number of daily rates quoted 492 394 594
10th Percentile £153 £153 £138
25th Percentile £184 £200 £163
Median daily rate (50th Percentile) £211 £248 £213
Median % change year-on-year -14.62% +16.47% -15.00%
75th Percentile £376 £385 £338
90th Percentile £486 £496 £450
UK excluding London median daily rate £207 £230 £200
% change year-on-year -10.00% +15.00% -5.33%
Number of hourly rates quoted 73 54 52
10th Percentile £18.07 £18.10 £16.25
25th Percentile £20.50 £19.04 £18.00
Median hourly rate £23.83 £24.83 £22.23
Median % change year-on-year -4.05% +11.72% +5.16%
75th Percentile £36.00 £35.63 £43.75
90th Percentile £38.50 £68.00 £56.75
UK excluding London median hourly rate £22.50 £24.66 £23.34
% change year-on-year -8.76% +5.66% +16.70%

All Contract IT Job Roles
UK

For comparison with the information above, the following table provides summary statistics for all contract IT job vacancies. Most job vacancies include a discernible job title that can be normalized. As such, the figures in the second row provide an indication of the number of contract jobs in our overall sample.

Contract vacancies in the UK with a recognized job title 45,089 26,570 40,007
% of contract IT jobs with a recognized job title 92.31% 92.35% 92.84%
Number of daily rates quoted 27,438 17,201 25,885
10th Percentile £325 £288 £280
25th Percentile £413 £405 £409
Median daily rate (50th Percentile) £513 £504 £525
Median % change year-on-year +1.69% -4.00% -2.78%
75th Percentile £619 £625 £638
90th Percentile £725 £738 £750
UK excluding London median daily rate £500 £475 £488
% change year-on-year +5.26% -2.56% -2.50%
Number of hourly rates quoted 3,017 1,072 2,851
10th Percentile £15.05 £14.00 £12.86
25th Percentile £20.53 £17.85 £16.30
Median hourly rate £42.50 £28.00 £37.50
Median % change year-on-year +51.79% -25.33% -16.67%
75th Percentile £67.25 £59.00 £61.60
90th Percentile £80.00 £75.00 £73.75
UK excluding London median hourly rate £45.00 £25.23 £40.00
% change year-on-year +78.39% -36.94% -5.88%

Support Engineer
Job Vacancy Trend

Historical trend showing the proportion of contract IT job postings featuring 'Support Engineer' in the job title relative to all contract IT jobs advertised.

Support Engineer job vacancy trend in the UK

Support Engineer
Daily Rate Trend

Contractor daily rate distribution trend for Support Engineer job vacancies in the UK.

Contractor daily rate distribution trend for Support Engineer job vacancies in the UK

Support Engineer
Daily Rate Histogram

Daily rate distribution for jobs citing Support Engineer over the 6 months to 3 June 2026.

Daily rate histogram for Support Engineer in the UK

Support Engineer
Hourly Rate Trend

Contractor hourly rate distribution trend for Support Engineer job vacancies in the UK.

Contractor hourly rate distribution trend for Support Engineer job vacancies in the UK

Support Engineer
Hourly Rate Histogram

Hourly rate distribution of jobs citing Support Engineer over the 6 months to 3 June 2026.

Hourly rate histogram for Support Engineer in the UK

Support Engineer
Top 18 Contract Job Locations

The table below looks at the demand and provides a guide to the median contractor rates quoted in IT jobs citing Support Engineer within the UK over the 6 months to 3 June 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 -47 666 £210 -15.15% 302
UK excluding London -41 518 £207 -10.00% 282
London -53 213 £275 - 60
South East -28 144 £210 -16.00% 90
North of England -70 89 £190 -11.63% 69
Work from Home -70 89 £220 -26.67% 77
Midlands -30 88 £200 -23.81% 36
South West -36 72 £210 -10.64% 30
East of England -11 59 £198 -11.24% 39
Scotland +36 55 £313 +11.61% 18
North West -36 55 £190 -11.63% 40
West Midlands -55 51 £238 -13.64% 17
East Midlands +1 38 £200 -5.88% 19
Yorkshire -45 32 £190 -19.15% 22
Wales -19 9 £250 +25.00% 3
Northern Ireland -1 4 £175 +16.67% 6
North East -43 2 £290 +48.72% 9
Channel Islands - 1 £550 -

Support Engineer Skill Set
Top 30 Co-Occurring Skills & Capabilities

For the 6 months to 3 June 2026, Support Engineer contract job roles required the following skills and capabilities in order of popularity. The figures indicate the absolute number of co-occurrences and as a proportion of all contract job ads featuring Support Engineer in the job title.

