Telecoms Contract Job Trends

Telecommunications
UK

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

6 months to
6 Aug 2026
Same period 2025 Same period 2024
Rank 173 102 69
Rank change year-on-year -71 -33 +11
Contract jobs citing Telecoms 844 845 1,156
As % of all contract jobs in the UK 1.58% 2.57% 2.96%
As % of the General category 2.88% 4.06% 5.15%
Number of daily rates quoted 481 494 550
10th Percentile £225 £300 £213
25th Percentile £400 £399 £363
Median daily rate (50th Percentile) £475 £475 £475
Median % change year-on-year - - -2.81%
75th Percentile £575 £579 £607
90th Percentile £694 £700 £738
UK excluding London median daily rate £450 £475 £475
% change year-on-year -5.26% - +5.56%
Number of hourly rates quoted 44 48 106
10th Percentile £16.01 - £12.15
25th Percentile £17.70 £14.00 £15.31
Median hourly rate £22.75 £21.00 £55.00
Median % change year-on-year +8.33% -61.82% -15.38%
75th Percentile £50.00 £52.81 £72.50
90th Percentile £178.75 £65.25 £75.63
UK excluding London median hourly rate £21.00 £15.50 £51.78
% change year-on-year +35.48% -70.07% -1.37%

All General Skills
UK

Telecoms 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 29,316 20,829 22,431
As % of all contract IT jobs advertised in the UK 55.00% 63.29% 57.35%
Number of daily rates quoted 17,434 13,018 14,116
10th Percentile £313 £278 £290
25th Percentile £413 £400 £413
Median daily rate (50th Percentile) £525 £500 £525
Median % change year-on-year +5.00% -4.76% -4.55%
75th Percentile £638 £627 £650
90th Percentile £738 £750 £775
UK excluding London median daily rate £500 £475 £493
% change year-on-year +5.26% -3.65% -1.40%
Number of hourly rates quoted 2,170 1,117 1,403
10th Percentile £14.00 £13.25 £14.00
25th Percentile £17.64 £16.25 £17.00
Median hourly rate £32.50 £25.15 £38.12
Median % change year-on-year +29.22% -34.02% +27.07%
75th Percentile £60.00 £50.75 £57.50
90th Percentile £80.00 £70.06 £70.00
UK excluding London median hourly rate £32.50 £22.14 £38.12
% change year-on-year +46.79% -41.92% +46.62%

Telecoms
Job Vacancy Trend

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

Telecoms job vacancy trend in the UK

Telecoms
Daily Rate Trend

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

Contractor daily rate distribution trend for jobs in the UK citing Telecoms

Telecoms
Daily Rate Histogram

Daily rate distribution for jobs citing Telecoms over the 6 months to 6 August 2026.

Daily rate histogram for Telecoms in the UK

Telecoms
Hourly Rate Trend

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

Contractor hourly rate distribution trend for jobs in the UK citing Telecoms

Telecoms
Hourly Rate Histogram

Hourly rate distribution of jobs citing Telecoms over the 6 months to 6 August 2026.

Hourly rate histogram for Telecoms in the UK

Telecoms
Top 17 Contract Job Locations

The table below looks at the demand and provides a guide to the median contractor rates quoted in IT jobs citing Telecoms within the UK over the 6 months to 6 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 -76 709 £475 -3.06% 911
UK excluding London -90 422 £450 -5.26% 620
London -33 318 £520 +8.00% 380
Work from Home -42 252 £475 -1.04% 352
South East -52 192 £460 -8.00% 210
North of England -58 58 £475 -9.52% 126
Scotland +12 50 £300 -7.69% 53
South West -79 45 £450 -14.29% 66
East of England -10 40 £175 -53.33% 54
Midlands -67 37 £478 +25.82% 83
West Midlands -70 33 £473 +24.34% 50
Yorkshire -27 32 £475 +22.58% 36
North West -60 25 £514 -3.02% 69
East Midlands -7 4 £500 +33.33% 33
Northern Ireland -1 3 £175 -51.05% 3
Wales -12 2 £500 +132.56% 34
North East -40 1 - - 24

