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 25 July 2026, comparing them to the same period in the previous two years.

6 months to
25 Jul 2026
Same period 2025 Same period 2024
Rank 175 103 67
Rank change year-on-year -72 -36 +14
Contract jobs citing Telecoms 834 836 1,228
As % of all contract jobs in the UK 1.57% 2.56% 3.03%
As % of the General category 2.86% 4.06% 5.27%
Number of daily rates quoted 472 489 603
10th Percentile £213 £300 £200
25th Percentile £399 £394 £357
Median daily rate (50th Percentile) £475 £470 £475
Median % change year-on-year +1.06% -1.05% -3.06%
75th Percentile £575 £580 £600
90th Percentile £694 £700 £738
UK excluding London median daily rate £450 £463 £475
% change year-on-year -2.70% -2.63% +5.56%
Number of hourly rates quoted 43 47 106
10th Percentile £16.06 - £12.15
25th Percentile £17.73 £14.00 £14.00
Median hourly rate £24.50 £20.75 £51.78
Median % change year-on-year +18.07% -59.93% -9.95%
75th Percentile £50.00 £53.63 £72.50
90th Percentile £178.75 £65.25 £75.63
UK excluding London median hourly rate £21.00 £15.50 £48.56
% change year-on-year +35.48% -68.08% -7.50%

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 29,132 20,579 23,280
As % of all contract IT jobs advertised in the UK 54.99% 62.90% 57.38%
Number of daily rates quoted 17,376 12,871 14,681
10th Percentile £313 £281 £285
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 £631 £630 £650
90th Percentile £738 £750 £775
UK excluding London median daily rate £500 £470 £493
% change year-on-year +6.38% -4.67% -1.40%
Number of hourly rates quoted 2,054 1,080 1,579
10th Percentile £14.10 £13.34 £13.52
25th Percentile £18.33 £16.22 £16.25
Median hourly rate £33.00 £25.32 £35.50
Median % change year-on-year +30.33% -28.68% +18.14%
75th Percentile £61.18 £51.31 £57.50
90th Percentile £81.05 £70.27 £70.00
UK excluding London median hourly rate £33.50 £22.50 £35.03
% change year-on-year +48.89% -35.77% +34.86%

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 25 July 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 25 July 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 25 July 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 -78 706 £475 -1.04% 625
UK excluding London -84 426 £450 -2.70% 515
London -26 308 £513 +7.95% 218
Work from Home -46 237 £475 - 227
South East -56 193 £460 -8.00% 172
North of England -63 65 £500 -2.44% 100
South West -61 48 £450 -14.29% 52
Scotland -5 46 £300 -7.69% 53
Midlands -58 40 £478 +27.50% 73
West Midlands -61 35 £470 +34.29% 45
East of England -13 34 £160 -58.71% 48
Yorkshire -31 31 £475 +22.58% 22
North West -59 29 £550 +4.76% 65
East Midlands -12 5 £500 - 27
North East -38 5 £500 - 14
Northern Ireland -2 3 £175 -51.05% 4
Wales -18 1 £500 +132.56% 25

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 13 (1.56%) Confluence
1 13 (1.56%) OpenStack
