Desktop Support Engineer Job Trends
Desktop Support Engineer
UK
The median Desktop Support Engineer salary in the UK is £35,500 per year, according to job vacancies posted during the 6 months leading to 16 October 2026.
The table below compares current salary benchmarking and summary statistics with the previous two years.
| 6 months to 16 Oct 2026 |
Same period 2025 | Same period 2024 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | 728 | 594 | 647 |
| Rank change year-on-year | -134 | +53 | -86 |
| Permanent jobs requiring a Desktop Support Engineer | 86 | 75 | 108 |
| As % of all permanent jobs in the UK | 0.072% | 0.15% | 0.15% |
| As % of the Job Titles category | 0.078% | 0.17% | 0.16% |
| Number of salaries quoted | 70 | 65 | 74 |
| 10th Percentile | £29,000 | £29,000 | £25,975 |
| 25th Percentile | £32,563 | £30,000 | £29,260 |
| Median annual salary (50th Percentile) | £35,500 | £36,500 | £35,000 |
| Median % change year-on-year | -2.74% | +4.29% | +9.38% |
| 75th Percentile | £43,750 | £40,000 | £45,000 |
| 90th Percentile | £45,500 | £53,250 | £57,500 |
| UK excluding London median annual salary | £35,000 | £31,500 | £29,605 |
| % change year-on-year | +11.11% | +6.40% | +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 vacancies. Most job vacancies include a discernible job title that can be normalized. As such, the figures in the second row provide an indication of the number of permanent jobs in our overall sample.
| 6 months to 16 Oct 2026 |
Same period 2025 | Same period 2024 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Permanent vacancies in the UK with a recognized job title | 110,105 | 43,964 | 67,208 |
| % of permanent jobs with a recognized job title | 92.43% | 89.90% | 95.34% |
| Number of salaries quoted | 74,779 | 25,831 | 38,509 |
| 10th Percentile | £30,000 | £28,000 | £31,250 |
| 25th Percentile | £41,000 | £35,000 | £41,250 |
| Median annual salary (50th Percentile) | £58,396 | £53,500 | £55,000 |
| Median % change year-on-year | +9.15% | -2.73% | -8.33% |
| 75th Percentile | £76,250 | £73,750 | £75,000 |
| 90th Percentile | £98,750 | £95,000 | £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 IT job postings featuring 'Desktop Support Engineer' in the job title 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 jobs citing Desktop Support Engineer over the 6 months to 16 October 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 IT jobs citing Desktop Support Engineer within the UK over the 6 months to 16 October 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| England | -120 | 82 | £35,500 | -5.33% | 19 |
| UK excluding London | -95 | 64 | £35,000 | +11.11% | 8 |
| North of England | -33 | 38 | £35,000 | +6.06% | 1 |
| London | -100 | 22 | £42,500 | +11.84% | 12 |
| North West | - | 16 | £35,500 | - | 1 |
| Midlands | -40 | 13 | £45,000 | +18.42% | 4 |
| Yorkshire | -28 | 12 | £30,000 | -9.09% | |
| East Midlands | - | 12 | £45,000 | - | 2 |
| Work from Home | -37 | 10 | £50,000 | +29.03% | 3 |
| North East | - | 10 | £30,000 | - | |
| South East | -50 | 6 | £30,000 | - | 2 |
| Scotland | +3 | 4 | - | - | |
| East of England | - | 3 | £42,500 | - | |
| West Midlands | -50 | 1 | £33,500 | -11.84% | 2 |
Desktop Support Engineer Skill Set Top 30 Co-Occurring Skills & Capabilities
For the 6 months to 16 October 2026, Desktop Support Engineer job roles required 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 job ads featuring Desktop Support Engineer in the job title.
| Rank | Skill | Share | Job Ads |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Microsoft | 60.5% | 52 |
| 2 | Windows | 55.8% | 48 |
| 3 | Microsoft 365 | 52.3% | 45 |
| 4 | Active Directory | 30.2% | 26 |
| 4 | Customer Service | 30.2% | 26 |
| 4 | Microsoft Intune | 30.2% | 26 |
| 7 | ITSM | 25.6% | 22 |
| 8 | Azure | 24.4% | 21 |
| 9 | Entra ID | 23.3% | 20 |
| 10 | Microsoft Office | 19.8% | 17 |
| 10 | SharePoint | 19.8% | 17 |
| 12 | ITIL | 17.4% | 15 |
| 12 | User Experience | 17.4% | 15 |
| 14 | Microsoft Exchange | 16.3% | 14 |
| 14 | PowerShell | 16.3% | 14 |
| 14 | Problem-Solving | 16.3% | 14 |
| 14 | Windows 10 | 16.3% | 14 |
| 18 | VPN | 14.0% | 12 |
| 19 | Security Cleared | 12.8% | 11 |
| 20 | Cisco | 11.6% | 10 |
| 20 | SC Cleared | 11.6% | 10 |
| 20 | ServiceNow | 11.6% | 10 |
| 23 | OneDrive | 10.5% | 9 |
| 23 | Wi-Fi | 10.5% | 9 |
| 23 | Windows Server | 10.5% | 9 |
| 26 | Apple | 9.3% | 8 |
| 26 | Continuous Improvement | 9.3% | 8 |
| 26 | Degree | 9.3% | 8 |
| 26 | Mobile Device Management | 9.3% | 8 |
| 26 | Virtual Desktop | 9.3% | 8 |
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 | 17.4% | 15 |
| 2 | IT Support Engineer | 11.6% | 10 |
| 3 | 3rd Line Support Engineer | 3.5% | 3 |
| 4 | Microsoft 365 Engineer | 2.3% | 2 |
| 4 | SC Cleared Desktop Support | 2.3% | 2 |
| 4 | Service Desk Engineer | 2.3% | 2 |
| 4 | Service Desk Support | 2.3% | 2 |
| 8 | 2nd/3rd Line Support Analyst | 1.2% | 1 |
| 8 | 2nd/3rd Line Support Engineer | 1.2% | 1 |
| 8 | Azure Engineer | 1.2% | 1 |
| 8 | Desktop Support Analyst | 1.2% | 1 |
| 8 | Field Service Engineer | 1.2% | 1 |
| 8 | Field Support Engineer | 1.2% | 1 |
| 8 | Network Support Engineer | 1.2% | 1 |
| 8 | Remote Support Engineer | 1.2% | 1 |
| 8 | Senior Desktop Support Engineer | 1.2% | 1 |