Security Cleared Job Trends in the South East

Security Clearance
England > South East

The table below provides summary statistics for permanent job vacancies advertised in the South East with a requirement for Security Cleared qualifications. It includes a benchmarking guide to the salaries offered over the 6 months leading up to 13 May 2026, comparing them to the same period in the previous two years.

6 months to
13 May 2026
Same period 2025 Same period 2024
Rank 22 13 11
Rank change year-on-year -9 -2 +10
Permanent jobs citing Security Cleared 754 773 1,753
As % of all permanent jobs in the South East 5.30% 10.06% 10.69%
As % of the Qualifications category 23.23% 20.86% 31.43%
Number of salaries quoted 549 540 1,341
10th Percentile £40,000 £41,250 £32,500
25th Percentile £51,250 £47,500 £42,500
Median annual salary (50th Percentile) £65,000 £57,500 £55,000
Median % change year-on-year +13.04% +4.55% +11.11%
75th Percentile £82,500 £77,500 £68,750
90th Percentile £92,500 £87,500 £82,500
England median annual salary £65,000 £60,000 £57,500
% change year-on-year +8.33% +4.35% -0.86%

All Academic and Professional Certifications
South East

Security Cleared falls under the Academic Qualifications and Professional Certifications category. For comparison with the information above, the following table provides summary statistics for all permanent job vacancies requiring academic qualifications or professional certifications in the South East.

Permanent vacancies requiring academic qualifications or professional certifications 3,246 3,705 5,578
As % of all permanent jobs advertised in the South East 22.84% 48.22% 34.03%
Number of salaries quoted 1,610 1,559 3,641
10th Percentile £30,983 £31,750 £29,750
25th Percentile £41,028 £40,240 £37,500
Median annual salary (50th Percentile) £58,000 £53,000 £51,500
Median % change year-on-year +9.43% +2.91% +2.49%
75th Percentile £75,000 £68,875 £67,500
90th Percentile £86,831 £82,500 £82,500
England median annual salary £60,000 £55,000 £55,000
% change year-on-year +9.09% - -8.33%

Security Cleared
Job Vacancy Trend in the South East

Historical trend showing the proportion of permanent IT job postings citing Security Cleared relative to all permanent IT jobs advertised in the South East.

Security Cleared job vacancy trend in the South East

Security Cleared
Salary Trend in the South East

Salary distribution trend for jobs in the South East citing Security Cleared.

Salary distribution trend for jobs in the South East citing Security Cleared

Security Cleared
Salary Histogram in the South East

Salary distribution for jobs citing Security Cleared in the South East over the 6 months to 13 May 2026.

Salary histogram for Security Cleared in the South East

Security Cleared
Job Locations in the South East

The table below looks at the demand and provides a guide to the median salaries quoted in IT jobs citing Security Cleared within the South East region over the 6 months to 13 May 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
Permanent
IT Job Ads
Median Salary
Past 6 Months
Median Salary
% Change
on Same Period
Last Year
Live
Jobs
Hampshire -5 339 £75,000 +30.43% 190
Thames Valley +24 281 £65,000 +12.39% 125
Berkshire +21 179 £67,500 +12.50% 69
Buckinghamshire +29 78 £55,000 - 34
Surrey -10 72 £55,000 +27.91% 34
Oxfordshire +5 24 £65,000 +30.00% 26
West Sussex -8 23 £35,000 -6.67% 11
Kent -28 21 £52,500 -19.23% 15
Sussex - 11 £85,000 - 2
East Sussex -20 2 £70,000 - 4
Home Counties -1 1 - -
Security Cleared
England

