Cybersecurity Job Trends in the South West

Cybersecurity
England > South West

The table below provides summary statistics and salary benchmarking for jobs advertised in the South West requiring Cybersecurity skills. It covers permanent job vacancies from the 6 months leading up to 6 January 2026, with comparisons to the same periods in the previous two years.

6 months to
6 Jan 2026
Same period 2025 Same period 2024
Rank 12 51 29
Rank change year-on-year +39 -22 +14
Permanent jobs citing Cybersecurity 405 183 335
As % of all permanent jobs in the South West 8.04% 4.30% 7.37%
As % of the Processes & Methodologies category 11.16% 5.07% 8.16%
Number of salaries quoted 257 108 239
10th Percentile £28,250 £39,625 £37,500
25th Percentile £32,500 £46,250 £47,500
Median annual salary (50th Percentile) £52,500 £67,500 £60,000
Median % change year-on-year -22.22% +12.50% +4.35%
75th Percentile £71,250 £81,563 £70,000
90th Percentile £82,500 £97,250 £85,000
England median annual salary £50,000 £65,000 £62,500
% change year-on-year -23.08% +4.00% -3.85%

All Process & Methodology Skills
South West

Cybersecurity falls under the Processes and Methodologies category. For comparison with the information above, the following table provides summary statistics for all permanent job vacancies requiring process or methodology skills in the South West.

Permanent vacancies with a requirement for process or methodology skills 3,629 3,610 4,107
As % of all permanent jobs advertised in the South West 72.06% 84.88% 90.40%
Number of salaries quoted 2,472 1,833 3,117
10th Percentile £27,750 £30,000 £30,500
25th Percentile £34,000 £40,000 £40,619
Median annual salary (50th Percentile) £50,000 £55,000 £52,500
Median % change year-on-year -9.09% +4.76% +3.36%
75th Percentile £66,250 £68,750 £67,500
90th Percentile £80,000 £81,250 £81,250
England median annual salary £55,000 £60,000 £60,000
% change year-on-year -8.33% - -4.00%

Cybersecurity
Job Vacancy Trend in the South West

Historical trend showing the proportion of permanent IT job postings citing Cybersecurity relative to all permanent IT jobs advertised in the South West.

Cybersecurity job vacancy trend in the South West

Cybersecurity
Salary Trend in the South West

Salary distribution trend for jobs in the South West citing Cybersecurity.

Salary distribution trend for jobs in the South West citing Cybersecurity

Cybersecurity
Salary Histogram in the South West

Salary distribution for jobs citing Cybersecurity in the South West over the 6 months to 6 January 2026.

Salary histogram for Cybersecurity in the South West

Cybersecurity
Job Locations in the South West

The table below looks at the demand and provides a guide to the median salaries quoted in IT jobs citing Cybersecurity within the South West region over the 6 months to 6 January 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
Bristol +29 147 £50,000 -25.93% 45
Gloucestershire +41 82 £57,500 +7.70% 29
Wiltshire +15 57 £55,000 -26.67% 16
Devon +28 40 £70,000 +53.86% 17
Somerset +15 35 £88,750 +64.35% 17
Dorset +23 28 £35,000 -23.23% 12
Cornwall -8 12 £41,000 -5.75% 9
Cybersecurity
England

