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 24 September 2026, comparing them to the same period in the previous two years.

6 months to
24 Sep 2026
Same period 2025 Same period 2024
Rank 160 113 68
Rank change year-on-year -47 -45 +8
Contract jobs citing Telecoms 928 802 1,221
As % of all contract jobs in the UK 1.69% 2.43% 3.20%
As % of the General category 3.02% 3.84% 5.51%
Number of daily rates quoted 521 472 546
10th Percentile £225 £251 £237
25th Percentile £363 £375 £367
Median daily rate (50th Percentile) £470 £450 £500
Median % change year-on-year +4.44% -10.00% -
75th Percentile £550 £573 £600
90th Percentile £669 £675 £725
UK excluding London median daily rate £450 £450 £500
% change year-on-year - -10.00% +8.11%
Number of hourly rates quoted 50 47 86
10th Percentile £14.10 £14.00 £15.45
25th Percentile £16.01 £14.75 £37.50
Median hourly rate £21.00 £23.00 £61.75
Median % change year-on-year -8.70% -62.75% +17.62%
75th Percentile £46.13 £49.38 £72.50
90th Percentile £178.75 £70.15 £78.13
UK excluding London median hourly rate £17.72 £19.25 £67.50
% change year-on-year -7.95% -71.48% +50.00%

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 30,682 20,903 22,166
As % of all contract IT jobs advertised in the UK 55.89% 63.41% 58.17%
Number of daily rates quoted 17,960 12,968 13,178
10th Percentile £313 £275 £282
25th Percentile £420 £400 £413
Median daily rate (50th Percentile) £525 £500 £525
Median % change year-on-year +5.00% -4.76% -4.55%
75th Percentile £638 £625 £650
90th Percentile £738 £738 £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 2,582 1,209 1,060
10th Percentile £13.50 £13.50 £14.73
25th Percentile £16.25 £16.17 £17.21
Median hourly rate £29.50 £25.15 £35.00
Median % change year-on-year +17.30% -28.14% +27.27%
75th Percentile £54.48 £47.12 £60.00
90th Percentile £77.50 £67.00 £71.25
UK excluding London median hourly rate £29.96 £21.30 £35.00
% change year-on-year +40.66% -39.14% +29.63%

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 24 September 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 24 September 2026.

Hourly rate histogram for Telecoms in the UK

Telecoms
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 Telecoms within the UK over the 6 months to 24 September 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 -65 771 £475 +2.15% 1,592
UK excluding London -57 478 £450 - 933
London -40 346 £500 +5.26% 734
Work from Home -28 271 £475 -5.00% 515
South East -40 199 £470 -2.84% 293
East of England +11 67 £325 -23.53% 106
Scotland +10 62 £300 +14.29% 85
North of England -52 59 £463 +43.97% 167
South West -66 49 £488 -7.05% 89
Midlands -66 34 £475 +25.00% 157
Yorkshire -16 32 £475 +95.88% 50
West Midlands -63 32 £481 +26.64% 90
North West -57 25 £463 +25.85% 98
Wales -6 8 £200 +19.40% 16
Northern Ireland +1 6 £358 +155.36% 31
Channel Islands -4 2 £606 - 2
East Midlands -19 2 £475 +26.67% 67
North East -43 2 £298 - 21

