Security Cleared Contract Job Trends in Reading

Security Clearance
Berkshire > Reading

The table below provides summary statistics for contract job vacancies advertised in Reading with a requirement for Security Cleared qualifications. It includes a benchmarking guide to the contractor rates offered over the 6 months leading up to 19 March 2026, comparing them to the same period in the previous two years.

6 months to
19 Mar 2026
Same period 2025 Same period 2024
Rank 1 6 1
Rank change year-on-year +5 -5 +2
Contract jobs citing Security Cleared 353 112 360
As % of all contract jobs in Reading 35.37% 16.92% 30.66%
As % of the Qualifications category 81.90% 60.87% 71.43%
Number of daily rates quoted 207 70 229
10th Percentile £255 £407 £205
25th Percentile £310 £583 £350
Median daily rate (50th Percentile) £500 £650 £575
Median % change year-on-year -23.08% +13.04% -1.88%
75th Percentile £588 £700 £650
90th Percentile £688 - £688
Berkshire median daily rate £450 £594 £572
% change year-on-year -24.21% +3.80% -2.39%
Number of hourly rates quoted 89 2 32
10th Percentile £71.96 £63.30 £51.28
25th Percentile £80.75 £65.62 £56.44
Median hourly rate £84.00 £69.48 £62.07
Median % change year-on-year +20.91% +11.93% -4.26%
75th Percentile £88.00 £73.33 £75.35
90th Percentile £97.50 £75.65 £87.53
Berkshire median hourly rate £84.00 £61.79 £62.50
% change year-on-year +35.94% -1.14% -3.36%

All Academic and Professional Certifications
Reading

Security Cleared falls under the Academic Qualifications and Professional Certifications category. For comparison with the information above, the following table provides summary statistics for all contract job vacancies requiring academic qualifications or professional certifications in Reading.

Contract vacancies requiring academic qualifications or professional certifications 431 184 504
As % of all contract IT jobs advertised in Reading 43.19% 27.79% 42.93%
Number of daily rates quoted 251 104 276
10th Percentile £255 £359 £205
25th Percentile £363 £486 £335
Median daily rate (50th Percentile) £500 £631 £575
Median % change year-on-year -20.79% +9.78% -
75th Percentile £591 £700 £623
90th Percentile £688 - £688
Berkshire median daily rate £450 £550 £515
% change year-on-year -18.18% +6.80% -9.65%
Number of hourly rates quoted 95 3 34
10th Percentile £70.72 £63.41 £42.00
25th Percentile £80.75 £65.88 £53.74
Median hourly rate £84.00 £70.00 £61.62
Median % change year-on-year +20.00% +13.59% -5.20%
75th Percentile £88.00 £73.60 £72.33
90th Percentile £97.50 £75.75 £87.53
Berkshire median hourly rate £83.50 £61.78 £61.60
% change year-on-year +35.17% +0.28% -4.75%

Security Cleared
Job Vacancy Trend in Reading

Historical trend showing the proportion of contract IT job postings citing Security Cleared relative to all contract IT jobs advertised in Reading.

Security Cleared job vacancy trend in Reading

Security Cleared
Daily Rate Trend in Reading

Contractor daily rate distribution trend for jobs in Reading citing Security Cleared.

Contractor daily rate distribution trend for jobs in Reading citing Security Cleared

Security Cleared
Daily Rate Histogram in Reading

Daily rate distribution for jobs citing Security Cleared in Reading over the 6 months to 19 March 2026.

Daily rate histogram for Security Cleared in Reading

Security Cleared
Hourly Rate Trend in Reading

Contractor hourly rate distribution trend for jobs in Reading citing Security Cleared.

Contractor hourly rate distribution trend for jobs in Reading citing Security Cleared

Security Cleared
Hourly Rate Histogram in Reading

Hourly rate distribution of jobs citing Security Cleared in Reading over the 6 months to 19 March 2026.

