Principal Engineer
England > London
The median Principal Engineer daily rate in London is £625, according to job vacancies posted in the 6 months leading up to 18 December 2025.
The table below compares current contractor rates and summary statistics with the previous two years.
| 6 months to 18 Dec 2025 |
Same period 2024 | Same period 2023 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | 333 | 328 | 380 |
| Rank change year-on-year | -5 | +52 | +153 |
| Contract jobs requiring a Principal Engineer | 36 | 41 | 25 |
| As % of all contract jobs in London | 0.25% | 0.27% | 0.13% |
| As % of the Job Titles category | 0.27% | 0.29% | 0.14% |
| Number of daily rates quoted | 23 | 27 | 11 |
| 10th Percentile | £553 | £528 | £425 |
| 25th Percentile | £591 | £575 | £581 |
| Median daily rate (50th Percentile) | £625 | £825 | £700 |
| Median % change year-on-year | -24.24% | +17.86% | -12.50% |
| 75th Percentile | £647 | £888 | £900 |
| 90th Percentile | £733 | - | - |
| England median daily rate | £603 | £825 | £625 |
| % change year-on-year | -26.97% | +32.00% | -13.79% |
| Number of hourly rates quoted | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| 10th Percentile | - | - | £58.97 |
| 25th Percentile | - | - | £64.45 |
| Median hourly rate | - | - | £72.50 |
| 75th Percentile | - | - | £78.94 |
| 90th Percentile | - | - | £81.53 |
| England median hourly rate | £81.00 | £67.38 | £83.33 |
| % change year-on-year | +20.21% | -19.13% | +9.64% |
All Contract IT Job Vacancies
London
For comparison with the information above, the following table provides summary statistics for all contract IT job vacancies in 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.
| Contract vacancies in London with a recognized job title | 13,187 | 14,093 | 17,699 |
| % of contract IT jobs with a recognized job title | 92.31% | 93.53% | 93.54% |
| Number of daily rates quoted | 8,735 | 9,130 | 12,805 |
| 10th Percentile | £343 | £335 | £330 |
| 25th Percentile | £425 | £450 | £450 |
| Median daily rate (50th Percentile) | £533 | £550 | £563 |
| Median % change year-on-year | -3.18% | -2.22% | -3.02% |
| 75th Percentile | £650 | £675 | £684 |
| 90th Percentile | £759 | £799 | £788 |
| England median daily rate | £510 | £525 | £533 |
| % change year-on-year | -2.86% | -1.50% | -3.09% |
| Number of hourly rates quoted | 228 | 153 | 211 |
| 10th Percentile | £17.50 | £18.47 | £17.75 |
| 25th Percentile | £22.38 | £23.80 | £21.50 |
| Median hourly rate | £29.65 | £35.00 | £35.00 |
| Median % change year-on-year | -15.30% | - | - |
| 75th Percentile | £57.13 | £53.75 | £58.75 |
| 90th Percentile | £76.58 | £80.75 | £72.50 |
| England median hourly rate | £26.50 | £36.00 | £45.00 |
| % change year-on-year | -26.39% | -20.00% | +38.46% |
Principal Engineer
Job Vacancy Trend in London
Historical trend showing the proportion of contract IT job postings featuring 'Principal Engineer' in the job title relative to all contract IT jobs advertised in London.
Principal Engineer
Daily Rate Trend in London
Contractor daily rate distribution trend for Principal Engineer job vacancies in London.
Principal Engineer
Daily Rate Histogram in London
Daily rate distribution for jobs citing Principal Engineer in London over the 6 months to 18 December 2025.
Principal Engineer
Hourly Rate Trend in London
Contractor hourly rate distribution trend for Principal Engineer job vacancies in London.
Principal Engineer
Contract Job Locations in London
The table below looks at the demand and provides a guide to the median contractor rates quoted in IT jobs citing Principal Engineer within the London region over the 6 months to 18 December 2025. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| West London | - | 10 | £625 | - | 6 |
| Central London | +4 | 3 | £675 | - | 9 |
| Principal Engineer England |
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Principal Engineer Skill Set
Top 30 Co-Occurring Skills & Capabilities in London
For the 6 months to 18 December 2025, Principal Engineer 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 London region featuring Principal Engineer in the job title.
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Principal Engineer Skill Set
Co-Occurring Skills & Capabilities in London 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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