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 23 (2.48%) Confluence
2 16 (1.72%) OpenStack
3 14 (1.51%) SharePoint
4 9 (0.97%) ArcGIS
5 8 (0.86%) Microsoft Exchange
6 4 (0.43%) Anypoint
7 3 (0.32%) Apache Airflow
8 2 (0.22%) CMS
9 1 (0.11%) Camunda
9 1 (0.11%) IIS
9 1 (0.11%) Oracle Collaboration Suite
Applications
1 37 (3.99%) Microsoft Excel
2 28 (3.02%) Microsoft Office
2 28 (3.02%) MS Visio
3 12 (1.29%) Microsoft Project
4 9 (0.97%) Microsoft PowerPoint
5 5 (0.54%) AutoCAD
6 3 (0.32%) Adobe Creative Suite
7 2 (0.22%) Spreadsheet
8 1 (0.11%) Adobe Illustrator
8 1 (0.11%) Chatbot
8 1 (0.11%) InDesign
8 1 (0.11%) MicroStation
8 1 (0.11%) Photoshop
8 1 (0.11%) Revit
8 1 (0.11%) SOLIDWORKS
Business Applications
1 23 (2.48%) SAP PSCD
2 15 (1.62%) SAP BRIM
3 12 (1.29%) SAP Hybris
4 8 (0.86%) SAP FI
5 7 (0.75%) SAP FI-CA
6 6 (0.65%) Remedy ITSM
7 5 (0.54%) NetSuite
7 5 (0.54%) Sage X3
7 5 (0.54%) Salesforce CRM
7 5 (0.54%) SAP S/4HANA
8 3 (0.32%) Remedy AR System
8 3 (0.32%) SAP ERP
9 1 (0.11%) BambooHR
9 1 (0.11%) Oracle BRM
9 1 (0.11%) Primavera
9 1 (0.11%) SAP FS
9 1 (0.11%) SAP IBP
9 1 (0.11%) SAP IS-U
9 1 (0.11%) SAP SD
9 1 (0.11%) Sparx Enterprise Architect
Cloud Services
1 93 (10.02%) Azure
2 91 (9.81%) AWS
3 58 (6.25%) GCP
4 21 (2.26%) Microsoft 365
5 20 (2.16%) GitHub
6 16 (1.72%) Entra ID
6 16 (1.72%) Power Platform
7 14 (1.51%) SAP Commerce Cloud
8 13 (1.40%) SaaS
9 11 (1.19%) Azure DevOps
10 10 (1.08%) Cloud Computing
10 10 (1.08%) GitHub Actions
11 7 (0.75%) OneDrive
11 7 (0.75%) Snowflake
12 6 (0.65%) Cloud Functions
12 6 (0.65%) dbt
12 6 (0.65%) Microsoft Purview
13 5 (0.54%) Figma
13 5 (0.54%) Fivetran
13 5 (0.54%) Miro
Communications & Networking
1 120 (12.93%) WAN
2 98 (10.56%) 5G
3 92 (9.91%) LAN
4 88 (9.48%) MPLS
5 69 (7.44%) 4G
6 66 (7.11%) Radio Access Network
7 57 (6.14%) Firewall
8 44 (4.74%) Wi-Fi
9 37 (3.99%) SD-WAN
10 35 (3.77%) Broadband
10 35 (3.77%) DNS
11 33 (3.56%) BGP
12 31 (3.34%) VoIP
13 30 (3.23%) SDH
14 29 (3.13%) 3GPP
14 29 (3.13%) Network Security
15 28 (3.02%) TCP/IP
16 27 (2.91%) Wireshark
17 25 (2.69%) LTE
18 24 (2.59%) VPN
Database & Business Intelligence
1 14 (1.51%) Power BI
2 13 (1.40%) Data Warehouse
2 13 (1.40%) NoSQL
3 10 (1.08%) PostgreSQL
4 9 (0.97%) BigQuery
4 9 (0.97%) GIS
5 8 (0.86%) Amazon Redshift
5 8 (0.86%) Tableau
6 7 (0.75%) MongoDB
6 7 (0.75%) MySQL
6 7 (0.75%) Redis
7 6 (0.65%) Metadata
8 4 (0.43%) SQL Server
9 3 (0.32%) Apache Cassandra
9 3 (0.32%) Big Data
9 3 (0.32%) BusinessObjects
9 3 (0.32%) Cloud Spanner
9 3 (0.32%) Hazelcast
9 3 (0.32%) SAP BW
9 3 (0.32%) SAP Data Services
Development Applications
1 46 (4.96%) JIRA
2 38 (4.09%) Git
3 21 (2.26%) GitLab
4 16 (1.72%) Jenkins
5 8 (0.86%) Selenium
6 4 (0.43%) Robot Framework
7 2 (0.22%) JMeter
7 2 (0.22%) Locust
7 2 (0.22%) Sonatype Nexus
7 2 (0.22%) TestCafe
8 1 (0.11%) Bitbucket
8 1 (0.11%) JUnit
8 1 (0.11%) Maven
8 1 (0.11%) Mockito
8 1 (0.11%) Newman
8 1 (0.11%) Rational DOORS