2 12 (1.44%) ArcGIS
3 9 (1.08%) SharePoint
4 7 (0.84%) Apache Airflow
4 7 (0.84%) Microsoft Exchange
5 4 (0.48%) Anypoint
5 4 (0.48%) Apache Spark
6 2 (0.24%) Apache
6 2 (0.24%) Appian
6 2 (0.24%) CMS
6 2 (0.24%) Oracle Spatial
7 1 (0.12%) Camunda
7 1 (0.12%) IIS
7 1 (0.12%) JBoss
7 1 (0.12%) Oracle Collaboration Suite
7 1 (0.12%) Oracle SOA Suite
7 1 (0.12%) Smallworld
7 1 (0.12%) Tomcat
7 1 (0.12%) WebLogic
Applications
1 26 (3.12%) Microsoft Office
2 25 (3.00%) Microsoft Excel
3 19 (2.28%) MS Visio
4 10 (1.20%) Microsoft PowerPoint
5 5 (0.60%) AutoCAD
5 5 (0.60%) Microsoft Project
6 2 (0.24%) MicroStation
7 1 (0.12%) Adobe Creative Suite
7 1 (0.12%) Autodesk Inventor
7 1 (0.12%) Chatbot
7 1 (0.12%) Revit
7 1 (0.12%) SOLIDWORKS
7 1 (0.12%) Spreadsheet
7 1 (0.12%) Trello
Business Applications
1 20 (2.40%) SAP PSCD
2 11 (1.32%) SAP BRIM
3 9 (1.08%) Remedy ITSM
3 9 (1.08%) SAP Hybris
4 8 (0.96%) SAP FI
5 7 (0.84%) SAP FI-CA
6 5 (0.60%) NetSuite
6 5 (0.60%) Sage X3
6 5 (0.60%) Salesforce CRM
6 5 (0.60%) SAP S/4HANA
7 4 (0.48%) BambooHR
7 4 (0.48%) Remedy AR System
8 3 (0.36%) SAP ERP
9 1 (0.12%) Oracle BRM
9 1 (0.12%) Oracle Procure-to-Pay
9 1 (0.12%) SAP FS
9 1 (0.12%) SAP IBP
9 1 (0.12%) SAP IS-U
9 1 (0.12%) SAP SRM
9 1 (0.12%) SmartPlant
Cloud Services
1 97 (11.63%) Azure
2 87 (10.43%) AWS
3 64 (7.67%) GCP
4 21 (2.52%) Power Platform
5 18 (2.16%) Microsoft 365
6 16 (1.92%) SaaS
7 15 (1.80%) GitHub
8 14 (1.68%) Entra ID
9 11 (1.32%) dbt
9 11 (1.32%) SAP Commerce Cloud
10 10 (1.20%) Snowflake
11 9 (1.08%) Azure DevOps
11 9 (1.08%) GitHub Actions
12 8 (0.96%) Cloud Computing
13 6 (0.72%) Cloud Functions
13 6 (0.72%) Datadog
13 6 (0.72%) Serverless
14 5 (0.60%) AWS Lambda
14 5 (0.60%) OpenShift
14 5 (0.60%) Prefect
Communications & Networking
1 96 (11.51%) WAN
2 80 (9.59%) LAN
3 72 (8.63%) MPLS
4 71 (8.51%) 5G
5 51 (6.12%) 4G
5 51 (6.12%) Firewall
6 48 (5.76%) Radio Access Network
7 33 (3.96%) SD-WAN
8 29 (3.48%) BGP
9 28 (3.36%) DNS
10 26 (3.12%) Network Security
11 25 (3.00%) VPN
12 23 (2.76%) 3G
12 23 (2.76%) Wi-Fi
13 21 (2.52%) SDH
13 21 (2.52%) TCP/IP
13 21 (2.52%) VoIP
14 20 (2.40%) 3GPP
14 20 (2.40%) LTE
15 19 (2.28%) OSPF
Database & Business Intelligence
1 20 (2.40%) Power BI
2 19 (2.28%) Data Warehouse
3 15 (1.80%) BigQuery
4 12 (1.44%) Amazon Redshift
4 12 (1.44%) GIS
4 12 (1.44%) Looker
4 12 (1.44%) Tableau
5 7 (0.84%) Big Data
6 6 (0.72%) NoSQL
7 5 (0.60%) SQL Server
8 4 (0.48%) Apache Cassandra
8 4 (0.48%) MySQL
8 4 (0.48%) Relational Database
9 3 (0.36%) Amazon Athena
9 3 (0.36%) Data Lake
9 3 (0.36%) InfluxDB
9 3 (0.36%) Oracle Database
9 3 (0.36%) Semantic Layer
9 3 (0.36%) Star Schema
9 3 (0.36%) Tableau Desktop
Development Applications
1 27 (3.24%) JIRA
2 14 (1.68%) Git
3 7 (0.84%) Jenkins
4 3 (0.36%) GitLab
4 3 (0.36%) Sonatype Nexus
5 2 (0.24%) Robot Framework
5 2 (0.24%) Selenium
6 1 (0.12%) Bitbucket
