Higher National Certificate (HNC)
UK

The following table provides summary statistics for permanent job vacancies with a requirement for HNC qualifications. Included is a benchmarking guide to the salaries offered over the 6 months to 9 May 2024 with a comparison to the same period in the previous 2 years.

6 months to
9 May 2024
Same period 2023 Same period 2022
Rank 462 698 820
Rank change year-on-year +236 +122 -109
Permanent jobs citing HNC 512 280 431
As % of all permanent jobs advertised in the UK 0.52% 0.28% 0.27%
As % of the Qualifications category 1.87% 0.85% 1.02%
Number of salaries quoted 258 108 146
10th Percentile £27,500 £27,750 £26,989
25th Percentile £34,250 £30,265 £31,133
Median annual salary (50th Percentile) £45,000 £33,000 £41,575
Median % change year-on-year +36.36% -20.63% -3.09%
75th Percentile £56,125 £41,829 £54,688
90th Percentile £68,750 £51,500 £62,629
UK excluding London median annual salary £45,000 £35,000 £40,083
% change year-on-year +28.57% -12.68% +0.21%

All Academic and Professional Certifications
UK

HNC is in the Academic Qualifications and Professional Certifications category. The following table is for comparison with the above and provides summary statistics for all permanent job vacancies with a requirement for academic qualifications or professional certifications.

Permanent vacancies requiring academic qualifications or professional certifications 27,444 33,124 42,253
As % of all permanent jobs advertised in the UK 27.69% 32.69% 26.93%
Number of salaries quoted 17,288 14,907 18,785
10th Percentile £28,374 £31,250 £31,000
25th Percentile £38,500 £41,750 £41,250
Median annual salary (50th Percentile) £54,000 £59,500 £55,000
Median % change year-on-year -9.24% +8.18% -
75th Percentile £71,000 £77,500 £73,750
90th Percentile £87,500 £95,000 £92,500
UK excluding London median annual salary £50,000 £51,350 £50,000
% change year-on-year -2.63% +2.70% +1.01%

HNC
Job Vacancy Trend

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

Job vacancy trend for HNC in the UK

HNC
Salary Trend

3-month moving average salary quoted in jobs citing HNC.

Salary trend for HNC in the UK

HNC
Salary Histogram

Salary distribution for jobs citing HNC over the 6 months to 9 May 2024.

Salary histogram for HNC in the UK

HNC
Top 17 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 9 May 2024. 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 +280 475 £46,000 +39.39% 707
UK excluding London +164 457 £45,000 +28.57% 708
North of England +162 135 £42,500 +41.67% 185
South East +33 111 £51,350 +38.78% 183
North West +69 71 £35,000 +16.67% 99
South West +18 66 £40,000 +0.29% 97
Midlands +6 63 £47,500 +18.75% 129
East of England +65 61 £38,500 +35.09% 80
Work from Home +51 60 £42,500 +21.43% 135
Yorkshire +141 59 £52,750 +85.09% 64
London +93 37 £62,500 +89.39% 68
West Midlands -1 31 £42,500 - 81
East Midlands +9 28 £47,500 +18.75% 48
Scotland -81 12 £47,313 +45.64% 59
Wales - 7 £45,000 - 16
North East 0 5 £41,500 +3.90% 27
Northern Ireland - 2 £34,628 - 3