8 1 (0.11%) TestRail
8 1 (0.11%) Visual Studio
8 1 (0.11%) Visual Studio Code
General
1 266 (28.66%) Social Skills
2 141 (15.19%) Finance
3 115 (12.39%) Analytical Skills
4 61 (6.57%) Public Sector
5 36 (3.88%) Billing
6 35 (3.77%) Documentation Skills
7 30 (3.23%) Organisational Skills
8 28 (3.02%) Retail
9 20 (2.16%) Influencing Skills
10 19 (2.05%) Legal
11 18 (1.94%) Manufacturing
12 16 (1.72%) Marketing
13 15 (1.62%) Aerospace
14 14 (1.51%) Inclusion and Diversity
14 14 (1.51%) Presentation Skills
15 10 (1.08%) Banking
16 9 (0.97%) Publishing
17 7 (0.75%) Police
18 4 (0.43%) Aviation
18 4 (0.43%) Games
Job Titles
1 134 (14.44%) Architect
2 78 (8.41%) Senior
3 73 (7.87%) Lead
4 69 (7.44%) Network Engineer
5 68 (7.33%) Analyst
6 66 (7.11%) Consultant
7 57 (6.14%) Field Engineer
8 55 (5.93%) Project Manager
9 52 (5.60%) Telecoms Engineer
10 40 (4.31%) Developer
11 37 (3.99%) Designer
12 35 (3.77%) Solutions Architect
13 30 (3.23%) Telecoms Manager
14 28 (3.02%) ServiceNow Architect
15 26 (2.80%) Business Analyst
15 26 (2.80%) Enterprise Architect
16 24 (2.59%) SAP Consultant
17 22 (2.37%) Field Telecoms Engineer
18 21 (2.26%) Network Field Engineer
18 21 (2.26%) Telecoms Architect
Libraries, Frameworks & Software Standards
1 56 (6.03%) REST
2 32 (3.45%) SOAP
3 20 (2.16%) Terraform
4 18 (1.94%) Kafka
5 16 (1.72%) NETCONF
5 16 (1.72%) RESTful
5 16 (1.72%) YANG
6 14 (1.51%) HTML
7 13 (1.40%) CSS
7 13 (1.40%) Elastic Stack
7 13 (1.40%) ONVIF
8 12 (1.29%) JSON
8 12 (1.29%) XML
9 10 (1.08%) AngularJS
9 10 (1.08%) FastAPI
9 10 (1.08%) React
10 8 (0.86%) Middleware
10 8 (0.86%) OpenAPI
10 8 (0.86%) Swagger
11 7 (0.75%) 802.1X
Miscellaneous
1 53 (5.71%) Data Centre
2 46 (4.96%) Driving Licence
3 45 (4.85%) CMDB
3 45 (4.85%) Onboarding
4 33 (3.56%) Cloud Native
5 21 (2.26%) Analytical Mindset
6 19 (2.05%) Management Information System
6 19 (2.05%) Product Ownership
7 17 (1.83%) Data Protection Act
8 15 (1.62%) Video\Live Streaming
9 14 (1.51%) Hybrid Cloud
9 14 (1.51%) Virtual Team
10 13 (1.40%) Self-Motivation
11 12 (1.29%) Data Structures
11 12 (1.29%) TM Forum
12 10 (1.08%) AI Agents
12 10 (1.08%) Enterprise Software
12 10 (1.08%) Legacy Systems
12 10 (1.08%) Video Conferencing
13 9 (0.97%) Algorithms
Operating Systems
1 57 (6.14%) Windows
2 52 (5.60%) Linux
3 14 (1.51%) Windows 10
4 12 (1.29%) Windows Server
5 11 (1.19%) Unix
6 9 (0.97%) Mac OS
7 6 (0.65%) VMS
8 3 (0.32%) Android
8 3 (0.32%) Red Hat Enterprise Linux
9 2 (0.22%) Apple iOS
9 2 (0.22%) CentOS
9 2 (0.22%) Embedded Linux
9 2 (0.22%) OpenVMS
10 1 (0.11%) Mac OS X
10 1 (0.11%) OpenWrt
10 1 (0.11%) Ubuntu
10 1 (0.11%) Windows 7
Processes & Methodologies
1 208 (22.41%) Stakeholder Management
2 125 (13.47%) Agile
3 123 (13.25%) Problem-Solving
4 89 (9.59%) ITIL
5 88 (9.48%) Project Delivery
6 83 (8.94%) AI
7 80 (8.62%) Stakeholder Engagement
8 77 (8.30%) Migration
9 74 (7.97%) Service Management
10 73 (7.87%) Validation