Cybersecurity
Co-Occurring Skills & Capabilities in the South West 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 16 (3.95%) IIS
2 11 (2.72%) SharePoint
3 3 (0.74%) Microsoft Exchange
4 2 (0.49%) Confluence
5 1 (0.25%) Apache
Applications
1 22 (5.43%) Microsoft Office
2 5 (1.23%) Chatbot
3 1 (0.25%) Adobe Creative Suite
3 1 (0.25%) AutoCAD
Cloud Services
1 101 (24.94%) Azure
2 58 (14.32%) Microsoft 365
3 44 (10.86%) AWS
4 32 (7.90%) Cloud Computing
5 21 (5.19%) GitHub
6 16 (3.95%) SaaS
7 10 (2.47%) Entra ID
7 10 (2.47%) IaaS
8 9 (2.22%) PaaS
9 6 (1.48%) Power Platform
10 5 (1.23%) Google Analytics
11 4 (0.99%) Azure Sentinel
11 4 (0.99%) Azure Stack
12 1 (0.25%) Azure Monitor
12 1 (0.25%) GitHub Actions
12 1 (0.25%) Mimecast
12 1 (0.25%) OpenShift
12 1 (0.25%) Pulumi
12 1 (0.25%) Rubrik
12 1 (0.25%) Serverless
Communications & Networking
1 53 (13.09%) Internet
2 30 (7.41%) Network Security
3 16 (3.95%) Firewall
4 14 (3.46%) VPN
5 11 (2.72%) VLAN
6 10 (2.47%) Wi-Fi
7 9 (2.22%) DHCP
7 9 (2.22%) DNS
7 9 (2.22%) LAN
8 8 (1.98%) VoIP
8 8 (1.98%) WAN
9 5 (1.23%) TCP/IP
10 3 (0.74%) NAS
11 2 (0.49%) Intrusion Detection
11 2 (0.49%) LTE
11 2 (0.49%) Modbus
11 2 (0.49%) Remote Desktop
12 1 (0.25%) DMZ
12 1 (0.25%) Wireless
12 1 (0.25%) Wireshark
Database & Business Intelligence
1 6 (1.48%) Elasticsearch
1 6 (1.48%) Neo4j
2 3 (0.74%) Amazon RDS
3 2 (0.49%) Power BI
3 2 (0.49%) SQL Server
4 1 (0.25%) MongoDB
Development Applications
1 20 (4.94%) Git
2 3 (0.74%) Cucumber
2 3 (0.74%) Cypress.io
2 3 (0.74%) Rational DOORS
3 2 (0.49%) Burp Suite
3 2 (0.49%) JIRA
3 2 (0.49%) Metasploit
4 1 (0.25%) GitLab
General
1 185 (45.68%) Social Skills
2 60 (14.81%) Telecoms
3 57 (14.07%) Public Sector
4 54 (13.33%) Finance
5 53 (13.09%) Marketing
6 49 (12.10%) Manufacturing
7 44 (10.86%) Electronics
8 42 (10.37%) Inclusion and Diversity
9 37 (9.14%) Analytical Skills
10 33 (8.15%) Multimedia
11 32 (7.90%) Banking
12 21 (5.19%) Back Office
13 13 (3.21%) Law
14 11 (2.72%) Organisational Skills
15 9 (2.22%) Legal
16 7 (1.73%) Aerospace
17 6 (1.48%) Military
18 5 (1.23%) Publishing
19 4 (0.99%) Aeronautics
19 4 (0.99%) Influencing Skills
Job Titles
1 93 (22.96%) Consultant
2 92 (22.72%) Security Consultant
3 48 (11.85%) Cybersecurity Consultant
4 46 (11.36%) Analyst
5 44 (10.86%) Senior
6 39 (9.63%) Junior
7 34 (8.40%) Cybersecurity Analyst
7 34 (8.40%) Security Analyst
8 33 (8.15%) Trainee
9 32 (7.90%) Support Engineer
10 31 (7.65%) Junior Analyst
10 31 (7.65%) Junior Security Analyst
11 27 (6.67%) Lecturer
11 27 (6.67%) Senior Consultant
11 27 (6.67%) Senior Security Consultant
12 24 (5.93%) IT Support
13 21 (5.19%) Desktop Engineer
13 21 (5.19%) Desktop Support
13 21 (5.19%) Desktop Support Engineer
13 21 (5.19%) Site Engineer
Libraries, Frameworks & Software Standards
1 25 (6.17%) SAP CAF
2 20 (4.94%) CSS
2 20 (4.94%) HTML
3 8 (1.98%) React
4 7 (1.73%) AngularJS
5 6 (1.48%) MERN Stack
6 4 (0.99%) Software Packaging
7 2 (0.49%) OAuth
7 2 (0.49%) OAuth2
7 2 (0.49%) OpenID
7 2 (0.49%) SAML
8 1 (0.25%) .NET
8 1 (0.25%) 802.1X
8 1 (0.25%) Kafka
8 1 (0.25%) Node.js
8 1 (0.25%) Svelte
8 1 (0.25%) SvelteKit
Miscellaneous
1 40 (9.88%) IoT
2 21 (5.19%) Analytical Mindset
3 19 (4.69%) Management Information System
4 17 (4.20%) Driving Licence
5 16 (3.95%) CESG
6 12 (2.96%) Enterprise Software
7 9 (2.22%) PKI
8 8 (1.98%) Cyber Threat
9 7 (1.73%) Data Centre
9 7 (1.73%) Operational Technology
10 6 (1.48%) Onboarding
11 5 (1.23%) Podcast
11 5 (1.23%) Public Cloud
11 5 (1.23%) Security Posture