HNC
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 5 (0.98%) Office Communications Server
2 4 (0.78%) Moodle
3 2 (0.39%) Microsoft Exchange
3 2 (0.39%) WinCC
4 1 (0.20%) JBoss
4 1 (0.20%) WebSphere
Applications
1 82 (16.02%) AutoCAD
2 52 (10.16%) Microsoft Office
3 49 (9.57%) Microsoft Excel
4 30 (5.86%) Microsoft PowerPoint
5 18 (3.52%) Revit
6 10 (1.95%) Microsoft Project
7 4 (0.78%) EPLAN
7 4 (0.78%) Solid Edge
7 4 (0.78%) SOLIDWORKS
8 1 (0.20%) MS Visio
8 1 (0.20%) Simulink
8 1 (0.20%) Spreadsheet
8 1 (0.20%) Stateflow
Business Applications
1 10 (1.95%) NEC Housing
2 6 (1.17%) Primavera
Cloud Services
1 12 (2.34%) Microsoft 365
2 7 (1.37%) AWS
3 6 (1.17%) Azure
3 6 (1.17%) Azure DevOps
3 6 (1.17%) PaaS
3 6 (1.17%) SaaS
4 5 (0.98%) Google Workspace
4 5 (0.98%) IaaS
5 2 (0.39%) Dynamics 365
6 1 (0.20%) Power Platform
Communications & Networking
1 18 (3.52%) Internet
2 13 (2.54%) Ethernet
3 11 (2.15%) LAN
4 9 (1.76%) Firewall
4 9 (1.76%) Network Security
5 5 (0.98%) OSPF
5 5 (0.98%) TCP/IP
5 5 (0.98%) WAN
5 5 (0.98%) Wireless
6 4 (0.78%) DHCP
6 4 (0.78%) DNS
6 4 (0.78%) Multicast
6 4 (0.78%) SMS
7 3 (0.59%) Remote Desktop
7 3 (0.59%) RS-232
8 2 (0.39%) Broadband
8 2 (0.39%) DMZ
8 2 (0.39%) RS-422
8 2 (0.39%) RS-485
9 1 (0.20%) Intranet
Database & Business Intelligence
1 25 (4.88%) Data Vault
2 10 (1.95%) SQL Server
3 7 (1.37%) EDMS
4 5 (0.98%) Relational Database
5 4 (0.78%) QlikView
6 2 (0.39%) RDBMS
7 1 (0.20%) Data Warehouse
7 1 (0.20%) Microsoft Analysis Services
7 1 (0.20%) MongoDB
7 1 (0.20%) MySQL
7 1 (0.20%) Oracle Database
7 1 (0.20%) PostgreSQL
7 1 (0.20%) Power BI
7 1 (0.20%) SQL Server Analysis Services
7 1 (0.20%) SQL Server Integration Services
7 1 (0.20%) SQL Server Reporting Services
7 1 (0.20%) Tableau
Development Applications
1 14 (2.73%) Visual Studio
2 12 (2.34%) JIRA
3 6 (1.17%) Postman
3 6 (1.17%) SoapUI
4 5 (0.98%) Rational DOORS
5 4 (0.78%) Git
6 3 (0.59%) Subversion
7 2 (0.39%) Team Foundation Server
8 1 (0.20%) ClearCase
General
1 178 (34.77%) Social Skills
2 113 (22.07%) Legal
3 111 (21.68%) Inclusion and Diversity
4 74 (14.45%) Manufacturing
5 64 (12.50%) Finance
6 54 (10.55%) Aerospace
6 54 (10.55%) Retail
7 52 (10.16%) Local Government
8 42 (8.20%) Telecoms
9 40 (7.81%) Analytical Skills
10 36 (7.03%) Electronics
11 31 (6.05%) Publishing
12 24 (4.69%) Presentation Skills
13 22 (4.30%) Automotive
14 20 (3.91%) Military
15 15 (2.93%) Marketing
16 14 (2.73%) Law
17 12 (2.34%) Public Sector
18 11 (2.15%) Organisational Skills
19 8 (1.56%) Influencing Skills
Job Titles
1 93 (18.16%) Project Manager
2 55 (10.74%) Senior
3 42 (8.20%) Coordinator
3 42 (8.20%) Systems Engineer
3 42 (8.20%) Technical Coordinator
3 42 (8.20%) Technical Engineer
4 34 (6.64%) Support Engineer
4 34 (6.64%) Technical Support
5 31 (6.05%) Infrastructure Engineer
6 30 (5.86%) Technical Support Engineer
7 26 (5.08%) Author
7 26 (5.08%) Technical Author
8 24 (4.69%) Technical Manager
9 21 (4.10%) Senior Systems Engineer
10 20 (3.91%) Software Engineer
11 16 (3.13%) Lead
11 16 (3.13%) Principal Engineer
12 15 (2.93%) Manufacturing Engineer
12 15 (2.93%) Quantity Surveyor
12 15 (2.93%) Technical Specialist
Libraries, Frameworks & Software Standards
1 31 (6.05%) XML
2 16 (3.13%) .NET
3 8 (1.56%) MFC
4 7 (1.37%) .NET Framework
5 6 (1.17%) .NET Core
5 6 (1.17%) ASP.NET
5 6 (1.17%) JSON
5 6 (1.17%) RESTful
5 6 (1.17%) SOAP
5 6 (1.17%) WCF
5 6 (1.17%) Web Services
5 6 (1.17%) XML Schema
6 4 (0.78%) Akka
6 4 (0.78%) DAO
7 2 (0.39%) EDI
8 1 (0.20%) Node-RED
