Cyber Essentials
UK

The following table provides summary statistics for permanent job vacancies with a requirement for Cyber Essentials skills. Included is a benchmarking guide to the salaries offered in vacancies that have cited Cyber Essentials over the 6 months to 10 December 2023 with a comparison to the same period in the previous 2 years.

6 months to
10 Dec 2023
Same period 2022 Same period 2021
Rank 368 568 548
Rank change year-on-year +200 -20 -2
Permanent jobs citing Cyber Essentials 413 604 652
As % of all permanent jobs advertised in the UK 0.79% 0.49% 0.51%
As % of the Quality Assurance & Compliance category 5.35% 2.78% 3.29%
Number of salaries quoted 371 427 464
10th Percentile £36,250 £37,500 £34,000
25th Percentile £43,750 £46,875 £41,500
Median annual salary (50th Percentile) £55,000 £57,500 £55,000
Median % change year-on-year -4.35% +4.55% +10.00%
75th Percentile £70,000 £73,750 £64,813
90th Percentile £87,500 £83,750 £78,375
UK excluding London median annual salary £50,000 £55,000 £50,000
% change year-on-year -9.09% +10.00% +1.01%

All Quality Assurance and Compliance Skills
UK

Cyber Essentials is in the Quality Assurance and Compliance category. The following table is for comparison with the above and provides summary statistics for all permanent job vacancies with a requirement for quality assurance or compliance skills.

Permanent vacancies with a requirement for quality assurance or compliance skills 7,723 21,738 19,840
As % of all permanent jobs advertised in the UK 14.77% 17.78% 15.61%
Number of salaries quoted 5,686 11,782 12,692
10th Percentile £31,250 £31,250 £31,000
25th Percentile £42,500 £42,500 £40,500
Median annual salary (50th Percentile) £60,000 £57,500 £55,000
Median % change year-on-year +4.35% +4.55% +2.80%
75th Percentile £77,500 £76,250 £72,500
90th Percentile £95,000 £95,000 £90,000
UK excluding London median annual salary £52,500 £50,000 £47,500
% change year-on-year +5.00% +5.26% -3.06%

Cyber Essentials
Job Vacancy Trend

Job postings citing Cyber Essentials as a proportion of all IT jobs advertised.

Job vacancy trend for Cyber Essentials in the UK

Cyber Essentials
Salary Trend

3-month moving average salary quoted in jobs citing Cyber Essentials.

Salary trend for Cyber Essentials in the UK

Cyber Essentials
Salary Histogram

Salary distribution for jobs citing Cyber Essentials over the 6 months to 10 December 2023.

Salary histogram for Cyber Essentials in the UK

Cyber Essentials
Top 16 Job Locations

The table below looks at the demand and provides a guide to the median salaries quoted in IT jobs citing Cyber Essentials within the UK over the 6 months to 10 December 2023. 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
England +224 376 £55,000 -2.78% 155
UK excluding London +205 281 £50,000 -9.09% 126
Work from Home +187 189 £50,000 -9.09% 54
London +200 112 £70,000 +16.67% 40
North of England +120 83 £47,500 -17.39% 32
South West +68 70 £48,500 -8.49% 20
Midlands +151 61 £51,128 -8.70% 26
West Midlands +140 50 £51,128 -19.28% 14
North West +91 44 £47,500 -13.64% 17
South East +155 35 £60,000 +4.80% 30
Yorkshire +93 35 £54,000 -8.09% 11
Scotland +53 19 £46,000 -5.64% 9
East of England +114 12 £51,750 -1.43% 6
East Midlands +58 10 £55,000 +10.00% 12
North East +40 4 £32,500 -33.33% 4
Wales +5 2 £47,500 -9.95% 4

Cyber Essentials
Co-occurring Skills and Capabilities by Category

The follow tables expand on the table above by listing co-occurrences grouped by category. The same employment type, locality and period is covered with up to 20 co-occurrences shown in each of the following categories:

Application Platforms
1 31 (7.51%) SharePoint
2 12 (2.91%) MS Exchange
3 9 (2.18%) IIS
4 4 (0.97%) Confluence
5 1 (0.24%) Apache
5 1 (0.24%) WebSphere
Applications
1 32 (7.75%) Microsoft Office
2 20 (4.84%) Microsoft Excel
3 19 (4.60%) Microsoft PowerPoint
4 4 (0.97%) Trello
5 3 (0.73%) 1Password
6 2 (0.48%) MS Visio
Business Applications
1 2 (0.48%) SAP S/4HANA
Cloud Services
1 168 (40.68%) Azure
2 144 (34.87%) Microsoft 365
3 52 (12.59%) Entra ID
4 45 (10.90%) AWS
5 27 (6.54%) IaaS
6 21 (5.08%) SaaS
7 20 (4.84%) PaaS
8 17 (4.12%) Cloud Computing
9 15 (3.63%) Azure Sentinel
10 13 (3.15%) OneDrive
11 11 (2.66%) Mimecast
11 11 (2.66%) WhatsApp
12 8 (1.94%) Nutanix
12 8 (1.94%) Power Platform
12 8 (1.94%) Rubrik
13 5 (1.21%) Azure DevOps
13 5 (1.21%) GCP
14 4 (0.97%) Dynamics 365
14 4 (0.97%) Slack
15 3 (0.73%) PowerApps
Communications & Networking
1 119 (28.81%) Firewall
2 52 (12.59%) WAN
3 47 (11.38%) LAN
4 32 (7.75%) DNS
5 29 (7.02%) Wireless
6 23 (5.57%) Wi-Fi
7 22 (5.33%) VPN
8 17 (4.12%) TCP/IP
8 17 (4.12%) VoIP
9 15 (3.63%) SD-WAN
10 14 (3.39%) Remote Desktop
11 13 (3.15%) Cisco ASA
11 13 (3.15%) DHCP
11 13 (3.15%) Internet
12 12 (2.91%) VLAN
13 10 (2.42%) Intrusion Detection
14 9 (2.18%) Cisco IPT
14 9 (2.18%) Network Security
15 8 (1.94%) OSPF
15 8 (1.94%) Structured Cabling
Database & Business Intelligence
1 24 (5.81%) SQL Server
2 8 (1.94%) Power BI
3 3 (0.73%) Azure SQL Database
4 2 (0.48%) Data Hub
4 2 (0.48%) Data Lake
4 2 (0.48%) Data Warehouse
5 1 (0.24%) BusinessObjects
5 1 (0.24%) BusinessObjects Web Intelligence
5 1 (0.24%) Geospatial Data
5 1 (0.24%) GIS
5 1 (0.24%) Lumira
5 1 (0.24%) PostgreSQL
5 1 (0.24%) SAP BW
Development Applications
1 4 (0.97%) JIRA
2 3 (0.73%) Jenkins
General
1 133 (32.20%) Social Skills
2 59 (14.29%) Public Sector
3 32 (7.75%) Analytical Skills
4 31 (7.51%) Finance
5 27 (6.54%) Legal
6 24 (5.81%) Law
7 17 (4.12%) Documentation Skills
8 15 (3.63%) Local Government
9 14 (3.39%) Telecoms
10 13 (3.15%) Military
11 11 (2.66%) Inclusion and Diversity
12 10 (2.42%) Retail
13 9 (2.18%) Banking
13 9 (2.18%) Marketing
14 8 (1.94%) Presentation Skills
15 7 (1.69%) Manufacturing
16 5 (1.21%) Fire and Rescue
16 5 (1.21%) Organisational Skills
16 5 (1.21%) Private Banking
17 4 (0.97%) Billing
Job Titles
1 73 (17.68%) Analyst
2 51 (12.35%) Security Analyst
3 45 (10.90%) Senior
4 44 (10.65%) Security Manager