6 1 (0.12%) Oracle Forms
6 1 (0.12%) Rational DOORS
6 1 (0.12%) TestRail
General
1 242 (29.02%) Social Skills
2 128 (15.35%) Finance
3 108 (12.95%) Analytical Skills
4 64 (7.67%) Public Sector
5 38 (4.56%) Billing
6 31 (3.72%) Documentation Skills
7 24 (2.88%) Retail
8 23 (2.76%) Organisational Skills
9 21 (2.52%) Influencing Skills
10 20 (2.40%) Legal
10 20 (2.40%) Marketing
11 14 (1.68%) Presentation Skills
12 13 (1.56%) Aerospace
13 10 (1.20%) Manufacturing
13 10 (1.20%) Publishing
14 8 (0.96%) Inclusion and Diversity
14 8 (0.96%) Police
15 6 (0.72%) Electronics
16 4 (0.48%) Military
17 3 (0.36%) General Ledger
Job Titles
1 132 (15.83%) Architect
2 76 (9.11%) Senior
3 66 (7.91%) Consultant
3 66 (7.91%) Lead
4 61 (7.31%) Analyst
5 49 (5.88%) Project Manager
6 48 (5.76%) Solutions Architect
7 46 (5.52%) Network Engineer
8 38 (4.56%) Telecoms Manager
9 34 (4.08%) Designer
10 33 (3.96%) Telecoms Engineer
11 32 (3.84%) Field Engineer
12 30 (3.60%) ServiceNow Architect
13 27 (3.24%) Data Engineer
13 27 (3.24%) Developer
14 25 (3.00%) Enterprise Architect
15 21 (2.52%) Delivery Manager
15 21 (2.52%) SAP Consultant
15 21 (2.52%) Telecoms Architect
16 20 (2.40%) Platform Engineer
Libraries, Frameworks & Software Standards
1 47 (5.64%) REST
2 33 (3.96%) SOAP
3 14 (1.68%) Kafka
4 13 (1.56%) ONVIF
5 12 (1.44%) Middleware
5 12 (1.44%) XML
6 10 (1.20%) NETCONF
6 10 (1.20%) YANG
7 9 (1.08%) OpenAPI
7 9 (1.08%) Swagger
8 8 (0.96%) .NET
8 8 (0.96%) AngularJS
8 8 (0.96%) Elastic Stack
8 8 (0.96%) React
8 8 (0.96%) RESTful
9 7 (0.84%) JSON
10 6 (0.72%) HTML
11 5 (0.60%) 802.1X
11 5 (0.60%) CSS
12 4 (0.48%) RAML
Miscellaneous
1 51 (6.12%) CMDB
2 48 (5.76%) Data Centre
3 35 (4.20%) Onboarding
4 33 (3.96%) Cloud Native
5 29 (3.48%) Driving Licence
6 20 (2.40%) Data Protection Act
7 19 (2.28%) Analytical Mindset
7 19 (2.28%) Virtual Team
8 18 (2.16%) Product Ownership
9 17 (2.04%) Hybrid Cloud
9 17 (2.04%) Management Information System
10 13 (1.56%) Self-Motivation
10 13 (1.56%) Video\Live Streaming
11 11 (1.32%) Distributed Systems
12 9 (1.08%) Algorithms
12 9 (1.08%) Private Cloud
12 9 (1.08%) TM Forum
13 8 (0.96%) Data Structures
13 8 (0.96%) EPoS
14 7 (0.84%) Distributed Denial-of-Service
Operating Systems
1 37 (4.44%) Windows
2 26 (3.12%) Linux
3 15 (1.80%) Windows 10
4 11 (1.32%) Unix
5 9 (1.08%) Windows Server
6 6 (0.72%) Mac OS
7 3 (0.36%) Android
7 3 (0.36%) Apple iOS
7 3 (0.36%) VMS
8 2 (0.24%) Embedded Linux
8 2 (0.24%) OpenVMS
8 2 (0.24%) Red Hat Enterprise Linux
9 1 (0.12%) Mac OS X
9 1 (0.12%) Oracle Linux
9 1 (0.12%) Ubuntu
9 1 (0.12%) Windows 7
Processes & Methodologies
1 149 (17.87%) Stakeholder Management
2 117 (14.03%) Agile
3 111 (13.31%) Problem-Solving
4 86 (10.31%) ITIL
5 83 (9.95%) Stakeholder Engagement
6 78 (9.35%) Project Delivery
7 68 (8.15%) AI
8 65 (7.79%) CI/CD
8 65 (7.79%) Roadmaps