8 1 (0.20%) Yocto
Miscellaneous
1 64 (12.50%) Management Information System
2 57 (11.13%) Housing Association
3 43 (8.40%) Driving Licence
4 34 (6.64%) Self-Motivation
5 24 (4.69%) Onboarding
6 11 (2.15%) IoT
7 10 (1.95%) Mobile App
8 9 (1.76%) Fibre Optics
9 8 (1.56%) FMCG
10 7 (1.37%) Data Structures
11 6 (1.17%) CCTV
11 6 (1.17%) Distributed Applications
12 5 (0.98%) Operational Technology
12 5 (0.98%) SCADA
13 4 (0.78%) Analogue Electronics
13 4 (0.78%) EPoS
13 4 (0.78%) Linux Command Line
13 4 (0.78%) Robotics
14 3 (0.59%) Acoustics
14 3 (0.59%) Renewable Energy
Operating Systems
1 45 (8.79%) Windows
2 24 (4.69%) Windows 10
3 22 (4.30%) Linux
4 18 (3.52%) Windows Server 2016
4 18 (3.52%) Windows Server 2019
5 17 (3.32%) Windows 7
5 17 (3.32%) Windows Server 2012
6 8 (1.56%) Windows Server
7 5 (0.98%) VMS
8 2 (0.39%) Mac OS
8 2 (0.39%) Ubuntu
8 2 (0.39%) Unix
9 1 (0.20%) Debian
9 1 (0.20%) Fedora
9 1 (0.20%) Mac OS X
9 1 (0.20%) Red Hat Enterprise Linux
Processes & Methodologies
1 132 (25.78%) Problem-Solving
2 115 (22.46%) Agile
3 84 (16.41%) Time Management
4 83 (16.21%) Project Management
5 68 (13.28%) Mathematics
6 61 (11.91%) Customer Service
7 59 (11.52%) Continuous Improvement
8 46 (8.98%) Decision-Making
9 45 (8.79%) Mentoring
9 45 (8.79%) Project Delivery
10 35 (6.84%) Cybersecurity
10 35 (6.84%) Document Management
11 32 (6.25%) Collaborative Working
12 31 (6.05%) Data Analysis
13 29 (5.66%) Software Engineering
14 27 (5.27%) Computer Science
14 27 (5.27%) ITIL
15 26 (5.08%) CAD
15 26 (5.08%) Stakeholder Management
16 25 (4.88%) Mechatronics
Programming Languages
1 29 (5.66%) C#
2 24 (4.69%) Python
3 21 (4.10%) SQL
4 18 (3.52%) PowerShell
5 16 (3.13%) Java
6 13 (2.54%) C
7 10 (1.95%) VB
8 8 (1.56%) Assembly Language
9 6 (1.17%) JavaScript
10 3 (0.59%) C++
10 3 (0.59%) Embedded C
10 3 (0.59%) Shell Script
11 2 (0.39%) Bash
12 1 (0.20%) MATLAB
Qualifications
1 284 (55.47%) Degree
2 275 (53.71%) HND
3 58 (11.33%) Security Cleared
4 16 (3.13%) SC Cleared
5 10 (1.95%) DV Cleared
6 8 (1.56%) Chartered Engineer
7 7 (1.37%) MRICS
8 6 (1.17%) RIBA
9 5 (0.98%) Cisco Certification
9 5 (0.98%) Computer Science Degree
10 4 (0.78%) APMP
11 3 (0.59%) BPSS Clearance
12 2 (0.39%) DBS Check
12 2 (0.39%) MCSE
12 2 (0.39%) Microsoft Certification
13 1 (0.20%) CCNP
13 1 (0.20%) MCSA
13 1 (0.20%) NVQ Level 3
13 1 (0.20%) NVQ Level 4
13 1 (0.20%) PRINCE2 Certification
Quality Assurance & Compliance
1 25 (4.88%) QA
2 23 (4.49%) NEBOSH
3 12 (2.34%) SLA
4 9 (1.76%) ISO 9001
5 4 (0.78%) COSHH
5 4 (0.78%) ISO/IEC 27001
6 2 (0.39%) ISO 14001
6 2 (0.39%) NCSC
6 2 (0.39%) NIST
6 2 (0.39%) PMO
7 1 (0.20%) Data Quality
7 1 (0.20%) GDPR
7 1 (0.20%) ISO 13485
7 1 (0.20%) MISRA
System Software
1 23 (4.49%) Active Directory
2 20 (3.91%) VMware Infrastructure
3 4 (0.78%) Firmware
4 2 (0.39%) VMware ESXi
4 2 (0.39%) vSphere
Systems Management
1 17 (3.32%) SCCM
2 8 (1.56%) Functional Safety
3 3 (0.59%) Failover Clustering
3 3 (0.59%) Microsoft Clustering
4 2 (0.39%) Computer Emergency Response Teams
4 2 (0.39%) Wonderware InTouch
5 1 (0.20%) BMC PATROL
Vendors
1 92 (17.97%) Microsoft
2 36 (7.03%) SAP
3 23 (4.49%) VMware
4 17 (3.32%) Siemens
5 14 (2.73%) NEC
6 13 (2.54%) Google
7 8 (1.56%) Allen-Bradley
7 8 (1.56%) Oracle
8 6 (1.17%) Cisco
9 5 (0.98%) Thales
10 4 (0.78%) Citrix
10 4 (0.78%) Sage
11 3 (0.59%) Apple
11 3 (0.59%) AVEVA
11 3 (0.59%) Dell
11 3 (0.59%) Epicor
11 3 (0.59%) Rockwell
12 2 (0.39%) Altera
12 2 (0.39%) EMC
12 2 (0.39%) Lattice Semiconductor