Telecoms
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 17 (2.01%) Confluence
2 16 (1.90%) OpenStack
3 10 (1.18%) ArcGIS
3 10 (1.18%) SharePoint
4 8 (0.95%) Microsoft Exchange
5 7 (0.83%) Apache Airflow
6 4 (0.47%) Anypoint
6 4 (0.47%) Apache Spark
7 2 (0.24%) Appian
7 2 (0.24%) CMS
8 1 (0.12%) Apache
8 1 (0.12%) Camunda
8 1 (0.12%) IIS
8 1 (0.12%) JBoss
8 1 (0.12%) Oracle Collaboration Suite
8 1 (0.12%) Oracle SOA Suite
8 1 (0.12%) Smallworld
8 1 (0.12%) Tomcat
8 1 (0.12%) WebLogic
Applications
1 27 (3.20%) Microsoft Excel
2 24 (2.84%) Microsoft Office
3 21 (2.49%) MS Visio
4 10 (1.18%) Microsoft PowerPoint
5 8 (0.95%) Microsoft Project
6 5 (0.59%) AutoCAD
7 1 (0.12%) Adobe Creative Suite
7 1 (0.12%) Adobe Illustrator
7 1 (0.12%) Autodesk Inventor
7 1 (0.12%) Chatbot
7 1 (0.12%) InDesign
7 1 (0.12%) MicroStation
7 1 (0.12%) Photoshop
7 1 (0.12%) Revit
7 1 (0.12%) SOLIDWORKS
7 1 (0.12%) Spreadsheet
7 1 (0.12%) Trello
Business Applications
1 19 (2.25%) SAP PSCD
2 10 (1.18%) SAP BRIM
3 8 (0.95%) SAP FI
3 8 (0.95%) SAP Hybris
4 7 (0.83%) SAP FI-CA
5 6 (0.71%) Remedy ITSM
6 5 (0.59%) NetSuite
6 5 (0.59%) Sage X3
6 5 (0.59%) Salesforce CRM
6 5 (0.59%) SAP S/4HANA
7 4 (0.47%) BambooHR
8 3 (0.36%) Remedy AR System
8 3 (0.36%) SAP ERP
9 1 (0.12%) Oracle BRM
9 1 (0.12%) SAP CO
9 1 (0.12%) SAP FI/CO
9 1 (0.12%) SAP FS
9 1 (0.12%) SAP IS-U
9 1 (0.12%) SAP SD
9 1 (0.12%) SAP SRM
Cloud Services
1 97 (11.49%) Azure
2 88 (10.43%) AWS
3 64 (7.58%) GCP
4 21 (2.49%) Power Platform
5 20 (2.37%) Microsoft 365
6 16 (1.90%) GitHub
7 15 (1.78%) Entra ID
7 15 (1.78%) SaaS
8 11 (1.30%) dbt
9 10 (1.18%) Azure DevOps
9 10 (1.18%) Cloud Computing
9 10 (1.18%) SAP Commerce Cloud
9 10 (1.18%) Snowflake
10 9 (1.07%) GitHub Actions
11 6 (0.71%) Cloud Functions
11 6 (0.71%) Datadog
11 6 (0.71%) Serverless
12 5 (0.59%) AWS Lambda
12 5 (0.59%) OneDrive
12 5 (0.59%) OpenShift
Communications & Networking
1 95 (11.26%) WAN
2 78 (9.24%) LAN
3 77 (9.12%) 5G
4 71 (8.41%) MPLS
5 58 (6.87%) 4G
6 50 (5.92%) Radio Access Network
7 45 (5.33%) Firewall
8 33 (3.91%) DNS
9 32 (3.79%) SD-WAN
10 26 (3.08%) 3G
11 25 (2.96%) BGP
11 25 (2.96%) Network Security
12 23 (2.73%) SDH
12 23 (2.73%) TCP/IP
12 23 (2.73%) Wi-Fi
13 22 (2.61%) LTE
14 21 (2.49%) 3GPP
14 21 (2.49%) VoIP
15 20 (2.37%) VPN
16 19 (2.25%) 2G
Database & Business Intelligence
1 20 (2.37%) Power BI
2 19 (2.25%) Data Warehouse
3 14 (1.66%) BigQuery
4 13 (1.54%) Tableau
5 12 (1.42%) Amazon Redshift
5 12 (1.42%) Looker
6 11 (1.30%) NoSQL
7 10 (1.18%) GIS
8 8 (0.95%) Big Data
9 7 (0.83%) MySQL
10 6 (0.71%) PostgreSQL
10 6 (0.71%) SQL Server
11 5 (0.59%) Apache Cassandra
11 5 (0.59%) MongoDB
12 4 (0.47%) InfluxDB
12 4 (0.47%) Relational Database
13 3 (0.36%) Hazelcast
13 3 (0.36%) Oracle Database
13 3 (0.36%) Redis
13 3 (0.36%) SAP Data Services
Development Applications
1 32 (3.79%) JIRA
2 20 (2.37%) Git
3 10 (1.18%) Jenkins
4 6 (0.71%) GitLab
5 5 (0.59%) Selenium
6 2 (0.24%) Robot Framework
