diff --git a/.changeset/heavy-needles-poke.md b/.changeset/heavy-needles-poke.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..91a98a9102
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.changeset/heavy-needles-poke.md
@@ -0,0 +1,6 @@
+---
+'@backstage/backend-defaults': patch
+'@backstage/plugin-catalog-backend-module-incremental-ingestion': patch
+---
+
+Add task metrics as two gauges that track the last start and end timestamps as epoch seconds.
diff --git a/packages/backend-defaults/src/entrypoints/scheduler/lib/PluginTaskSchedulerImpl.ts b/packages/backend-defaults/src/entrypoints/scheduler/lib/PluginTaskSchedulerImpl.ts
index 5c04521149..ce1ff823cf 100644
--- a/packages/backend-defaults/src/entrypoints/scheduler/lib/PluginTaskSchedulerImpl.ts
+++ b/packages/backend-defaults/src/entrypoints/scheduler/lib/PluginTaskSchedulerImpl.ts
@@ -24,7 +24,7 @@ import {
   SchedulerServiceTaskRunner,
   SchedulerServiceTaskScheduleDefinition,
 } from '@backstage/backend-plugin-api';
-import { Counter, Histogram, metrics, trace } from '@opentelemetry/api';
+import { Counter, Histogram, Gauge, metrics, trace } from '@opentelemetry/api';
 import { Knex } from 'knex';
 import { Duration } from 'luxon';
 import { LocalTaskWorker } from './LocalTaskWorker';
@@ -44,6 +44,8 @@ export class PluginTaskSchedulerImpl implements SchedulerService {
 
   private readonly counter: Counter;
   private readonly duration: Histogram;
+  private readonly lastStarted: Gauge;
+  private readonly lastCompleted: Gauge;
 
   constructor(
     private readonly databaseFactory: () => Promise<Knex>,
@@ -58,6 +60,17 @@ export class PluginTaskSchedulerImpl implements SchedulerService {
       description: 'Histogram of task run durations',
       unit: 'seconds',
     });
+    this.lastStarted = meter.createGauge('backend_tasks.task.runs.started', {
+      description: 'Epoch timestamp seconds when the task was last started',
+      unit: 'seconds',
+    });
+    this.lastCompleted = meter.createGauge(
+      'backend_tasks.task.runs.completed',
+      {
+        description: 'Epoch timestamp seconds when the task was last completed',
+        unit: 'seconds',
+      },
+    );
     this.shutdownInitiated = new Promise(shutdownInitiated => {
       rootLifecycle?.addShutdownHook(() => shutdownInitiated(true));
     });
@@ -144,6 +157,7 @@ export class PluginTaskSchedulerImpl implements SchedulerService {
         scope,
       };
       this.counter.add(1, { ...labels, result: 'started' });
+      this.lastStarted.record(Date.now() / 1000, { taskId: task.id });
 
       const startTime = process.hrtime();
 
@@ -170,6 +184,7 @@ export class PluginTaskSchedulerImpl implements SchedulerService {
         const endTime = delta[0] + delta[1] / 1e9;
         this.counter.add(1, labels);
         this.duration.record(endTime, labels);
+        this.lastCompleted.record(Date.now() / 1000, labels);
       }
     };
   }
diff --git a/plugins/catalog-backend-module-incremental-ingestion/package.json b/plugins/catalog-backend-module-incremental-ingestion/package.json
index d57b1c8f3f..a85e621015 100644
--- a/plugins/catalog-backend-module-incremental-ingestion/package.json
+++ b/plugins/catalog-backend-module-incremental-ingestion/package.json
@@ -61,6 +61,7 @@
     "@backstage/plugin-events-node": "workspace:^",
     "@backstage/plugin-permission-common": "workspace:^",
     "@backstage/types": "workspace:^",
+    "@opentelemetry/api": "^1.3.0",
     "@types/express": "^4.17.6",
     "express": "^4.17.1",
     "express-promise-router": "^4.1.0",
diff --git a/plugins/catalog-backend-module-incremental-ingestion/src/engine/IncrementalIngestionEngine.ts b/plugins/catalog-backend-module-incremental-ingestion/src/engine/IncrementalIngestionEngine.ts
index 676a175074..e005d29292 100644
--- a/plugins/catalog-backend-module-incremental-ingestion/src/engine/IncrementalIngestionEngine.ts
+++ b/plugins/catalog-backend-module-incremental-ingestion/src/engine/IncrementalIngestionEngine.ts
@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@
  */
 