5 39 (9.44%) Infrastructure Engineer
6 38 (9.20%) IT Manager
7 32 (7.75%) Consultant
8 28 (6.78%) 3rd Line Engineer
9 26 (6.30%) IT Support
10 25 (6.05%) Information Analyst
11 24 (5.81%) Information Security Analyst
11 24 (5.81%) Support Engineer
12 22 (5.33%) Lead
13 21 (5.08%) IT Engineer
13 21 (5.08%) Security Consultant
14 19 (4.60%) Architect
14 19 (4.60%) Security Officer
15 18 (4.36%) Information Manager
16 16 (3.87%) IT Support Engineer
16 16 (3.87%) Service Manager
Libraries, Frameworks & Software Standards
1 9 (2.18%) ModSecurity
2 4 (0.97%) ARM Templates
3 2 (0.48%) EDI
3 2 (0.48%) Web Services
4 1 (0.24%) 802.1X
4 1 (0.24%) Elastic Stack
4 1 (0.24%) FIDO
4 1 (0.24%) Kafka
4 1 (0.24%) OAuth
4 1 (0.24%) SailPoint
4 1 (0.24%) SAML
Miscellaneous
1 73 (17.68%) Management Information System
2 38 (9.20%) Data Centre
3 30 (7.26%) Driving Licence
4 20 (4.84%) Security Posture
5 15 (3.63%) Cyber Threat
6 13 (3.15%) Data Protection Act
7 12 (2.91%) NHS
7 12 (2.91%) Onboarding
8 11 (2.66%) Public Cloud
9 9 (2.18%) PKI
10 8 (1.94%) IoT
11 7 (1.69%) Freedom of Information
11 7 (1.69%) Security Operations Centre
12 6 (1.45%) Cloud Native
12 6 (1.45%) Self-Motivation
13 5 (1.21%) Enterprise Software
14 4 (0.97%) Cyberattack
14 4 (0.97%) Reinsurance
15 3 (0.73%) Cyber Defence
15 3 (0.73%) Industrial Internet of Things
Operating Systems
1 129 (31.23%) Windows
2 82 (19.85%) Windows Server
3 41 (9.93%) Windows Server 2019
4 30 (7.26%) Linux
5 28 (6.78%) Windows 10
6 24 (5.81%) Windows Server 2012
7 23 (5.57%) Windows Server 2016
8 7 (1.69%) Mac OS
8 7 (1.69%) Unix
9 6 (1.45%) Android
10 5 (1.21%) Apple iOS
11 4 (0.97%) VMS
12 1 (0.24%) Mac OS X
Processes & Methodologies
1 205 (49.64%) Cybersecurity
2 173 (41.89%) Information Security
3 73 (17.68%) Problem-Solving
4 71 (17.19%) ITIL
5 60 (14.53%) Risk Management
6 54 (13.08%) Incident Response
7 49 (11.86%) SIEM
8 46 (11.14%) Infrastructure Engineering
9 44 (10.65%) Data Protection
10 43 (10.41%) Disaster Recovery
11 42 (10.17%) Roadmaps
12 39 (9.44%) Penetration Testing
12 39 (9.44%) Security Operations
13 38 (9.20%) Vulnerability Management
14 37 (8.96%) Cloud Security
15 32 (7.75%) Business Continuity
15 32 (7.75%) Security Management
16 31 (7.51%) ISMS
16 31 (7.51%) Mentoring
17 28 (6.78%) Information Security Management
Programming Languages
1 23 (5.57%) PowerShell
2 14 (3.39%) SQL