6 2 (0.24%) Sonatype Nexus
7 1 (0.12%) Bitbucket
7 1 (0.12%) Oracle Forms
7 1 (0.12%) Rational DOORS
7 1 (0.12%) TestRail
7 1 (0.12%) Visual Studio
7 1 (0.12%) Visual Studio Code
General
1 237 (28.08%) Social Skills
2 131 (15.52%) Finance
3 107 (12.68%) Analytical Skills
4 59 (6.99%) Public Sector
5 36 (4.27%) Billing
6 29 (3.44%) Documentation Skills
7 28 (3.32%) Retail
8 25 (2.96%) Legal
9 23 (2.73%) Organisational Skills
10 22 (2.61%) Marketing
11 19 (2.25%) Influencing Skills
12 15 (1.78%) Aerospace
13 14 (1.66%) Presentation Skills
14 13 (1.54%) Manufacturing
15 10 (1.18%) Publishing
16 9 (1.07%) Inclusion and Diversity
17 8 (0.95%) Police
18 6 (0.71%) Electronics
19 4 (0.47%) Military
20 3 (0.36%) General Ledger
Job Titles
1 132 (15.64%) Architect
2 79 (9.36%) Senior
3 67 (7.94%) Consultant
4 65 (7.70%) Lead
5 61 (7.23%) Analyst
6 51 (6.04%) Project Manager
7 47 (5.57%) Network Engineer
8 46 (5.45%) Solutions Architect
9 39 (4.62%) Telecoms Engineer
10 37 (4.38%) Designer
11 35 (4.15%) Field Engineer
12 34 (4.03%) Telecoms Manager
13 32 (3.79%) Developer
14 29 (3.44%) ServiceNow Architect
15 26 (3.08%) Data Engineer
15 26 (3.08%) Enterprise Architect
16 21 (2.49%) Telecoms Architect
17 20 (2.37%) Platform Engineer
17 20 (2.37%) Programme Manager
17 20 (2.37%) SAP Consultant
Libraries, Frameworks & Software Standards
1 52 (6.16%) REST
2 33 (3.91%) SOAP
3 17 (2.01%) Kafka
4 13 (1.54%) ONVIF
4 13 (1.54%) XML
5 12 (1.42%) Middleware
6 11 (1.30%) Elastic Stack
6 11 (1.30%) NETCONF
6 11 (1.30%) RESTful
6 11 (1.30%) YANG
7 10 (1.18%) AngularJS
7 10 (1.18%) HTML
7 10 (1.18%) React
8 9 (1.07%) CSS
8 9 (1.07%) OpenAPI
8 9 (1.07%) Swagger
9 7 (0.83%) JSON
10 6 (0.71%) .NET
10 6 (0.71%) FastAPI
10 6 (0.71%) RabbitMQ
Miscellaneous
1 50 (5.92%) CMDB
2 46 (5.45%) Data Centre
3 36 (4.27%) Onboarding
4 31 (3.67%) Cloud Native
4 31 (3.67%) Driving Licence
5 19 (2.25%) Analytical Mindset
5 19 (2.25%) Data Protection Act
5 19 (2.25%) Virtual Team
6 18 (2.13%) Product Ownership
7 17 (2.01%) Hybrid Cloud
8 15 (1.78%) Management Information System
8 15 (1.78%) Self-Motivation
9 13 (1.54%) Video\Live Streaming
10 11 (1.30%) Algorithms
10 11 (1.30%) Distributed Systems
11 10 (1.18%) Data Structures
11 10 (1.18%) TM Forum
12 9 (1.07%) Private Cloud
13 8 (0.95%) Enterprise Software
13 8 (0.95%) Video Conferencing
Operating Systems
1 40 (4.74%) Windows
2 30 (3.55%) Linux
3 15 (1.78%) Windows 10
4 10 (1.18%) Windows Server
5 9 (1.07%) Unix
6 7 (0.83%) Mac OS
7 4 (0.47%) Android
8 3 (0.36%) Apple iOS
8 3 (0.36%) VMS
9 2 (0.24%) Embedded Linux
9 2 (0.24%) OpenVMS
9 2 (0.24%) Red Hat Enterprise Linux
10 1 (0.12%) Mac OS X
10 1 (0.12%) Oracle Linux
10 1 (0.12%) Ubuntu
10 1 (0.12%) Windows 7
Processes & Methodologies
1 160 (18.96%) Stakeholder Management
2 128 (15.17%) Agile
3 107 (12.68%) Problem-Solving
4 85 (10.07%) Project Delivery
5 84 (9.95%) ITIL
6 81 (9.60%) Stakeholder Engagement
7 71 (8.41%) AI
8 69 (8.18%) Roadmaps
9 68 (8.06%) CI/CD