Security Cleared
Co-Occurring Skills & Capabilities in the South East 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 25 (3.32%) SharePoint
2 5 (0.66%) Microsoft Exchange
3 2 (0.27%) Confluence
4 1 (0.13%) Apache
4 1 (0.13%) Apache Airflow
4 1 (0.13%) Apache Qpid
4 1 (0.13%) Camunda
4 1 (0.13%) Oracle SOA Suite
4 1 (0.13%) SAS
Applications
1 23 (3.05%) Microsoft Office
2 19 (2.52%) Microsoft Excel
3 9 (1.19%) Simulink
4 4 (0.53%) Adobe XD
5 2 (0.27%) Lectora
6 1 (0.13%) CATIA
Business Applications
1 1 (0.13%) Primavera
1 1 (0.13%) Remedy ITSM
1 1 (0.13%) SAP MM
1 1 (0.13%) Sparx Enterprise Architect
Cloud Services
1 98 (13.00%) Azure
2 62 (8.22%) AWS
3 35 (4.64%) Microsoft 365
4 32 (4.24%) GCP
5 21 (2.79%) Power Platform
6 17 (2.25%) Azure DevOps
7 16 (2.12%) Amazon EKS
8 15 (1.99%) Dynamics 365
8 15 (1.99%) Serverless
9 11 (1.46%) GitHub
9 11 (1.46%) OpenShift
9 11 (1.46%) PowerApps
10 8 (1.06%) Amazon EC2
10 8 (1.06%) GitHub Actions
11 7 (0.93%) AWS Lambda
11 7 (0.93%) Azure AKS
11 7 (0.93%) Azure Sentinel
11 7 (0.93%) Entra ID
12 6 (0.80%) Salesforce Sales Cloud
12 6 (0.80%) Salesforce Service Cloud
Communications & Networking
1 73 (9.68%) Firewall
2 52 (6.90%) DNS
3 30 (3.98%) WAN
4 22 (2.92%) VPN
5 20 (2.65%) BGP
5 20 (2.65%) LAN
5 20 (2.65%) Structured Cabling
6 16 (2.12%) Network Security
7 13 (1.72%) DHCP
7 13 (1.72%) TCP/IP
8 12 (1.59%) Cisco Firepower
8 12 (1.59%) HTTP
9 11 (1.46%) NetScaler
10 9 (1.19%) Cisco IOS
10 9 (1.19%) Cisco ISE
10 9 (1.19%) MPLS
10 9 (1.19%) Wireshark
11 8 (1.06%) NAS
11 8 (1.06%) OSPF
11 8 (1.06%) SAN
Database & Business Intelligence
1 17 (2.25%) Power BI
2 11 (1.46%) PostgreSQL
3 10 (1.33%) SQL Server
4 8 (1.06%) Relational Database
5 4 (0.53%) Elasticsearch
6 2 (0.27%) GIS
6 2 (0.27%) Metadata
6 2 (0.27%) MySQL
6 2 (0.27%) Oracle Database
7 1 (0.13%) Big Data
7 1 (0.13%) Data Lake
7 1 (0.13%) Data Warehouse
7 1 (0.13%) DynamoDB
7 1 (0.13%) Geospatial Data
7 1 (0.13%) MongoDB
7 1 (0.13%) NoSQL
7 1 (0.13%) Redis
7 1 (0.13%) SAS Visual Analytics
7 1 (0.13%) Tableau
7 1 (0.13%) Weaviate
Development Applications
1 52 (6.90%) Git
2 47 (6.23%) GitLab
3 22 (2.92%) Jenkins
4 16 (2.12%) JIRA
5 14 (1.86%) Visual Studio Code
6 10 (1.33%) SonarQube
7 7 (0.93%) Selenium
8 6 (0.80%) Atlassian Bamboo
8 6 (0.80%) Cucumber
9 5 (0.66%) Subversion
10 4 (0.53%) Artifactory
10 4 (0.53%) Axure RP
10 4 (0.53%) Balsamiq
10 4 (0.53%) Rational DOORS
10 4 (0.53%) Snyk
11 3 (0.40%) Android Studio
11 3 (0.40%) JUnit
11 3 (0.40%) Robot Framework
12 2 (0.27%) MSTest
12 2 (0.27%) Visual Studio
General
1 149 (19.76%) Social Skills
2 78 (10.34%) Finance
3 71 (9.42%) Public Sector
4 56 (7.43%) Analytical Skills
5 29 (3.85%) Inclusion and Diversity
6 27 (3.58%) Law
7 26 (3.45%) Electronics
8 23 (3.05%) Aerospace