3 6 (1.45%) Python
4 3 (0.73%) Kusto Query Language
5 2 (0.48%) JavaScript
6 1 (0.24%) ABAP
6 1 (0.24%) Bash
6 1 (0.24%) Kotlin
Qualifications
1 82 (19.85%) Degree
2 75 (18.16%) CISSP
3 67 (16.22%) Security Cleared
4 55 (13.32%) CISM
5 37 (8.96%) SC Cleared
6 36 (8.72%) CISA
7 29 (7.02%) Cisco Certification
8 25 (6.05%) Microsoft Certification
9 19 (4.60%) CRISC
10 17 (4.12%) CCNA
10 17 (4.12%) CompTIA Security+
10 17 (4.12%) MCSE
11 15 (3.63%) Azure Certification
11 15 (3.63%) CEH
11 15 (3.63%) DBS Check
12 14 (3.39%) CCNP
12 14 (3.39%) CREST Certified
13 13 (3.15%) Cyber Scheme
13 13 (3.15%) MCP
14 11 (2.66%) CCSP
Quality Assurance & Compliance
1 242 (58.60%) ISO/IEC 27001
2 144 (34.87%) Cyber Essentials PLUS
3 77 (18.64%) NIST
4 75 (18.16%) GDPR
5 39 (9.44%) PCI DSS
6 27 (6.54%) ISO 9001
6 27 (6.54%) NCSC
7 25 (6.05%) SLA
8 19 (4.60%) ISO/IEC 17025
9 18 (4.36%) GRC
10 10 (2.42%) IASME
11 9 (2.18%) ISO/IEC 27002 (supersedes ISO/IEC 17799)
11 9 (2.18%) Sarbanes-Oxley
12 8 (1.94%) QA
13 7 (1.69%) HMG Security Policy Framework
14 6 (1.45%) ISO 22301
14 6 (1.45%) NIST 800
15 4 (0.97%) SOC 2
16 3 (0.73%) ITGC
17 2 (0.48%) Def Stans
System Software
1 103 (24.94%) Active Directory
2 34 (8.23%) Hyper-V
2 34 (8.23%) VMware Infrastructure
3 20 (4.84%) vSphere
4 8 (1.94%) Virtual Servers
4 8 (1.94%) VMware ESXi
5 5 (1.21%) Virtual Desktop
5 5 (1.21%) VMware NSX
6 4 (0.97%) Docker
6 4 (0.97%) Virtual Machines
7 2 (0.48%) Terminal Services
8 1 (0.24%) BitLocker
Systems Management
1 36 (8.72%) Microsoft Intune
2 19 (4.60%) EnCase
3 16 (3.87%) FortiGate
4 13 (3.15%) SCCM
5 9 (2.18%) Nessus
6 8 (1.94%) Single Sign-On
7 5 (1.21%) Jamf Pro
7 5 (1.21%) Kubernetes
7 5 (1.21%) Stealthwatch
8 4 (0.97%) CASB
9 3 (0.73%) Ansible
9 3 (0.73%) WSUS
10 2 (0.48%) Active Directory Federation Services
10 2 (0.48%) Cacti
10 2 (0.48%) CSIRT
10 2 (0.48%) Grafana
10 2 (0.48%) Nagios
10 2 (0.48%) Puppet
10 2 (0.48%) ZABBIX
11 1 (0.24%) Terraform
Vendors
1 189 (45.76%) Microsoft
2 65 (15.74%) VMware
3 58 (14.04%) Cisco
4 26 (6.30%) Meraki
5 15 (3.63%) Google
5 15 (3.63%) Veeam
6 14 (3.39%) ESET
6 14 (3.39%) Sophos
7 13 (3.15%) CheckPoint
8 12 (2.91%) Dell
8 12 (2.91%) Fortinet
9 11 (2.66%) Citrix
9 11 (2.66%) HP
10 10 (2.42%) arcserve
10 10 (2.42%) Datto
10 10 (2.42%) Draytek
11 9 (2.18%) ServiceNow
12 8 (1.94%) Avaya
12 8 (1.94%) Palo Alto
13 7 (1.69%) Ubiquiti