Hourly rate histogram for Security Cleared in Reading

Security Cleared
Co-Occurring Skills & Capabilities in Reading 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:

Application Platforms
1 8 (2.27%) Microsoft Exchange
2 6 (1.70%) SharePoint
3 3 (0.85%) Confluence
4 1 (0.28%) Apache
4 1 (0.28%) Skype for Business
Applications
1 6 (1.70%) Microsoft Excel
1 6 (1.70%) Microsoft Office
2 3 (0.85%) Microsoft PowerPoint
3 2 (0.57%) Lectora
4 1 (0.28%) CATIA
4 1 (0.28%) MS Visio
4 1 (0.28%) Siemens NX
4 1 (0.28%) Spreadsheet
Business Applications
1 6 (1.70%) SAP S/4HANA
2 3 (0.85%) Teamcenter
Cloud Services
1 45 (12.75%) Azure
2 33 (9.35%) AWS
3 20 (5.67%) Entra ID
4 17 (4.82%) OneDrive
5 15 (4.25%) GCP
6 11 (3.12%) Microsoft 365
7 10 (2.83%) Power Platform
8 6 (1.70%) Azure DevOps
8 6 (1.70%) Azure Sentinel
8 6 (1.70%) Power Automate
9 5 (1.42%) AWS CloudFormation
10 4 (1.13%) OpenShift
10 4 (1.13%) PowerApps
10 4 (1.13%) Viva Engage
11 3 (0.85%) Azure AKS
11 3 (0.85%) Azure ExpressRoute
11 3 (0.85%) Azure Monitor
11 3 (0.85%) GitHub
11 3 (0.85%) GitHub Actions
11 3 (0.85%) IaaS
Communications & Networking
1 20 (5.67%) Firewall
2 15 (4.25%) LAN
3 14 (3.97%) DNS
4 13 (3.68%) DHCP
5 11 (3.12%) Cisco ISE
5 11 (3.12%) Unified Communications
6 10 (2.83%) BGP
6 10 (2.83%) OSPF
7 9 (2.55%) 4G
7 9 (2.55%) BIG-IP
7 9 (2.55%) VXLAN
7 9 (2.55%) WAN
7 9 (2.55%) Wi-Fi
8 8 (2.27%) Ethernet VPN
8 8 (2.27%) Junos
8 8 (2.27%) Wireless
9 6 (1.70%) Network Security
10 5 (1.42%) Cisco Nexus
10 5 (1.42%) WebEx
11 4 (1.13%) WLAN
Database & Business Intelligence
1 8 (2.27%) Power BI
2 5 (1.42%) SQL Server
3 4 (1.13%) Oracle Database
3 4 (1.13%) Oracle Database 12c
4 3 (0.85%) Data Warehouse
4 3 (0.85%) Tableau
5 2 (0.57%) NoSQL
5 2 (0.57%) SAP Data Services
6 1 (0.28%) MySQL
6 1 (0.28%) PostgreSQL
6 1 (0.28%) Relational Database
Development Applications
1 38 (10.76%) Rational DOORS
2 5 (1.42%) Jenkins
2 5 (1.42%) JIRA
3 4 (1.13%) Bitbucket
4 3 (0.85%) Android Studio
4 3 (0.85%) Subversion
5 2 (0.57%) Burp Suite
5 2 (0.57%) Metasploit
6 1 (0.28%) Git
6 1 (0.28%) GitLab
6 1 (0.28%) JUnit
6 1 (0.28%) Liquibase
6 1 (0.28%) Mockito
6 1 (0.28%) TestDirector
General
1 81 (22.95%) Social Skills
2 71 (20.11%) Aerospace
3 54 (15.30%) Public Sector
4 20 (5.67%) Finance
5 15 (4.25%) Analytical Skills
6 12 (3.40%) Military
7 6 (1.70%) Advertising
7 6 (1.70%) Legal
8 4 (1.13%) Manufacturing
9 2 (0.57%) Influencing Skills
9 2 (0.57%) Local Government
9 2 (0.57%) Telecoms
10 1 (0.28%) Avionics