12 4 (0.99%) Cloud Native
12 4 (0.99%) CMDB
12 4 (0.99%) Digital Signage
13 3 (0.74%) Self-Motivation
14 2 (0.49%) Cyber Kill Chain
14 2 (0.49%) Smart City
Operating Systems
1 61 (15.06%) Windows
2 28 (6.91%) Windows 10
3 24 (5.93%) Windows Server
4 12 (2.96%) Linux
5 7 (1.73%) Apple iOS
5 7 (1.73%) Mac OS
6 3 (0.74%) Windows Server 2019
7 2 (0.49%) Android
7 2 (0.49%) Debian
8 1 (0.25%) OpenWrt
8 1 (0.25%) Ubuntu
Processes & Methodologies
1 90 (22.22%) Mentoring
2 56 (13.83%) AI
3 52 (12.84%) Risk Management
4 46 (11.36%) ISMS
5 45 (11.11%) Customer Service
6 44 (10.86%) Digital Marketing
7 43 (10.62%) Business Intelligence
7 43 (10.62%) Programme Management
8 42 (10.37%) Machine Learning
9 41 (10.12%) ITIL
10 38 (9.38%) Continuous Improvement
10 38 (9.38%) Problem-Solving
11 33 (8.15%) User Experience
12 32 (7.90%) Information Security
12 32 (7.90%) Web Development
13 31 (7.65%) Analytics
14 29 (7.16%) Collaborative Culture
14 29 (7.16%) Innovative Thinking
15 27 (6.67%) Ticket Management
16 25 (6.17%) Vulnerability Management
Programming Languages
1 35 (8.64%) Python
2 26 (6.42%) JavaScript
3 12 (2.96%) R
4 8 (1.98%) C
4 8 (1.98%) PowerShell
5 7 (1.73%) TypeScript
6 6 (1.48%) Java
7 5 (1.23%) Bash
8 4 (0.99%) Bicep
9 3 (0.74%) C#
9 3 (0.74%) SQL
10 2 (0.49%) C++
11 1 (0.25%) Go
11 1 (0.25%) Kusto Query Language
Qualifications
1 129 (31.85%) Security Cleared
2 86 (21.23%) SC Cleared
3 77 (19.01%) Degree
4 72 (17.78%) CISSP
5 66 (16.30%) CompTIA Security+
6 55 (13.58%) Azure Certification
7 54 (13.33%) CISM
8 35 (8.64%) CEH
9 34 (8.40%) CompTIA CySA+
10 33 (8.15%) Master's Degree
11 32 (7.90%) PhD
11 32 (7.90%) Postgraduate
12 29 (7.16%) DV Cleared
12 29 (7.16%) ISO 27001 Lead Implementer
13 24 (5.93%) Microsoft Certification
14 23 (5.68%) AWS Certification
15 21 (5.19%) CISMP
15 21 (5.19%) CTC Cleared
15 21 (5.19%) Network+ Certification
16 20 (4.94%) AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner
Quality Assurance & Compliance
1 79 (19.51%) NIST
2 71 (17.53%) ISO/IEC 27001
3 39 (9.63%) GRC
4 27 (6.67%) NCSC
5 22 (5.43%) PCI DSS
6 21 (5.19%) JSP 440
6 21 (5.19%) NIST 800
6 21 (5.19%) SLA
7 19 (4.69%) RMADS
8 16 (3.95%) HMG Security Policy Framework
9 13 (3.21%) GDPR
10 9 (2.22%) Cyber Essentials
11 5 (1.23%) ARP4761
12 4 (0.99%) QA
13 3 (0.74%) Cyber Essentials PLUS
14 2 (0.49%) Accessibility
14 2 (0.49%) PMO
14 2 (0.49%) SOC 2
15 1 (0.25%) California Consumer Privacy Act
15 1 (0.25%) ISO/IEC 42001
System Software
1 20 (4.94%) Active Directory
2 14 (3.46%) VMware Infrastructure
3 13 (3.21%) Hyper-V
4 8 (1.98%) Virtual Machines
5 7 (1.73%) Docker
6 2 (0.49%) Firmware
7 1 (0.25%) iptables
7 1 (0.25%) VMware ESXi
Systems Management
1 13 (3.21%) Microsoft Intune
2 7 (1.73%) Jamf Pro
2 7 (1.73%) Kubernetes
3 6 (1.48%) Terraform
4 4 (0.99%) Nagios
4 4 (0.99%) Single Sign-On
5 3 (0.74%) Ansible
5 3 (0.74%) PaperCut
6 2 (0.49%) Active Directory Federation Services
6 2 (0.49%) FTK
6 2 (0.49%) Nmap
7 1 (0.25%) CASB
7 1 (0.25%) Computer Incident Response Team
7 1 (0.25%) Nessus
7 1 (0.25%) Progress Chef
7 1 (0.25%) QRadar
7 1 (0.25%) SCCM
7 1 (0.25%) WSUS
Vendors
1 112 (27.65%) Microsoft
2 43 (10.62%) SAP
3 35 (8.64%) Cisco
4 31 (7.65%) ForeScout
5 15 (3.70%) VMware
6 13 (3.21%) Fortinet
7 8 (1.98%) Apple
7 8 (1.98%) CrowdStrike
8 7 (1.73%) Palo Alto
9 5 (1.23%) Google
9 5 (1.23%) PayPal
10 4 (0.99%) CheckPoint
10 4 (0.99%) F5
11 3 (0.74%) Datto
12 2 (0.49%) Salesforce
12 2 (0.49%) ServiceNow
12 2 (0.49%) SonicWALL
12 2 (0.49%) Splunk
13 1 (0.25%) Clearswift
13 1 (0.25%) Sophos