9 64 (7.67%) Continuous Improvement
10 61 (7.31%) Service Management
11 60 (7.19%) Migration
12 59 (7.07%) Decision-Making
13 56 (6.71%) Project Management
13 56 (6.71%) Validation
14 52 (6.24%) Analytics
14 52 (6.24%) Change Management
15 51 (6.12%) CRM
15 51 (6.12%) Customer Service
16 50 (6.00%) ITSM
Programming Languages
1 71 (8.51%) Python
2 42 (5.04%) SQL
3 30 (3.60%) JavaScript
4 17 (2.04%) Java
5 10 (1.20%) Bash
6 9 (1.08%) C#
6 9 (1.08%) PowerShell
7 7 (0.84%) R
8 6 (0.72%) Apex Code
9 5 (0.60%) C++
10 4 (0.48%) ABAP
10 4 (0.48%) DataWeave
10 4 (0.48%) TypeScript
11 3 (0.36%) LookML
11 3 (0.36%) Shell Script
11 3 (0.36%) SOQL
12 2 (0.24%) C
12 2 (0.24%) DCL
12 2 (0.24%) PL/SQL
13 1 (0.12%) Ada
Qualifications
1 150 (17.99%) Security Cleared
2 103 (12.35%) SC Cleared
3 76 (9.11%) Degree
4 58 (6.95%) Cisco Certification
5 39 (4.68%) CCNA
6 25 (3.00%) CCNP
7 22 (2.64%) DV Cleared
7 22 (2.64%) Microsoft Certification
8 20 (2.40%) A+ Certification
9 19 (2.28%) PMP
10 17 (2.04%) Computer Science Degree
11 15 (1.80%) BPSS Clearance
11 15 (1.80%) PMI Certification
12 13 (1.56%) MCSA
13 11 (1.32%) CCIE
14 10 (1.20%) Azure Certification
15 9 (1.08%) AWS Certification
16 8 (0.96%) Network+ Certification
17 7 (0.84%) CISSP
18 6 (0.72%) CISM
Quality Assurance & Compliance
1 26 (3.12%) ISO/IEC 27001
1 26 (3.12%) SLA
2 21 (2.52%) GRC
2 21 (2.52%) QA
3 20 (2.40%) GDPR
4 19 (2.28%) NCSC
5 16 (1.92%) Data Quality
6 13 (1.56%) PMO
7 9 (1.08%) NIST
8 3 (0.36%) Actionable Recommendations
8 3 (0.36%) Cyber Essentials
8 3 (0.36%) PCI DSS
8 3 (0.36%) Sarbanes-Oxley
9 2 (0.24%) Cyber Essentials PLUS
10 1 (0.12%) IFRS
10 1 (0.12%) IFRS 9
10 1 (0.12%) ISO 22301
10 1 (0.12%) ISO 31000
10 1 (0.12%) ISO/IEC 15288
10 1 (0.12%) SOC 1
System Software
1 20 (2.40%) Active Directory
2 18 (2.16%) Docker
2 18 (2.16%) VMware Infrastructure
3 8 (0.96%) VMware NSX
4 5 (0.60%) vSphere
5 4 (0.48%) VMware ESXi
6 2 (0.24%) Hyper-V
7 1 (0.12%) Ceph
7 1 (0.12%) KVM
7 1 (0.12%) Virtual Servers
Systems Management
1 47 (5.64%) Kubernetes
2 24 (2.88%) Terraform
3 18 (2.16%) Ansible
4 12 (1.44%) Grafana
4 12 (1.44%) Prometheus
5 6 (0.72%) Microsoft Intune
6 5 (0.60%) Jamf Pro
7 3 (0.36%) Amdocs OSS
7 3 (0.36%) Cisco Prime
7 3 (0.36%) Iperf
7 3 (0.36%) vCenter Server
7 3 (0.36%) vRealize
8 2 (0.24%) Check_MK
8 2 (0.24%) Nmap
8 2 (0.24%) NSN NetAct
8 2 (0.24%) Podman
8 2 (0.24%) QRadar
9 1 (0.12%) FortiGate
9 1 (0.12%) Kibana
9 1 (0.12%) SCCM
Vendors
1 110 (13.19%) Microsoft
2 93 (11.15%) Cisco
3 82 (9.83%) ServiceNow
4 48 (5.76%) Nokia
5 38 (4.56%) Salesforce
6 30 (3.60%) SAP
6 30 (3.60%) VMware
7 24 (2.88%) BT
8 23 (2.76%) Ericsson
8 23 (2.76%) Fortinet
9 21 (2.52%) Google
9 21 (2.52%) Juniper
10 19 (2.28%) F5
11 16 (1.92%) Huawei
11 16 (1.92%) MuleSoft
12 15 (1.80%) Oracle
12 15 (1.80%) Palo Alto
13 14 (1.68%) CheckPoint
14 13 (1.56%) BMC
15 10 (1.20%) Remedy