10 1 (0.28%) Billing
10 1 (0.28%) Documentation Skills
10 1 (0.28%) Marketing
Job Titles
1 54 (15.30%) Consultant
2 42 (11.90%) Product Manager
3 41 (11.61%) Delivery Manager
4 38 (10.76%) Product Delivery Manager
5 36 (10.20%) Senior
6 33 (9.35%) Network Consultant
7 30 (8.50%) Lead
8 29 (8.22%) Architect
9 22 (6.23%) Network Engineer
9 22 (6.23%) Systems Delivery Manager
9 22 (6.23%) Systems Manager
10 15 (4.25%) Systems Engineer
11 14 (3.97%) Infrastructure Engineer
11 14 (3.97%) IT Manager
11 14 (3.97%) Support Engineer
12 12 (3.40%) Analyst
12 12 (3.40%) SIEM Engineer
13 10 (2.83%) Developer
13 10 (2.83%) Project Manager
13 10 (2.83%) Tester
Libraries, Frameworks & Software Standards
1 8 (2.27%) 802.1X
2 4 (1.13%) Elastic Stack
2 4 (1.13%) Loki
2 4 (1.13%) Oracle GoldenGate
3 3 (0.85%) ARM Templates
4 2 (0.57%) OAuth
4 2 (0.57%) OAuth2
4 2 (0.57%) OpenID
4 2 (0.57%) React
4 2 (0.57%) SAML
5 1 (0.28%) .NET
5 1 (0.28%) CSS
5 1 (0.28%) HTML
5 1 (0.28%) iOS SDK
5 1 (0.28%) LAMP
5 1 (0.28%) Node.js
5 1 (0.28%) REST
5 1 (0.28%) SailPoint
5 1 (0.28%) Web Services
5 1 (0.28%) WPF
Miscellaneous
1 33 (9.35%) Product Ownership
2 22 (6.23%) Data Structures
3 18 (5.10%) PKI
4 15 (4.25%) Data Centre
5 13 (3.68%) Onboarding
6 11 (3.12%) Management Information System
7 10 (2.83%) Cloud Native
8 9 (2.55%) Virtual Team
9 8 (2.27%) Clustering
10 7 (1.98%) PMI
11 6 (1.70%) Self-Motivation
12 5 (1.42%) Driving Licence
12 5 (1.42%) Handset
12 5 (1.42%) Security Operations Centre
13 4 (1.13%) Video Conferencing
14 3 (0.85%) Data Protection Act
14 3 (0.85%) Mobile App
14 3 (0.85%) Operational Technology
14 3 (0.85%) Security Posture
14 3 (0.85%) Taxonomies
Operating Systems
1 45 (12.75%) Windows
2 26 (7.37%) Linux
3 12 (3.40%) Windows 10
4 9 (2.55%) Android
5 4 (1.13%) Mac OS
5 4 (1.13%) Red Hat Enterprise Linux
5 4 (1.13%) Unix
5 4 (1.13%) Windows Server
6 2 (0.57%) Apple iOS
Processes & Methodologies
1 78 (22.10%) Roadmaps
2 77 (21.81%) Stakeholder Engagement
3 67 (18.98%) Continuous Improvement
4 54 (15.30%) Migration
5 53 (15.01%) Agile
6 47 (13.31%) Scaled Agile Framework
7 46 (13.03%) ITIL
7 46 (13.03%) Systems Engineering
8 43 (12.18%) Computer Science
9 41 (11.61%) CI/CD
10 38 (10.76%) Configuration Management
10 38 (10.76%) Cybersecurity
10 38 (10.76%) PRINCE2
10 38 (10.76%) Service Management
11 36 (10.20%) Change Control
11 36 (10.20%) ITSM
12 33 (9.35%) Collaborative Working
12 33 (9.35%) Programme Management
13 32 (9.07%) Stakeholder Management