1 354 (46.46%) Windows
2 268 (35.17%) Active Directory
3 267 (35.04%) Microsoft
4 240 (31.50%) Microsoft 365
5 162 (21.26%) Windows 10
6 155 (20.34%) Security Cleared
7 147 (19.29%) Problem-Solving
8 142 (18.64%) Customer Service
9 140 (18.37%) Azure
10 117 (15.35%) ITIL
11 109 (14.30%) SC Cleared
12 104 (13.65%) Microsoft Intune
13 91 (11.94%) ServiceNow
14 78 (10.24%) Entra ID
15 65 (8.53%) ITSM
16 64 (8.40%) PowerShell
16 64 (8.40%) SharePoint
17 58 (7.61%) DNS
17 58 (7.61%) Migration
17 58 (7.61%) SQL
18 54 (7.09%) JIRA
19 47 (6.17%) Linux
20 44 (5.77%) Wi-Fi
21 43 (5.64%) Degree
21 43 (5.64%) Windows Server
22 42 (5.51%) Continuous Improvement
22 42 (5.51%) DHCP
22 42 (5.51%) Mac OS
22 42 (5.51%) SCCM
23 41 (5.38%) Unix

Support Engineer Skill Set
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 64 (8.40%) SharePoint
2 33 (4.33%) Microsoft Exchange
3 11 (1.44%) NetWeaver
4 7 (0.92%) HCL Notes
5 4 (0.52%) Confluence
5 4 (0.52%) IIS
6 3 (0.39%) Skype for Business
7 2 (0.26%) Apache
7 2 (0.26%) OpenStack
7 2 (0.26%) WebLogic
8 1 (0.13%) Tuxedo
8 1 (0.13%) WebSphere
Applications
1 38 (4.99%) Microsoft Office
2 14 (1.84%) Microsoft Excel
3 4 (0.52%) Microsoft PowerPoint
Business Applications
1 10 (1.31%) SAP S/4HANA
2 6 (0.79%) SAP EHS
2 6 (0.79%) Shopify
2 6 (0.79%) Teamcenter
3 5 (0.66%) Remedy ITSM
4 2 (0.26%) NetSuite
5 1 (0.13%) Alphatax
5 1 (0.13%) Dynamics CRM
5 1 (0.13%) Dynamics GP
5 1 (0.13%) Oracle EBS
5 1 (0.13%) SAP GRC
Cloud Services
1 240 (31.50%) Microsoft 365
2 140 (18.37%) Azure
3 78 (10.24%) Entra ID
4 29 (3.81%) AWS
5 23 (3.02%) SaaS
6 22 (2.89%) OneDrive
7 21 (2.76%) Azure DevOps
8 10 (1.31%) Dynamics 365
8 10 (1.31%) GCP
8 10 (1.31%) Power Platform
9 6 (0.79%) Amazon S3
9 6 (0.79%) Azure Data Factory
9 6 (0.79%) PaaS
10 5 (0.66%) Sauce Labs
11 4 (0.52%) Google Workspace
11 4 (0.52%) Mimecast
12 3 (0.39%) IaaS
13 2 (0.26%) Amazon EC2
13 2 (0.26%) Datadog
13 2 (0.26%) GitHub
Communications & Networking
1 58 (7.61%) DNS
2 44 (5.77%) Wi-Fi
3 42 (5.51%) DHCP
4 41 (5.38%) VPN
5 39 (5.12%) LAN
6 35 (4.59%) TCP/IP
7 23 (3.02%) SAN
7 23 (3.02%) WAN
8 14 (1.84%) VLAN
9 13 (1.71%) Firewall
9 13 (1.71%) Internet
10 11 (1.44%) Wireless
10 11 (1.44%) WLAN
11 7 (0.92%) HTTP
12 6 (0.79%) Skype
12 6 (0.79%) VoIP
13 4 (0.52%) Remote Desktop
13 4 (0.52%) Unified Communications
14 2 (0.26%) VSAN
14 2 (0.26%) Wireshark
Database & Business Intelligence
1 30 (3.94%) SQL Server
2 18 (2.36%) MySQL
3 13 (1.71%) Amazon Redshift
4 12 (1.57%) Relational Database
5 11 (1.44%) SAP HANA
6 10 (1.31%) Sybase ASE
7 9 (1.18%) MaxDB
8 8 (1.05%) Power BI
8 8 (1.05%) SQL Server Integration Services
9 7 (0.92%) Pentaho
10 5 (0.66%) Oracle Database
10 5 (0.66%) PostgreSQL
11 4 (0.52%) Amazon Athena
11 4 (0.52%) Oracle Database 12c
12 2 (0.26%) Amazon RDS
12 2 (0.26%) Data Warehouse
12 2 (0.26%) MariaDB
12 2 (0.26%) SQL Server Reporting Services