8 23 (3.05%) Manufacturing
9 20 (2.65%) Military
10 15 (1.99%) Aviation
10 15 (1.99%) Organisational Skills
11 14 (1.86%) Telecoms
12 13 (1.72%) Documentation Skills
13 12 (1.59%) Banking
14 9 (1.19%) Games
15 8 (1.06%) Influencing Skills
15 8 (1.06%) Retail
16 5 (0.66%) Aeronautics
16 5 (0.66%) French Language
Job Titles
1 119 (15.78%) Senior
2 103 (13.66%) Architect
3 65 (8.62%) Developer
4 56 (7.43%) Lead
5 55 (7.29%) Software Engineer
6 44 (5.84%) Analyst
7 36 (4.77%) Infrastructure Engineer
7 36 (4.77%) Network Engineer
7 36 (4.77%) Systems Engineer
8 31 (4.11%) Applications Architect
9 30 (3.98%) Consultant
10 26 (3.45%) Security Architect
11 24 (3.18%) Java Developer
12 23 (3.05%) DevOps Engineer
12 23 (3.05%) IT Engineer
13 22 (2.92%) Support Engineer
14 20 (2.65%) Data Engineer
14 20 (2.65%) IT Support
15 19 (2.52%) Azure Engineer
15 19 (2.52%) Cloud Engineer
Libraries, Frameworks & Software Standards
1 29 (3.85%) .NET
2 24 (3.18%) REST
3 16 (2.12%) React
3 16 (2.12%) Regular Expression
4 15 (1.99%) LDAP
5 14 (1.86%) Spring
6 12 (1.59%) JSON
6 12 (1.59%) SOAP
6 12 (1.59%) XMPP
7 10 (1.33%) Kafka
8 9 (1.19%) Elastic Stack
8 9 (1.19%) Middleware
9 8 (1.06%) RabbitMQ
10 7 (0.93%) AngularJS
10 7 (0.93%) XML
11 6 (0.80%) Java EE
11 6 (0.80%) Lightning Web Components
11 6 (0.80%) Spring Boot
11 6 (0.80%) Visualforce
11 6 (0.80%) Web Services
Miscellaneous
1 32 (4.24%) Product Ownership
2 23 (3.05%) Algorithms
3 22 (2.92%) PKI
4 21 (2.79%) Data Centre
5 19 (2.52%) Onboarding
6 16 (2.12%) Cloud Native
7 14 (1.86%) Cyber Defence
7 14 (1.86%) Embedded Systems
8 13 (1.72%) FPGA
8 13 (1.72%) Security Posture
9 12 (1.59%) Distributed Systems
10 11 (1.46%) Cyber Threat
10 11 (1.46%) Self-Motivation
11 10 (1.33%) Driving Licence
12 9 (1.19%) Analytical Mindset
13 8 (1.06%) Fibre Optics
13 8 (1.06%) Management Information System
14 7 (0.93%) Robotics
15 5 (0.66%) Hybrid Cloud
15 5 (0.66%) Legacy Systems
Operating Systems
1 109 (14.46%) Linux
2 95 (12.60%) Windows
3 64 (8.49%) Windows Server
4 24 (3.18%) Red Hat Enterprise Linux
5 11 (1.46%) Windows Server 2016
6 8 (1.06%) CentOS
6 8 (1.06%) Ubuntu
7 6 (0.80%) Android
8 5 (0.66%) Windows Server 2019
9 2 (0.27%) AIX
10 1 (0.13%) Apple iOS
10 1 (0.13%) Mac OS
10 1 (0.13%) Unix
10 1 (0.13%) VMS
Processes & Methodologies
1 138 (18.30%) Agile
2 92 (12.20%) DevOps
3 88 (11.67%) CI/CD
4 83 (11.01%) Continuous Improvement
5 79 (10.48%) Software Engineering
6 76 (10.08%) Problem-Solving
7 61 (8.09%) Cybersecurity
8 48 (6.37%) Infrastructure Engineering
9 47 (6.23%) Mentoring
10 43 (5.70%) Decision-Making
10 43 (5.70%) Scrum
11 40 (5.31%) Infrastructure as Code
11 40 (5.31%) SIEM
12 39 (5.17%) Containerisation
13 38 (5.04%) Service Management
13 38 (5.04%) Technical Leadership