11 72 (7.76%) CI/CD
11 72 (7.76%) Roadmaps
12 70 (7.54%) Project Management
13 69 (7.44%) Continuous Improvement
14 58 (6.25%) Test Automation
15 56 (6.03%) Change Management
16 52 (5.60%) ITSM
16 52 (5.60%) Technical Leadership
17 51 (5.50%) Decision-Making
17 51 (5.50%) DevOps
Programming Languages
1 85 (9.16%) Python
2 37 (3.99%) SQL
3 31 (3.34%) JavaScript
4 26 (2.80%) Bash
5 20 (2.16%) Java
6 10 (1.08%) PowerShell
7 8 (0.86%) Apex Code
7 8 (0.86%) Shell Script
8 7 (0.75%) C#
8 7 (0.75%) R
9 5 (0.54%) SOQL
10 4 (0.43%) ABAP
10 4 (0.43%) C++
10 4 (0.43%) DataWeave
10 4 (0.43%) TypeScript
11 3 (0.32%) C
12 2 (0.22%) Bicep
12 2 (0.22%) DCL
13 1 (0.11%) Go
13 1 (0.11%) Rust
Qualifications
1 167 (18.00%) Security Cleared
2 102 (10.99%) SC Cleared
3 92 (9.91%) Degree
4 75 (8.08%) Cisco Certification
5 48 (5.17%) CCNA
6 32 (3.45%) DV Cleared
7 29 (3.13%) CCNP
8 25 (2.69%) BPSS Clearance
9 24 (2.59%) Microsoft Certification
10 23 (2.48%) PMP
11 22 (2.37%) A+ Certification
12 19 (2.05%) Computer Science Degree
13 18 (1.94%) PMI Certification
14 17 (1.83%) CCIE
15 16 (1.72%) CISSP
16 13 (1.40%) Master's Degree
16 13 (1.40%) MCSA
17 11 (1.19%) JNCIE
18 10 (1.08%) CISM
19 9 (0.97%) Network+ Certification
Quality Assurance & Compliance
1 43 (4.63%) QA
2 24 (2.59%) ISO/IEC 27001
2 24 (2.59%) SLA
3 21 (2.26%) PMO
4 20 (2.16%) GRC
5 18 (1.94%) NCSC
6 14 (1.51%) GDPR
7 12 (1.29%) Data Quality
8 5 (0.54%) Actionable Recommendations
8 5 (0.54%) NIST
9 3 (0.32%) Accessibility
9 3 (0.32%) Cyber Essentials
9 3 (0.32%) PCI DSS
9 3 (0.32%) Sarbanes-Oxley
10 2 (0.22%) Cyber Essentials PLUS
11 1 (0.11%) EU AI Act
11 1 (0.11%) GAAP
11 1 (0.11%) ISO 22301
11 1 (0.11%) ISO 31000
11 1 (0.11%) ISO/IEC 15288
System Software
1 32 (3.45%) Docker
2 24 (2.59%) VMware Infrastructure
3 23 (2.48%) Active Directory
4 11 (1.19%) VMware NSX
5 5 (0.54%) VMware ESXi
5 5 (0.54%) vSphere
6 4 (0.43%) Firmware
7 3 (0.32%) Hyper-V
8 1 (0.11%) Ceph
8 1 (0.11%) KVM
8 1 (0.11%) NDS
8 1 (0.11%) NetIQ eDirectory
8 1 (0.11%) Virtual Machines
8 1 (0.11%) Virtual Servers
Systems Management
1 44 (4.74%) Kubernetes
2 24 (2.59%) Ansible
3 12 (1.29%) Grafana
3 12 (1.29%) Prometheus
4 8 (0.86%) Microsoft Intune
5 5 (0.54%) Jamf Pro
6 4 (0.43%) Cilium
6 4 (0.43%) Cisco Prime
6 4 (0.43%) Istio
6 4 (0.43%) Kibana
6 4 (0.43%) SolarWinds Orion
7 3 (0.32%) Check_MK
7 3 (0.32%) Podman
7 3 (0.32%) vCenter Server
7 3 (0.32%) vRealize
8 2 (0.22%) NSN NetAct
8 2 (0.22%) QRadar
9 1 (0.11%) AirWatch
9 1 (0.11%) Amdocs OSS
9 1 (0.11%) Single Sign-On
Vendors
1 129 (13.90%) Cisco
2 125 (13.47%) Microsoft
3 85 (9.16%) ServiceNow
4 64 (6.90%) Nokia
5 46 (4.96%) Salesforce
6 38 (4.09%) VMware
7 32 (3.45%) SAP
8 27 (2.91%) Ericsson
9 24 (2.59%) Juniper
10 19 (2.05%) MuleSoft
11 18 (1.94%) BT
11 18 (1.94%) F5
11 18 (1.94%) Fortinet
11 18 (1.94%) Google
12 14 (1.51%) Palo Alto
13 12 (1.29%) BMC
14 11 (1.19%) Arista
14 11 (1.19%) Splunk
15 10 (1.08%) Oracle
15 10 (1.08%) Zscaler