13 1 (0.13%) Crystal Reports
13 1 (0.13%) RDBMS
Development Applications
1 54 (7.09%) JIRA
2 19 (2.49%) Git
3 11 (1.44%) Browser DevTools
4 5 (0.66%) Android Studio
4 5 (0.66%) Eclipse
4 5 (0.66%) Xcode
5 2 (0.26%) Firebug
5 2 (0.26%) Maven
6 1 (0.13%) Atlassian Bamboo
6 1 (0.13%) Claude Code
6 1 (0.13%) Gemini Tracker
6 1 (0.13%) Jenkins
6 1 (0.13%) MSI
6 1 (0.13%) RStudio
6 1 (0.13%) SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS)
6 1 (0.13%) Subversion
6 1 (0.13%) TeamCity
6 1 (0.13%) Visual Studio Code
General
1 293 (38.45%) Social Skills
2 84 (11.02%) Analytical Skills
3 55 (7.22%) Finance
4 46 (6.04%) Manufacturing
5 37 (4.86%) Banking
6 23 (3.02%) Investment Banking
7 21 (2.76%) Inclusion and Diversity
8 18 (2.36%) Aerospace
8 18 (2.36%) Law
9 16 (2.10%) Organisational Skills
10 15 (1.97%) Aviation
11 13 (1.71%) Documentation Skills
12 9 (1.18%) Front Office
12 9 (1.18%) Legal
13 8 (1.05%) Retail
14 7 (0.92%) Public Sector
15 6 (0.79%) French Language
15 6 (0.79%) Marketing
15 6 (0.79%) Pharmaceutical
15 6 (0.79%) Telecoms
Libraries, Frameworks & Software Standards
1 10 (1.31%) Oracle GoldenGate
1 10 (1.31%) SAP Basis
2 9 (1.18%) REST
3 7 (0.92%) CSS
3 7 (0.92%) JDO
4 6 (0.79%) .NET
4 6 (0.79%) Software Packaging
5 5 (0.66%) Ajax
5 5 (0.66%) AngularJS
5 5 (0.66%) GraphQL
5 5 (0.66%) PySpark
5 5 (0.66%) React
5 5 (0.66%) SAML
5 5 (0.66%) SAP Fiori
5 5 (0.66%) SAPUI5
5 5 (0.66%) YAML
6 4 (0.52%) Middleware
6 4 (0.52%) OAuth
7 3 (0.39%) JSP
7 3 (0.39%) RESTful
Miscellaneous
1 60 (7.87%) Onboarding
2 31 (4.07%) Data Centre
3 24 (3.15%) Self-Motivation
4 23 (3.02%) Analytical Mindset
5 17 (2.23%) Virtual Team
6 16 (2.10%) Enterprise Software
7 15 (1.97%) Smartphone
8 13 (1.71%) Data Protection Act
9 11 (1.44%) iPhone
9 11 (1.44%) Legacy Systems
10 10 (1.31%) Driving Licence
10 10 (1.31%) PKI
10 10 (1.31%) SCADA
11 8 (1.05%) Hybrid Cloud
11 8 (1.05%) Video Conferencing
12 7 (0.92%) Blackberry
12 7 (0.92%) Hedge funds
13 5 (0.66%) CCTV
13 5 (0.66%) Mobile App
14 4 (0.52%) iPad
Operating Systems
1 354 (46.46%) Windows
2 162 (21.26%) Windows 10
3 47 (6.17%) Linux
4 43 (5.64%) Windows Server
5 42 (5.51%) Mac OS
6 41 (5.38%) Unix
7 23 (3.02%) Apple iOS
8 22 (2.89%) Android
9 16 (2.10%) Windows 7
10 7 (0.92%) Windows Server 2016
11 6 (0.79%) Red Hat Enterprise Linux
12 4 (0.52%) Solaris
12 4 (0.52%) Windows Server 2019
13 3 (0.39%) Windows Server 2012
13 3 (0.39%) Windows XP
14 2 (0.26%) Mac OS X
14 2 (0.26%) Ubuntu
15 1 (0.13%) CentOS
15 1 (0.13%) Windows Server 2008
Processes & Methodologies
1 147 (19.29%) Problem-Solving
2 142 (18.64%) Customer Service
3 117 (15.35%) ITIL
4 65 (8.53%) ITSM
5 58 (7.61%) Migration
6 42 (5.51%) Continuous Improvement
7 40 (5.25%) Change Management
8 39 (5.12%) Infrastructure Engineering
9 37 (4.86%) Asset Management
10 36 (4.72%) Service Delivery
11 34 (4.46%) Root Cause Analysis
