Data Scientist Contract Job Trends in Central London
Data Scientist
London > Central London
The median Data Scientist daily rate in Central London is £525, according to job vacancies posted in the 6 months leading up to 22 October 2026.
The table below compares current contractor rates and summary statistics with the previous two years.
| 6 months to 22 Oct 2026 |
Same period 2025 | Same period 2024 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | 137 | 107 | 124 |
| Rank change year-on-year | -30 | +17 | +28 |
| Contract jobs requiring a Data Scientist | 13 | 15 | 15 |
| As % of all contract jobs in Central London | 0.55% | 0.80% | 0.64% |
| As % of the Job Titles category | 0.59% | 0.86% | 0.68% |
| Number of daily rates quoted | 8 | 12 | 9 |
| 10th Percentile | - | £514 | £450 |
| 25th Percentile | £425 | £530 | £600 |
| Median daily rate (50th Percentile) | £525 | £556 | £625 |
| Median % change year-on-year | -5.62% | -11.00% | - |
| 75th Percentile | £788 | £638 | £713 |
| 90th Percentile | £809 | £671 | £725 |
| London median daily rate | £625 | £550 | £600 |
| % change year-on-year | +13.64% | -8.33% | -4.00% |
| Number of hourly rates quoted | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Median hourly rate | - | £62.50 | - |
| London median hourly rate | - | £62.50 | £52.50 |
| % change year-on-year | - | +19.05% | +16.67% |
All Contract IT Job Roles
Central London
For comparison with the information above, the following table provides summary statistics for all contract IT job vacancies in Central London. 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 contract jobs in our overall sample.
| 6 months to 22 Oct 2026 |
Same period 2025 | Same period 2024 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Contract vacancies in Central London with a recognized job title | 2,219 | 1,752 | 2,200 |
| % of contract IT jobs with a recognized job title | 93.55% | 93.49% | 93.54% |
| Number of daily rates quoted | 1,522 | 1,207 | 1,394 |
| 10th Percentile | £363 | £325 | £363 |
| 25th Percentile | £450 | £425 | £463 |
| Median daily rate (50th Percentile) | £550 | £550 | £575 |
| Median % change year-on-year | - | -4.35% | - |
| 75th Percentile | £675 | £675 | £688 |
| 90th Percentile | £775 | £775 | £775 |
| London median daily rate | £550 | £545 | £550 |
| % change year-on-year | +0.92% | -0.91% | -4.35% |
| Number of hourly rates quoted | 38 | 22 | 24 |
| 10th Percentile | £16.82 | £17.25 | £21.29 |
| 25th Percentile | £18.75 | £20.63 | £30.19 |
| Median hourly rate | £25.00 | £27.04 | £35.00 |
| Median % change year-on-year | -7.53% | -22.76% | -2.78% |
| 75th Percentile | £57.69 | £35.88 | £82.19 |
| 90th Percentile | £72.13 | £63.05 | £129.85 |
| London median hourly rate | £41.00 | £26.50 | £38.00 |
| % change year-on-year | +54.72% | -30.26% | -6.17% |
Data Scientist Job Vacancy Trend in Central London
Historical trend showing the proportion of contract IT job postings featuring 'Data Scientist' in the job title relative to all contract IT jobs advertised in Central London.
Data Scientist Daily Rate Trend in Central London
Contractor daily rate distribution trend for Data Scientist job vacancies in Central London.
Data Scientist Daily Rate Histogram in Central London
Daily rate distribution for jobs citing Data Scientist in Central London over the 6 months to 22 October 2026.
Data Scientist Hourly Rate Trend in Central London
Contractor hourly rate distribution trend for Data Scientist job vacancies in Central London.
Data Scientist Contract Job Locations in Central London
The table below looks at the demand and provides a guide to the median contractor rates quoted in IT jobs citing Data Scientist within the Central London region over the 6 months to 22 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 Contract IT Job Ads |
Median Daily Rate Past 6 Months |
Median Daily Rate % Change on Same Period Last Year |
Live Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| City of London | -30 | 11 | £525 | -5.62% | 36 |
| Data Scientist London |
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Data Scientist Skill Set Top 30 Co-Occurring Skills & Capabilities in Central London
For the 6 months to 22 October 2026, Data Scientist contract 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 contract job ads across the Central London region featuring Data Scientist in the job title.
| Rank | Skill | Share | Job Ads |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Data Science | 100.0% | 13 |
| 2 | Python | 69.2% | 9 |
| 3 | AI | 61.5% | 8 |
| 3 | Generative AI | 61.5% | 8 |
| 3 | Machine Learning | 61.5% | 8 |
| 6 | LLM | 53.8% | 7 |
| 7 | Decision-Making | 38.5% | 5 |
| 8 | Data Pipeline | 30.8% | 4 |
| 8 | Statistics | 30.8% | 4 |
| 8 | Validation | 30.8% | 4 |
| 11 | Analytics | 23.1% | 3 |
| 11 | AWS | 23.1% | 3 |
| 11 | Continuous Improvement | 23.1% | 3 |
| 11 | Data Engineering | 23.1% | 3 |
| 11 | Exploratory Analysis | 23.1% | 3 |
| 11 | Mathematics | 23.1% | 3 |
| 11 | Software Engineering | 23.1% | 3 |
| 18 | API Development | 15.4% | 2 |
| 18 | API Integration | 15.4% | 2 |
| 18 | Applied Mathematics | 15.4% | 2 |
| 18 | Critical Thinking | 15.4% | 2 |
| 18 | CRM | 15.4% | 2 |
| 18 | Customer Experience | 15.4% | 2 |
| 18 | Data Security | 15.4% | 2 |
| 18 | Information Retrieval | 15.4% | 2 |
| 18 | Microsoft | 15.4% | 2 |
| 18 | Microsoft 365 | 15.4% | 2 |
| 18 | Microsoft Certified Professional | 15.4% | 2 |
| 18 | Model Context Protocol | 15.4% | 2 |
| 18 | Personalization | 15.4% | 2 |
Data Scientist Skill Set Co-Occurring Skills & Capabilities in Central London 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 | Data Engineer | 7.7% | 1 |
| 1 | Security Engineer | 7.7% | 1 |