14 36 (4.77%) AI
14 36 (4.77%) Stakeholder Management
15 33 (4.38%) Computer Science
15 33 (4.38%) Test Automation
Programming Languages
1 99 (13.13%) Python
2 50 (6.63%) Java
3 41 (5.44%) C++
4 33 (4.38%) SQL
5 31 (4.11%) C#
6 25 (3.32%) C
7 22 (2.92%) JavaScript
7 22 (2.92%) PowerShell
8 18 (2.39%) Rust
9 12 (1.59%) MATLAB
10 11 (1.46%) TypeScript
10 11 (1.46%) VBA
11 10 (1.33%) Bash
12 9 (1.19%) PL/SQL
13 7 (0.93%) Embedded C
13 7 (0.93%) Embedded C++
13 7 (0.93%) Shell Script
14 6 (0.80%) Apex Code
14 6 (0.80%) Go
14 6 (0.80%) Groovy
Qualifications
1 456 (60.48%) SC Cleared
2 283 (37.53%) DV Cleared
3 119 (15.78%) Degree
4 20 (2.65%) HNC
4 20 (2.65%) Master's Degree
5 12 (1.59%) CISSP
6 11 (1.46%) Computer Science Degree
7 9 (1.19%) APMP
7 9 (1.19%) CRISC
7 9 (1.19%) DBS Check
7 9 (1.19%) MBA
8 8 (1.06%) CCNP
8 8 (1.06%) Cisco Certification
8 8 (1.06%) CompTIA Security+
9 7 (0.93%) BPSS Clearance
9 7 (0.93%) CREST Certified
9 7 (0.93%) ITIL Foundation Certificate
9 7 (0.93%) Microsoft Certification
10 6 (0.80%) ISACA
10 6 (0.80%) OSCP
Quality Assurance & Compliance
1 20 (2.65%) ISO/IEC 27001
2 17 (2.25%) GDPR
3 16 (2.12%) NCSC
3 16 (2.12%) QA
4 14 (1.86%) NIST
5 13 (1.72%) SLA
6 12 (1.59%) PMO
7 10 (1.33%) Accessibility
8 8 (1.06%) ISO 9001
9 7 (0.93%) Def Stans
10 6 (0.80%) WCAG
11 5 (0.66%) NEBOSH
12 4 (0.53%) GRC
12 4 (0.53%) ISO/IEC 20000
13 3 (0.40%) ISO/IEC 15288
13 3 (0.40%) JSP 440
14 2 (0.27%) Cyber Essentials
14 2 (0.27%) Cyber Essentials PLUS
14 2 (0.27%) ISO 22301
14 2 (0.27%) NIST 800
System Software
1 56 (7.43%) Active Directory
2 51 (6.76%) Docker
3 24 (3.18%) vSphere
4 21 (2.79%) VMware NSX
5 20 (2.65%) Firmware
6 16 (2.12%) VMware Infrastructure
7 5 (0.66%) Virtual Machines
8 3 (0.40%) Hyper-V
9 2 (0.27%) Terminal Server
9 2 (0.27%) UAG
9 2 (0.27%) VMware ESXi
10 1 (0.13%) Embedded Firmware
10 1 (0.13%) Oracle RAC
10 1 (0.13%) Virtual Desktop
Systems Management
1 57 (7.56%) Kubernetes
2 45 (5.97%) Terraform
3 41 (5.44%) Ansible
4 15 (1.99%) vCenter Server
5 12 (1.59%) Grafana
5 12 (1.59%) Prometheus
6 9 (1.19%) vRealize
7 8 (1.06%) Kibana
7 8 (1.06%) Nessus
8 7 (0.93%) SCCM
8 7 (0.93%) SCOM
9 6 (0.80%) Endace
9 6 (0.80%) Puppet
10 5 (0.66%) Packer
10 5 (0.66%) Podman
10 5 (0.66%) WSUS
11 4 (0.53%) Graylog
11 4 (0.53%) Nagios
11 4 (0.53%) QRadar
12 3 (0.40%) FortiGate
Vendors
1 95 (12.60%) Microsoft
2 54 (7.16%) VMware
3 37 (4.91%) Cisco
4 24 (3.18%) Oracle
5 19 (2.52%) Red Hat
5 19 (2.52%) Splunk
6 18 (2.39%) Juniper
7 16 (2.12%) Google
8 14 (1.86%) McAfee
9 12 (1.59%) Citrix
9 12 (1.59%) SolarWinds
10 11 (1.46%) CheckPoint
10 11 (1.46%) ServiceNow
10 11 (1.46%) Tenable
11 10 (1.33%) Salesforce
12 9 (1.19%) AppDynamics
12 9 (1.19%) IBM
13 8 (1.06%) NetApp
13 8 (1.06%) Palo Alto
14 7 (0.93%) LogRhythm