3rd Line Support Job Trends in the North West
Third Line Support
England > North West
The median Third Line Support salary in the North West is £35,000 per year, according to job vacancies posted during the 6 months leading to 26 October 2026.
The table below compares current salary benchmarking and summary statistics with the previous two years.
| 6 months to 26 Oct 2026 |
Same period 2025 | Same period 2024 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | 244 | 211 | 213 |
| Rank change year-on-year | -33 | +2 | -26 |
| Permanent 3rd Line Support jobs | 21 | 11 | 18 |
| As % of all permanent jobs in the North West | 0.16% | 0.23% | 0.26% |
| As % of the Job Titles category | 0.18% | 0.26% | 0.27% |
| Number of salaries quoted | 19 | 11 | 14 |
| 10th Percentile | £29,750 | £29,500 | £29,500 |
| 25th Percentile | £29,875 | £33,500 | - |
| Median annual salary (50th Percentile) | £35,000 | £40,000 | £35,000 |
| Median % change year-on-year | -12.50% | +14.29% | -6.67% |
| 75th Percentile | £47,500 | £42,250 | £41,563 |
| 90th Percentile | - | £42,500 | £43,750 |
| England median annual salary | £46,000 | £42,500 | £40,000 |
| % change year-on-year | +8.24% | +6.25% | -2.44% |
All Permanent IT Job Roles
North West
For comparison with the information above, the following table provides summary statistics for all permanent IT job adverts in the North West matching a recognised job title. The table also shows what proportion of all permanent IT job adverts they make up.
| 6 months to 26 Oct 2026 |
Same period 2025 | Same period 2024 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Permanent job adverts in the North West matching a recognised job title | 11,949 | 4,309 | 6,632 |
| % of permanent job adverts matching a recognised job title | 92.54% | 90.47% | 95.29% |
| Number of salaries quoted | 8,721 | 2,409 | 3,728 |
| 10th Percentile | £30,250 | £26,500 | £31,250 |
| 25th Percentile | £40,000 | £33,750 | £40,000 |
| Median annual salary (50th Percentile) | £55,000 | £48,000 | £50,000 |
| Median % change year-on-year | +14.58% | -4.00% | -9.09% |
| 75th Percentile | £75,000 | £65,000 | £65,000 |
| 90th Percentile | £90,000 | £80,000 | £77,500 |
| England median annual salary | £60,000 | £53,309 | £57,500 |
| % change year-on-year | +12.55% | -7.29% | -4.17% |
3rd Line Support Job Vacancy Trend in the North West
Historical trend showing the proportion of permanent 3rd Line Support job postings relative to all permanent IT jobs advertised in the North West.
3rd Line Support Salary Trend in the North West
Salary distribution trend for 3rd Line Support job vacancies in the North West.
3rd Line Support Salary Histogram in the North West
Salary distribution for 3rd Line Support jobs in the North West over the 6 months to 26 October 2026.
3rd Line Support Job Locations in the North West
The table below looks at the demand and provides a guide to the median salaries quoted in 3rd Line Support jobs within the North West region over the 6 months to 26 October 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 |
Job Ads Past 6 Months |
Median Salary Past 6 Months |
Median Salary % Change on Same Period Last Year |
Live Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manchester | -54 | 12 | £45,000 | +11.11% | |
| Lancashire | - | 5 | £31,500 | - | |
| Cheshire | - | 4 | £35,000 | - | |
| 3rd Line Support England |
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3rd Line Support Skill Set Top 30 Co-Occurring Skills & Capabilities in the North West
For the 6 months to 26 October 2026, 3rd Line Support job ads cited the following skills and capabilities in order of popularity. The figures indicate the absolute number of co-occurrences and as a proportion of all permanent 3rd Line Support job ads across the North West region.
| Rank | Skill | Share | Job Ads |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Microsoft | 71.4% | 15 |
| 2 | Active Directory | 66.7% | 14 |
| 3 | Windows | 57.1% | 12 |
| 3 | Windows Server | 57.1% | 12 |
| 5 | Microsoft 365 | 52.4% | 11 |
| 6 | Azure | 42.9% | 9 |
| 6 | Firewall | 42.9% | 9 |
| 6 | VPN | 42.9% | 9 |
| 9 | Change Control | 38.1% | 8 |
| 9 | Degree | 38.1% | 8 |
| 11 | DHCP | 33.3% | 7 |
| 12 | DNS | 28.6% | 6 |
| 12 | Entra ID | 28.6% | 6 |
| 12 | Microsoft Exchange | 28.6% | 6 |
| 12 | Microsoft Intune | 28.6% | 6 |
| 12 | VLAN | 28.6% | 6 |
| 17 | AI | 23.8% | 5 |
| 17 | Autotask | 23.8% | 5 |
| 17 | Business Continuity | 23.8% | 5 |
| 17 | Cisco | 23.8% | 5 |
| 17 | Continuous Improvement | 23.8% | 5 |
| 17 | Cybersecurity | 23.8% | 5 |
| 17 | Data Loss Prevention | 23.8% | 5 |
| 17 | Data Protection | 23.8% | 5 |
| 17 | Datto | 23.8% | 5 |
| 17 | Disaster Recovery | 23.8% | 5 |
| 17 | ERP | 23.8% | 5 |
| 17 | IaaS | 23.8% | 5 |
| 17 | Information Security | 23.8% | 5 |
| 17 | ISMS | 23.8% | 5 |
3rd Line Support Skill Set Co-Occurring Skills & Capabilities in the North West by Category
The table below expands on the one above by listing co-occurrences one category at a time. It covers the same employment type, locality and period, with up to 20 co-occurrences in each category.
Job Titles
| Rank | Job Title | Share | Job Ads |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | IT Support | 42.9% | 9 |
| 2 | 2nd/3rd Line Support | 23.8% | 5 |
| 2 | 3rd Line Support Engineer | 23.8% | 5 |
| 2 | 3rd Line Support Technician | 23.8% | 5 |
| 2 | IT Support Technician | 23.8% | 5 |
| 6 | IT Support Engineer | 19.0% | 4 |
| 6 | Support Team Leader | 19.0% | 4 |
| 8 | 3rd Line Technical Support | 9.5% | 2 |
| 9 | Desktop Support Engineer | 4.8% | 1 |
| 9 | SC Cleared Desktop Support | 4.8% | 1 |