14 31 (8.78%) Model-Based Systems Engineering
Programming Languages
1 32 (9.07%) Python
2 29 (8.22%) PowerShell
3 11 (3.12%) Kusto Query Language
4 8 (2.27%) Bash
5 7 (1.98%) SQL
6 5 (1.42%) Bicep
7 4 (1.13%) Korn
7 4 (1.13%) Shell Script
8 3 (0.85%) JavaScript
9 2 (0.57%) C#
9 2 (0.57%) PHP
10 1 (0.28%) C++
10 1 (0.28%) Java
10 1 (0.28%) Perl
10 1 (0.28%) TypeScript
Qualifications
1 240 (67.99%) SC Cleared
2 56 (15.86%) Degree
3 47 (13.31%) DV Cleared
4 15 (4.25%) AWS Certification
5 11 (3.12%) Azure Certification
5 11 (3.12%) PMP
6 10 (2.83%) Cisco Certification
6 10 (2.83%) PMI Certification
7 9 (2.55%) BPSS Clearance
8 8 (2.27%) CISSP
9 7 (1.98%) MAPM
10 6 (1.70%) TOGAF Certification
11 5 (1.42%) APMP
12 4 (1.13%) AWS Certified Solutions Architect
12 4 (1.13%) GIAC
12 4 (1.13%) JNCIA
12 4 (1.13%) JNCIP
12 4 (1.13%) JNCIS
13 3 (0.85%) CCNP
13 3 (0.85%) CEH
Quality Assurance & Compliance
1 21 (5.95%) NIST
2 20 (5.67%) ISO/IEC 27001
3 14 (3.97%) NCSC
4 9 (2.55%) NIST 800
5 6 (1.70%) Data Quality
6 5 (1.42%) GDPR
6 5 (1.42%) QA
7 4 (1.13%) Accessibility
7 4 (1.13%) PMO
7 4 (1.13%) SLA
8 3 (0.85%) DO-254
8 3 (0.85%) IEC 61508
8 3 (0.85%) ISO 26262
8 3 (0.85%) JSP 440
9 2 (0.57%) Cyber Essentials
9 2 (0.57%) Def Stans
9 2 (0.57%) PCI DSS
10 1 (0.28%) HIPAA
System Software
1 30 (8.50%) Active Directory
2 7 (1.98%) VMware Infrastructure
3 5 (1.42%) Docker
4 4 (1.13%) Oracle RAC
4 4 (1.13%) vSphere
5 3 (0.85%) Hyper-V
6 2 (0.57%) Virtual Desktop
7 1 (0.28%) Terminal Services
7 1 (0.28%) Virtual Machines
Systems Management
1 13 (3.68%) SCCM
2 12 (3.40%) Kubernetes
3 11 (3.12%) Terraform
4 8 (2.27%) FortiGate
4 8 (2.27%) Single Sign-On
5 7 (1.98%) Microsoft Intune
6 4 (1.13%) Argo
6 4 (1.13%) Cisco CUCM
6 4 (1.13%) Grafana
6 4 (1.13%) Kustomize
6 4 (1.13%) Oracle Enterprise Manager
6 4 (1.13%) Oracle RMAN
6 4 (1.13%) Prometheus
7 3 (0.85%) Ansible
7 3 (0.85%) Nessus
7 3 (0.85%) Systems Management Server (SMS)
8 2 (0.57%) Active Directory Federation Services
8 2 (0.57%) Computer Emergency Response Teams
8 2 (0.57%) Kibana
8 2 (0.57%) Nmap
Vendors
1 65 (18.41%) Cisco
2 53 (15.01%) Microsoft
3 34 (9.63%) Aruba
4 29 (8.22%) IBM
5 24 (6.80%) ServiceNow
6 17 (4.82%) Juniper
7 14 (3.97%) Google
8 12 (3.40%) F5
8 12 (3.40%) VMware
9 11 (3.12%) Splunk
10 8 (2.27%) SolarWinds
11 7 (1.98%) Extreme Networks
11 7 (1.98%) SAP
12 5 (1.42%) LogRhythm
12 5 (1.42%) Oracle
12 5 (1.42%) Tanium
13 4 (1.13%) Palo Alto
13 4 (1.13%) Red Hat
14 3 (0.85%) Coverity
14 3 (0.85%) Siemens