 import type { DeferredEntity } from '@backstage/plugin-catalog-node';
+import { Gauge, metrics } from '@opentelemetry/api';
 import { IterationEngine, IterationEngineOptions } from '../types';
 import { IncrementalIngestionDatabaseManager } from '../database/IncrementalIngestionDatabaseManager';
 import { performance } from 'perf_hooks';
@@ -27,10 +28,14 @@ import { HumanDuration } from '@backstage/types';
 export class IncrementalIngestionEngine implements IterationEngine {
   private readonly restLength: Duration;
   private readonly backoff: HumanDuration[];
+  private readonly lastStarted: Gauge;
+  private readonly lastCompleted: Gauge;
 
   private manager: IncrementalIngestionDatabaseManager;
 
   constructor(private options: IterationEngineOptions) {
+    const meter = metrics.getMeter('default');
+
     this.manager = options.manager;
     this.restLength = Duration.fromObject(options.restLength);
     this.backoff = options.backoff ?? [
@@ -39,6 +44,23 @@ export class IncrementalIngestionEngine implements IterationEngine {
       { minutes: 30 },
       { hours: 3 },
     ];
+
+    this.lastStarted = meter.createGauge(
+      'catalog_incremental.ingestions.started',
+      {
+        description:
+          'Epoch timestamp seconds when the ingestion was last started',
+        unit: 'seconds',
+      },
+    );
+    this.lastCompleted = meter.createGauge(
+      'catalog_incremental.ingestions.completed',
+      {
+        description:
+          'Epoch timestamp seconds when the ingestion was last completed',
+        unit: 'seconds',
+      },
+    );
   }
 
   async taskFn(signal: AbortSignal) {
@@ -70,6 +92,9 @@ export class IncrementalIngestionEngine implements IterationEngine {
               `incremental-engine: Ingestion ${ingestionId} rest period complete. Ingestion will start again`,
             );
 
+            this.lastStarted.record(Date.now() / 1000, {
+              providerName: this.options.provider.getProviderName(),
+            });
             await this.manager.setProviderComplete(ingestionId);
           } else {
             this.options.logger.debug(
@@ -85,6 +110,10 @@ export class IncrementalIngestionEngine implements IterationEngine {
               this.options.logger.info(
                 `incremental-engine: Ingestion '${ingestionId}' complete, transitioning to rest period of ${this.restLength.toHuman()}`,
               );
+              this.lastCompleted.record(Date.now() / 1000, {
+                providerName: this.options.provider.getProviderName(),
+                status: 'completed',
+              });
               await this.manager.setProviderResting(
                 ingestionId,
                 this.restLength,
@@ -122,6 +151,10 @@ export class IncrementalIngestionEngine implements IterationEngine {
               this.options.logger.error(
                 `incremental-engine: Ingestion '${ingestionId}' threw an error during ingestion burst. Ingestion will backoff for ${currentBackoff.toHuman()} (${truncatedError})`,
               );
+              this.lastCompleted.record(Date.now() / 1000, {
+                providerName: this.options.provider.getProviderName(),
+                status: 'failed',
+              });
 
               await this.manager.setProviderBackoff(
                 ingestionId,
diff --git a/yarn.lock b/yarn.lock
index a3f7ceea22..1b7786ef10 100644
--- a/yarn.lock
+++ b/yarn.lock
@@ -6000,6 +6000,7 @@ __metadata:
     "@backstage/plugin-events-node": "workspace:^"
     "@backstage/plugin-permission-common": "workspace:^"
     "@backstage/types": "workspace:^"
+    "@opentelemetry/api": ^1.3.0
     "@types/express": ^4.17.6
     "@types/luxon": ^3.0.0
     express: ^4.17.1