GPEN Job Trends in the South West

GIAC Penetration Tester (GPEN)
England > South West

The table below provides summary statistics for permanent job vacancies advertised in the South West with a requirement for GPEN qualifications. It includes a benchmarking guide to the salaries offered over the 6 months leading up to 20 September 2026, comparing them to the same period in the previous two years.

6 months to
20 Sep 2026
Same period 2025 Same period 2024
Rank 237 - -
Rank change year-on-year - - -
Permanent jobs citing GPEN 1 0 0
As % of all permanent jobs in the South West 0.010% - -
As % of the Qualifications category 0.041% - -
Number of salaries quoted 0 0 0
Median annual salary (50th Percentile) - - -
England median annual salary - £46,000 £57,500
% change year-on-year - -20.00% +15.00%

All Academic and Professional Certifications
South West

GPEN 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 West.

Permanent vacancies requiring academic qualifications or professional certifications 2,449 1,266 2,216
As % of all permanent jobs advertised in the South West 23.96% 36.19% 29.57%
Number of salaries quoted 1,330 752 1,269
10th Percentile £31,250 £28,500 £29,290
25th Percentile £46,797 £31,750 £42,000
Median annual salary (50th Percentile) £65,000 £50,000 £55,000
Median % change year-on-year +30.00% -9.09% +4.76%
75th Percentile £82,500 £68,750 £70,250
90th Percentile £100,000 £83,750 £85,200
England median annual salary £60,000 £55,000 £56,180
% change year-on-year +9.09% -2.10% -6.37%

GPEN
Job Vacancy Trend in the South West

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

GPEN job vacancy trend in the South West

GPEN
Salary Trend in the South West

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

Salary distribution trend for jobs in the South West citing GPEN

GPEN
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 GPEN within the South West region over the 6 months to 20 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
Permanent
IT Job Ads
Median Salary
Past 6 Months
Median Salary
% Change
on Same Period
Last Year
Live
Jobs
Bristol - 1 - - 2
GPEN
England

GPEN
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:

General
1 1 (100.00%) Aerospace
1 1 (100.00%) Retail
Job Titles
1 1 (100.00%) Penetration Tester
1 1 (100.00%) Tester
1 1 (100.00%) Vulnerability Researcher
1 1 (100.00%) Vulnerability Tester
Miscellaneous
1 1 (100.00%) Operational Technology
Operating Systems
1 1 (100.00%) Android
1 1 (100.00%) Apple iOS
1 1 (100.00%) Linux
1 1 (100.00%) Windows
Processes & Methodologies
1 1 (100.00%) Biometrics
1 1 (100.00%) Computer Science
1 1 (100.00%) Cybersecurity
1 1 (100.00%) Penetration Testing
1 1 (100.00%) People Management
1 1 (100.00%) Project Delivery
1 1 (100.00%) Security Testing
1 1 (100.00%) Technical Leadership
1 1 (100.00%) Vulnerability Research
Qualifications
1 1 (100.00%) CEH
1 1 (100.00%) Computer Science Degree
1 1 (100.00%) CREST Certified
1 1 (100.00%) Cyber Scheme
1 1 (100.00%) Degree
1 1 (100.00%) GXPN
1 1 (100.00%) OSCP
1 1 (100.00%) SC Cleared
1 1 (100.00%) Security Cleared
Vendors
1 1 (100.00%) Thales