Reference Data
UK > England
The table below looks at the prevalence of the term Reference Data in contract job vacancies in England. Included is a benchmarking guide to the contractor rates offered in vacancies that cited Reference Data over the 6 months leading up to 1 April 2026, comparing them to the same period in the previous two years.
| 6 months to 1 Apr 2026 |
Same period 2025 | Same period 2024 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | 498 | 400 | 468 |
| Rank change year-on-year | -98 | +68 | +55 |
| Contract jobs citing Reference Data | 87 | 77 | 82 |
| As % of all contract jobs in England | 0.23% | 0.32% | 0.22% |
| As % of the Miscellaneous category | 0.69% | 0.93% | 0.71% |
| Number of daily rates quoted | 59 | 41 | 58 |
| 10th Percentile | £428 | £425 | £450 |
| 25th Percentile | £500 | £525 | £518 |
| Median daily rate (50th Percentile) | £610 | £650 | £650 |
| Median % change year-on-year | -6.15% | - | +4.00% |
| 75th Percentile | £738 | £750 | £925 |
| 90th Percentile | £825 | £925 | - |
| UK median daily rate | £600 | £635 | £650 |
| % change year-on-year | -5.51% | -2.31% | +4.00% |
| Number of hourly rates quoted | 3 | 2 | 0 |
| 10th Percentile | - | - | - |
| 25th Percentile | £78.75 | £78.75 | - |
| Median hourly rate | £80.50 | £80.50 | - |
| 75th Percentile | £83.13 | £82.25 | - |
| 90th Percentile | £83.65 | - | - |
| UK median hourly rate | £80.50 | £80.50 | - |
All Generic Skills
England
Reference Data falls under the General and Transferable Skills category. For comparison with the information above, the following table provides summary statistics for all contract job vacancies requiring generic IT skills in England.
| Contract vacancies with a requirement for generic IT skills | 12,693 | 8,255 | 11,599 |
| As % of all contract IT jobs advertised in England | 33.25% | 34.05% | 30.78% |
| Number of daily rates quoted | 8,074 | 5,409 | 7,581 |
| 10th Percentile | £300 | £300 | £263 |
| 25th Percentile | £412 | £413 | £413 |
| Median daily rate (50th Percentile) | £513 | £545 | £550 |
| Median % change year-on-year | -5.96% | -0.91% | -4.35% |
| 75th Percentile | £625 | £669 | £670 |
| 90th Percentile | £747 | £776 | £788 |
| UK median daily rate | £500 | £525 | £535 |
| % change year-on-year | -4.76% | -1.87% | -2.73% |
| Number of hourly rates quoted | 632 | 314 | 804 |
| 10th Percentile | £15.79 | £16.69 | £12.49 |
| 25th Percentile | £19.85 | £22.72 | £15.17 |
| Median hourly rate | £45.00 | £34.75 | £27.75 |
| Median % change year-on-year | +29.50% | +25.23% | +23.33% |
| 75th Percentile | £70.00 | £68.00 | £57.50 |
| 90th Percentile | £85.49 | £84.70 | £67.38 |
| UK median hourly rate | £43.60 | £32.50 | £27.50 |
| % change year-on-year | +34.16% | +18.18% | +22.30% |
Reference Data
Job Vacancy Trend in England
Historical trend showing the proportion of contract IT job postings citing Reference Data relative to all contract IT jobs advertised in England.
Reference Data
Daily Rate Trend in England
Contractor daily rate distribution trend for jobs in England citing Reference Data.
Reference Data
Daily Rate Histogram in England
Daily rate distribution for jobs citing Reference Data in England over the 6 months to 1 April 2026.
Reference Data
Hourly Rate Trend in England
Contractor hourly rate distribution trend for jobs in England citing Reference Data.
Reference Data
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 Reference Data within the England region over the 6 months to 1 April 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 | -74 | 60 | £625 | -6.72% | 14 |
| East of England | -23 | 10 | £525 | - | 4 |
| North of England | -63 | 9 | £610 | -6.15% | 3 |
| Yorkshire | -48 | 8 | £610 | -6.15% | |
| South East | -52 | 2 | £575 | - | 7 |
| West Midlands | -58 | 2 | £650 | - | 2 |
| Midlands | -72 | 2 | £650 | - | 4 |
| North West | -41 | 1 | £700 | +96.63% | 3 |
| South West | - | 1 | - | - | 2 |
| Reference Data UK |
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Reference Data
Co-Occurring Skills & Capabilities in England 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:
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