Higher National Certificate (HNC)
UK
The table below provides summary statistics for permanent job vacancies with a requirement for HNC qualifications. It includes a benchmarking guide to the salaries offered over the 6 months leading up to 23 January 2026, comparing them to the same period in the previous two years.
| 6 months to 23 Jan 2026 |
Same period 2025 | Same period 2024 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | 423 | 343 | 412 |
| Rank change year-on-year | -80 | +69 | +339 |
| Permanent jobs citing HNC | 238 | 415 | 386 |
| As % of all permanent jobs in the UK | 0.38% | 0.78% | 0.60% |
| As % of the Qualifications category | 1.22% | 2.10% | 2.11% |
| Number of salaries quoted | 127 | 151 | 156 |
| 10th Percentile | £36,250 | £32,500 | £27,500 |
| 25th Percentile | £37,500 | £40,000 | £32,750 |
| Median annual salary (50th Percentile) | £45,998 | £50,055 | £43,544 |
| Median % change year-on-year | -8.10% | +14.95% | +3.68% |
| 75th Percentile | £52,750 | £58,943 | £57,625 |
| 90th Percentile | £68,000 | £60,265 | £70,250 |
| UK excluding London median annual salary | £44,500 | £50,055 | £42,920 |
| % change year-on-year | -11.10% | +16.62% | +4.05% |
All Academic and Professional Certifications
UK
HNC 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.
| Permanent vacancies requiring academic qualifications or professional certifications | 19,489 | 19,744 | 18,289 |
| As % of all permanent jobs advertised in the UK | 31.30% | 37.14% | 28.59% |
| Number of salaries quoted | 7,865 | 7,652 | 12,703 |
| 10th Percentile | £28,250 | £32,500 | £28,500 |
| 25th Percentile | £36,250 | £45,000 | £40,000 |
| Median annual salary (50th Percentile) | £55,000 | £60,000 | £55,000 |
| Median % change year-on-year | -8.33% | +9.09% | -4.35% |
| 75th Percentile | £75,900 | £76,500 | £73,750 |
| 90th Percentile | £90,000 | £92,500 | £90,000 |
| UK excluding London median annual salary | £50,000 | £55,000 | £50,000 |
| % change year-on-year | -9.09% | +10.00% | -1.96% |
HNC
Job Vacancy Trend
Historical trend showing the proportion of permanent IT job postings citing HNC relative to all permanent IT jobs advertised.
HNC
Salary Trend
Salary distribution trend for jobs in the UK citing HNC.
HNC
Salary Histogram
Salary distribution for jobs citing HNC over the 6 months to 23 January 2026.
HNC
Top 16 Job Locations
The table below looks at the demand and provides a guide to the median salaries quoted in IT jobs citing HNC within the UK over the 6 months to 23 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK excluding London | -81 | 216 | £44,500 | -11.10% | 97 |
| England | -70 | 196 | £45,998 | -3.53% | 97 |
| North of England | -26 | 79 | £47,500 | -5.10% | 27 |
| South East | +58 | 73 | £40,000 | -9.27% | 14 |
| North West | -29 | 44 | £51,636 | +3.16% | 12 |
| North East | +25 | 29 | £40,000 | +6.67% | 7 |
| Work from Home | +39 | 23 | £52,500 | -4.55% | 25 |
| Scotland | -15 | 19 | £27,000 | -53.47% | 3 |
| Midlands | -11 | 17 | £50,000 | +42.86% | 22 |
| East of England | -46 | 16 | £48,500 | -19.33% | 14 |
| West Midlands | +3 | 14 | £47,500 | +35.71% | 16 |
| Northern Ireland | -9 | 9 | - | - | 1 |
| London | +35 | 8 | £65,000 | +38.30% | 10 |
| Yorkshire | -35 | 6 | £40,000 | - | 8 |
| East Midlands | -18 | 3 | £55,000 | +22.22% | 6 |
| South West | -48 | 3 | - | - | 15 |
HNC
Co-Occurring Skills & Capabilities 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:
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