Public Sector Contract Job Trends in England
Public Sector
UK > England
The table below looks at the prevalence of the term Public Sector in contract job vacancies in England. Included is a benchmarking guide to the contractor rates offered in vacancies that cited Public Sector over the 6 months leading up to 18 October 2026, comparing them to the same period in the previous two years.
| 6 months to 18 Oct 2026 |
Same period 2025 | Same period 2024 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | 23 | 20 | 18 |
| Rank change year-on-year | -3 | -2 | -1 |
| Contract jobs citing Public Sector | 4,099 | 2,497 | 2,672 |
| As % of all contract jobs in England | 8.81% | 8.84% | 8.37% |
| As % of the General category | 15.42% | 13.84% | 14.19% |
| Number of daily rates quoted | 2,830 | 1,727 | 1,616 |
| 10th Percentile | £363 | £313 | £306 |
| 25th Percentile | £440 | £413 | £413 |
| Median daily rate (50th Percentile) | £525 | £500 | £513 |
| Median % change year-on-year | +5.00% | -2.44% | -6.82% |
| 75th Percentile | £620 | £588 | £625 |
| 90th Percentile | £700 | £675 | £700 |
| UK median daily rate | £525 | £500 | £500 |
| % change year-on-year | +5.00% | - | -4.76% |
| Number of hourly rates quoted | 192 | 126 | 90 |
| 10th Percentile | £15.26 | £15.40 | £15.06 |
| 25th Percentile | £16.62 | £17.69 | £16.67 |
| Median hourly rate | £20.69 | £21.29 | £23.80 |
| Median % change year-on-year | -2.82% | -10.55% | +11.66% |
| 75th Percentile | £35.00 | £27.34 | £39.00 |
| 90th Percentile | £75.00 | £65.00 | £61.22 |
| UK median hourly rate | £21.35 | £21.00 | £22.25 |
| % change year-on-year | +1.67% | -5.62% | +5.95% |
All General Skills
England
Public Sector falls under the General Skills category. For comparison with the information above, the following table provides summary statistics for all contract job vacancies requiring general skills in England.
| 6 months to 18 Oct 2026 |
Same period 2025 | Same period 2024 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Contract vacancies with a requirement for general skills | 26,574 | 18,043 | 18,829 |
| As % of all contract IT jobs advertised in England | 57.11% | 63.86% | 58.99% |
| Number of daily rates quoted | 15,453 | 11,439 | 11,281 |
| 10th Percentile | £313 | £277 | £300 |
| 25th Percentile | £425 | £400 | £413 |
| Median daily rate (50th Percentile) | £525 | £500 | £525 |
| Median % change year-on-year | +5.00% | -4.76% | -4.55% |
| 75th Percentile | £638 | £638 | £650 |
| 90th Percentile | £750 | £738 | £775 |
| UK median daily rate | £525 | £500 | £525 |
| % change year-on-year | +5.00% | -4.76% | -4.55% |
| Number of hourly rates quoted | 2,555 | 1,088 | 784 |
| 10th Percentile | £13.49 | £13.79 | £15.00 |
| 25th Percentile | £16.35 | £16.30 | £17.50 |
| Median hourly rate | £28.00 | £25.00 | £35.00 |
| Median % change year-on-year | +12.00% | -28.57% | +16.67% |
| 75th Percentile | £55.00 | £44.26 | £61.60 |
| 90th Percentile | £78.73 | £69.99 | £72.50 |
| UK median hourly rate | £27.04 | £24.34 | £31.97 |
| % change year-on-year | +11.08% | -23.87% | +7.07% |
Public Sector Job Vacancy Trend in England
Historical trend showing the proportion of contract IT job postings citing Public Sector relative to all contract IT jobs advertised in England.
Public Sector Daily Rate Trend in England
Contractor daily rate distribution trend for jobs in England citing Public Sector.
Public Sector Daily Rate Histogram in England
Daily rate distribution for jobs citing Public Sector in England over the 6 months to 18 October 2026.
Public Sector Hourly Rate Trend in England
Contractor hourly rate distribution trend for jobs in England citing Public Sector.
Public Sector Hourly Rate Histogram in England
Hourly rate distribution of jobs citing Public Sector in England over the 6 months to 18 October 2026.
Public Sector Contract Job Locations in England
The table below looks at the demand and provides a guide to the median contractor rates quoted in IT jobs citing Public Sector within the England region over the 6 months to 18 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| London | -2 | 1,821 | £550 | +9.78% | 1,200 |
| North of England | 0 | 747 | £476 | +2.15% | 510 |
| Midlands | +7 | 542 | £488 | +2.63% | 243 |
| West Midlands | +7 | 455 | £490 | +3.16% | 167 |
| South East | +2 | 437 | £500 | - | 277 |
| South West | -3 | 362 | £543 | -1.36% | 171 |
| Yorkshire | +1 | 280 | £475 | -5.00% | 145 |
| North West | -15 | 263 | £573 | +27.22% | 248 |
| North East | -1 | 223 | £451 | -6.23% | 117 |
| East Midlands | +9 | 82 | £444 | +4.72% | 76 |
| East of England | -29 | 54 | £450 | - | 104 |
| Public Sector UK |
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Public Sector Co-Occurring Skills & Capabilities in England 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.
General
| Rank | Skill | Share | Job Ads |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Social Skills | 33.5% | 1,373 |
| 2 | Finance | 11.5% | 472 |
| 3 | Analytical Skills | 10.8% | 442 |
| 4 | Military | 7.1% | 290 |
| 5 | Local Government | 5.9% | 240 |
| 6 | Inclusion and Diversity | 4.6% | 190 |
| 7 | Influencing Skills | 4.4% | 179 |
| 8 | Legal | 3.2% | 131 |
| 9 | Organisational Skills | 2.9% | 118 |
| 10 | Police | 2.4% | 98 |
| 11 | Documentation Skills | 2.2% | 90 |
| 12 | Law | 1.6% | 66 |
| 13 | Telecoms | 1.2% | 51 |
| 14 | Presentation Skills | 1.2% | 49 |
| 15 | Marketing | 1.0% | 40 |
| 16 | Banking | 0.8% | 34 |
| 16 | Billing | 0.8% | 34 |
| 18 | Retail | 0.6% | 25 |
| 19 | Publishing | 0.5% | 21 |
| 20 | General Ledger | 0.5% | 20 |