10 65 (7.70%) Continuous Improvement
11 64 (7.58%) Service Management
12 63 (7.46%) Migration
13 60 (7.11%) Project Management
14 57 (6.75%) Decision-Making
15 56 (6.64%) Validation
16 54 (6.40%) Change Management
17 53 (6.28%) Analytics
18 52 (6.16%) CRM
18 52 (6.16%) Technical Leadership
19 50 (5.92%) ITSM
Programming Languages
1 74 (8.77%) Python
2 47 (5.57%) SQL
3 32 (3.79%) JavaScript
4 14 (1.66%) Java
5 13 (1.54%) Bash
6 10 (1.18%) C#
7 9 (1.07%) PowerShell
8 7 (0.83%) Apex Code
8 7 (0.83%) R
9 5 (0.59%) C++
10 4 (0.47%) ABAP
10 4 (0.47%) DataWeave
10 4 (0.47%) Shell Script
10 4 (0.47%) SOQL
10 4 (0.47%) TypeScript
11 3 (0.36%) LookML
12 2 (0.24%) C
12 2 (0.24%) DCL
13 1 (0.12%) Ada
13 1 (0.12%) Go
Qualifications
1 148 (17.54%) Security Cleared
2 100 (11.85%) SC Cleared
3 84 (9.95%) Degree
4 57 (6.75%) Cisco Certification
5 40 (4.74%) CCNA
6 23 (2.73%) Microsoft Certification
7 21 (2.49%) A+ Certification
7 21 (2.49%) CCNP
7 21 (2.49%) Computer Science Degree
7 21 (2.49%) DV Cleared
8 20 (2.37%) PMP
9 16 (1.90%) BPSS Clearance
9 16 (1.90%) PMI Certification
10 13 (1.54%) MCSA
11 10 (1.18%) Azure Certification
12 9 (1.07%) AWS Certification
12 9 (1.07%) CCIE
13 8 (0.95%) CISSP
13 8 (0.95%) Master's Degree
13 8 (0.95%) Network+ Certification
Quality Assurance & Compliance
1 28 (3.32%) SLA
2 27 (3.20%) ISO/IEC 27001
3 24 (2.84%) QA
4 23 (2.73%) GDPR
5 20 (2.37%) GRC
6 18 (2.13%) NCSC
6 18 (2.13%) PMO
7 14 (1.66%) Data Quality
8 9 (1.07%) NIST
9 3 (0.36%) Actionable Recommendations
9 3 (0.36%) Cyber Essentials
9 3 (0.36%) PCI DSS
9 3 (0.36%) Sarbanes-Oxley
10 2 (0.24%) Accessibility
10 2 (0.24%) Cyber Essentials PLUS
10 2 (0.24%) EU AI Act
11 1 (0.12%) ISO 31000
11 1 (0.12%) ISO/IEC 15288
11 1 (0.12%) ISO/IEC 42001
11 1 (0.12%) SOC 1
System Software
1 23 (2.73%) Docker
2 22 (2.61%) Active Directory
3 20 (2.37%) VMware Infrastructure
4 8 (0.95%) VMware NSX
5 5 (0.59%) vSphere
6 4 (0.47%) VMware ESXi
7 3 (0.36%) Hyper-V
8 1 (0.12%) Ceph
8 1 (0.12%) KVM
8 1 (0.12%) NDS
8 1 (0.12%) NetIQ eDirectory
8 1 (0.12%) Virtual Servers
Systems Management
1 46 (5.45%) Kubernetes
2 23 (2.73%) Terraform
3 17 (2.01%) Ansible
4 14 (1.66%) Grafana
4 14 (1.66%) Prometheus
5 7 (0.83%) Microsoft Intune
6 5 (0.59%) Jamf Pro
7 3 (0.36%) Amdocs OSS
7 3 (0.36%) Check_MK
7 3 (0.36%) Podman
7 3 (0.36%) vCenter Server
7 3 (0.36%) vRealize
8 2 (0.24%) Cisco Prime
8 2 (0.24%) NSN NetAct
8 2 (0.24%) QRadar
8 2 (0.24%) SolarWinds Orion
9 1 (0.12%) Oracle RMAN
9 1 (0.12%) Proxmox
9 1 (0.12%) SCCM
9 1 (0.12%) Single Sign-On
Vendors
1 114 (13.51%) Microsoft
2 95 (11.26%) Cisco
3 87 (10.31%) ServiceNow
4 53 (6.28%) Nokia
5 41 (4.86%) Salesforce
6 34 (4.03%) VMware
7 28 (3.32%) SAP
8 23 (2.73%) BT
8 23 (2.73%) Ericsson
9 22 (2.61%) Google
10 19 (2.25%) F5
10 19 (2.25%) Juniper
11 18 (2.13%) Fortinet
11 18 (2.13%) MuleSoft
12 16 (1.90%) Huawei
13 12 (1.42%) BMC
13 12 (1.42%) Oracle
13 12 (1.42%) Palo Alto
14 10 (1.18%) CheckPoint
15 9 (1.07%) Zscaler