12 33 (4.33%) Incident Management
13 32 (4.20%) DevOps
13 32 (4.20%) User Experience
14 31 (4.07%) Service Management
15 28 (3.67%) Problem Management
16 25 (3.28%) Data Protection
17 22 (2.89%) Break/Fix
17 22 (2.89%) CI/CD
18 21 (2.76%) Stakeholder Management
Programming Languages
1 64 (8.40%) PowerShell
2 58 (7.61%) SQL
3 29 (3.81%) Python
4 20 (2.62%) C#
4 20 (2.62%) Java
5 17 (2.23%) JavaScript
6 15 (1.97%) Shell Script
7 11 (1.44%) Bash
8 10 (1.31%) Korn
9 9 (1.18%) Perl
10 6 (0.79%) C++
11 1 (0.13%) C
11 1 (0.13%) R
11 1 (0.13%) T-SQL
11 1 (0.13%) VB.NET
11 1 (0.13%) VBA
11 1 (0.13%) VBScript
Qualifications
1 155 (20.34%) Security Cleared
2 109 (14.30%) SC Cleared
3 43 (5.64%) Degree
4 33 (4.33%) DV Cleared
5 24 (3.15%) Microsoft Certification
6 23 (3.02%) A+ Certification
7 20 (2.62%) CCNA
7 20 (2.62%) Cisco Certification
8 18 (2.36%) Network+ Certification
9 16 (2.10%) MCSE
10 12 (1.57%) BPSS Clearance
11 10 (1.31%) Computer Science Degree
12 9 (1.18%) Azure Certification
13 7 (0.92%) DBS Check
14 5 (0.66%) ITIL Certification
15 4 (0.52%) Microsoft Certified Professional
15 4 (0.52%) NVQ Level 4
16 1 (0.13%) CCNP
16 1 (0.13%) ITIL Foundation Certificate
16 1 (0.13%) MCSA
Quality Assurance & Compliance
1 36 (4.72%) SLA
2 4 (0.52%) Cyber Essentials
2 4 (0.52%) GDPR
3 3 (0.39%) Data Quality
3 3 (0.39%) ISO/IEC 27001
3 3 (0.39%) QA
4 2 (0.26%) GLP
4 2 (0.26%) GMP
5 1 (0.13%) Actionable Recommendations
5 1 (0.13%) GRC
5 1 (0.13%) GxP
5 1 (0.13%) ITGC
5 1 (0.13%) Sarbanes-Oxley
5 1 (0.13%) SOC 2
System Software
1 268 (35.17%) Active Directory
2 28 (3.67%) VMware Infrastructure
3 14 (1.84%) Hyper-V
4 13 (1.71%) VMware NSX
5 12 (1.57%) VMware ESXi
6 10 (1.31%) Oracle RAC
6 10 (1.31%) Virtual Desktop
7 8 (1.05%) vCloud
8 6 (0.79%) vSphere
9 4 (0.52%) NFS
10 3 (0.39%) Firmware
11 2 (0.26%) Virtual Servers
12 1 (0.13%) BitLocker
12 1 (0.13%) Docker
12 1 (0.13%) Microsoft Virtual Server
12 1 (0.13%) XenDesktop
12 1 (0.13%) zsh
Systems Management
1 104 (13.65%) Microsoft Intune
2 42 (5.51%) SCCM
3 19 (2.49%) Jamf Pro
4 18 (2.36%) Single Sign-On
5 13 (1.71%) Grafana
6 12 (1.57%) vCenter Server
7 10 (1.31%) Oracle Enterprise Manager
7 10 (1.31%) Oracle RMAN
8 9 (1.18%) SCOM
9 7 (0.92%) Ansible
9 7 (0.92%) Terraform
10 4 (0.52%) Red Hat Satellite
11 3 (0.39%) Kubernetes
11 3 (0.39%) vRealize
12 2 (0.26%) AirWatch
12 2 (0.26%) Kibana
12 2 (0.26%) McAfee ePO
12 2 (0.26%) PaperCut
12 2 (0.26%) WMI
13 1 (0.13%) WSUS
Vendors
1 267 (35.04%) Microsoft
2 91 (11.94%) ServiceNow
3 33 (4.33%) Oracle
4 32 (4.20%) VMware
5 25 (3.28%) Dell
6 22 (2.89%) Apple
6 22 (2.89%) SAP
7 15 (1.97%) Cisco
7 15 (1.97%) HP
8 13 (1.71%) Okta
9 10 (1.31%) Citrix
9 10 (1.31%) Sybase
10 9 (1.18%) Google
10 9 (1.18%) McAfee
11 8 (1.05%) Denodo
11 8 (1.05%) Remedy
11 8 (1.05%) Starlink
11 8 (1.05%) Talend
12 7 (0.92%) Databricks
12 7 (0.92%) Lotus