Desktop Support Engineer Job Trends
Desktop Support Engineer
UK
The median Desktop Support Engineer salary in the UK is £38,500 per year, according to job vacancies posted during the 6 months leading to 2 November 2026.
The table below compares current salary benchmarking and summary statistics with the previous two years.
| 6 months to 2 Nov 2026 |
Same period 2025 | Same period 2024 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | 753 | 598 | 624 |
| Rank change year-on-year | -155 | +26 | -68 |
| Permanent Desktop Support Engineer jobs | 79 | 73 | 111 |
| As % of all permanent jobs in the UK | 0.065% | 0.15% | 0.16% |
| As % of the Job Titles category | 0.070% | 0.16% | 0.17% |
| Number of salaries quoted | 64 | 66 | 75 |
| 10th Percentile | £30,000 | £29,000 | £22,446 |
| 25th Percentile | £35,000 | £30,000 | £29,225 |
| Median annual salary (50th Percentile) | £38,500 | £36,500 | £35,000 |
| Median % change year-on-year | +5.48% | +4.29% | +7.69% |
| 75th Percentile | £44,063 | £40,000 | £45,000 |
| 90th Percentile | £50,000 | £55,625 | £57,500 |
| UK excluding London median annual salary | £35,000 | £30,000 | £29,605 |
| % change year-on-year | +16.67% | +1.33% | +7.65% |
All Permanent IT Job Roles
UK
For comparison with the information above, the following table provides summary statistics for all permanent IT job adverts matching a recognised job title. The table also shows what proportion of all permanent IT job adverts they make up.
| 6 months to 2 Nov 2026 |
Same period 2025 | Same period 2024 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Permanent job adverts in the UK matching a recognised job title | 112,404 | 45,250 | 64,603 |
| % of permanent job adverts matching a recognised job title | 91.91% | 90.18% | 95.05% |
| Number of salaries quoted | 75,014 | 27,416 | 36,585 |
| 10th Percentile | £30,975 | £28,250 | £31,250 |
| 25th Percentile | £41,250 | £35,000 | £42,200 |
| Median annual salary (50th Percentile) | £59,000 | £52,500 | £57,500 |
| Median % change year-on-year | +12.38% | -8.70% | -4.17% |
| 75th Percentile | £76,250 | £73,750 | £75,000 |
| 90th Percentile | £97,500 | £92,500 | £95,000 |
| UK excluding London median annual salary | £55,000 | £46,000 | £50,000 |
| % change year-on-year | +19.57% | -8.00% | -4.76% |
Desktop Support Engineer Job Vacancy Trend
Historical trend showing the proportion of permanent Desktop Support Engineer job postings relative to all permanent IT jobs advertised.
Desktop Support Engineer Salary Trend
Salary distribution trend for Desktop Support Engineer job vacancies in the UK.
Desktop Support Engineer Salary Histogram
Salary distribution for Desktop Support Engineer jobs over the 6 months to 2 November 2026.
Desktop Support Engineer Top 14 Job Locations
The table below looks at the demand and provides a guide to the median salaries quoted in Desktop Support Engineer jobs within the UK over the 6 months to 2 November 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| England | -114 | 75 | £38,500 | +2.67% | 16 |
| UK excluding London | -110 | 56 | £35,000 | +16.67% | 9 |
| North of England | -54 | 30 | £35,000 | +32.08% | 1 |
| London | -109 | 23 | £42,500 | +13.33% | 12 |
| North West | -37 | 14 | £35,500 | +29.09% | 1 |
| Midlands | -56 | 14 | £45,000 | +18.42% | 1 |
| East Midlands | - | 13 | £45,000 | - | |
| Work from Home | -56 | 11 | £47,500 | +26.67% | 1 |
| North East | - | 10 | £30,000 | - | |
| Yorkshire | -35 | 6 | £35,000 | +32.08% | |
| South East | -73 | 6 | £30,000 | - | 2 |
| Scotland | -13 | 4 | - | - | 2 |
| East of England | -54 | 2 | £50,000 | +32.73% | 2 |
| West Midlands | -64 | 1 | £33,000 | -13.16% | 1 |
Desktop Support Engineer Skill Set Top 30 Co-Occurring Skills & Capabilities
For the 6 months to 2 November 2026, Desktop Support Engineer 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 Desktop Support Engineer job ads.
| Rank | Skill | Share | Job Ads |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Microsoft | 58.2% | 46 |
| 2 | Windows | 54.4% | 43 |
| 3 | Microsoft 365 | 49.4% | 39 |
| 4 | ITSM | 27.8% | 22 |
| 5 | Customer Service | 26.6% | 21 |
| 6 | Active Directory | 25.3% | 20 |
| 7 | Microsoft Intune | 24.1% | 19 |
| 8 | SharePoint | 22.8% | 18 |
| 9 | Azure | 21.5% | 17 |
| 9 | Microsoft Office | 21.5% | 17 |
| 11 | Microsoft Exchange | 20.3% | 16 |
| 12 | Entra ID | 19.0% | 15 |
| 13 | Problem-Solving | 17.7% | 14 |
| 14 | PowerShell | 16.5% | 13 |
| 15 | Security Cleared | 13.9% | 11 |
| 15 | VPN | 13.9% | 11 |
| 17 | ITIL | 12.7% | 10 |
| 17 | SC Cleared | 12.7% | 10 |
| 17 | ServiceNow | 12.7% | 10 |
| 17 | User Experience | 12.7% | 10 |
| 21 | Cisco | 11.4% | 9 |
| 21 | Degree | 11.4% | 9 |
| 21 | OneDrive | 11.4% | 9 |
| 21 | Virtual Desktop | 11.4% | 9 |
| 21 | Wi-Fi | 11.4% | 9 |
| 21 | Windows 10 | 11.4% | 9 |
| 21 | Windows Server | 11.4% | 9 |
| 28 | Mobile Device Management | 10.1% | 8 |
| 29 | Apple | 8.9% | 7 |
| 29 | Microsoft Copilot | 8.9% | 7 |
Desktop Support Engineer Skill Set Co-Occurring Skills & Capabilities 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 | 2nd Line Desktop Support Engineer | 21.5% | 17 |
| 2 | IT Support Engineer | 13.9% | 11 |
| 3 | 3rd Line Support Engineer | 3.8% | 3 |
| 3 | Azure Engineer | 3.8% | 3 |
| 3 | Microsoft 365 Engineer | 3.8% | 3 |
| 6 | Desktop Support Analyst | 2.5% | 2 |
| 6 | SC Cleared Desktop Support | 2.5% | 2 |
| 6 | Service Desk Engineer | 2.5% | 2 |
| 6 | Service Desk Support | 2.5% | 2 |
| 10 | 2nd Line Desktop Support Analyst | 1.3% | 1 |
| 10 | 2nd/3rd Line Support Analyst | 1.3% | 1 |
| 10 | 2nd/3rd Line Support Engineer | 1.3% | 1 |
| 10 | Field Service Engineer | 1.3% | 1 |
| 10 | Field Support Engineer | 1.3% | 1 |
| 10 | Remote Support Engineer | 1.3% | 1 |
| 10 | Senior Desktop Support Engineer | 1.3% | 1 |