Developer Contract Job Trends in the North West

Developer
England > North West

The median Developer daily rate in the North West is £450, according to job vacancies posted in the 6 months leading up to 16 April 2026.

The table below compares current contractor rates and summary statistics with the previous two years.

6 months to
16 Apr 2026
Same period 2025 Same period 2024
Rank 11 9 5
Rank change year-on-year -2 -4 +3
Contract jobs requiring a Developer 339 225 389
As % of all contract jobs in the North West 10.71% 11.67% 14.12%
As % of the Job Titles category 11.63% 12.58% 15.00%
Number of daily rates quoted 216 173 284
10th Percentile £347 £375 £311
25th Percentile £400 £405 £400
Median daily rate (50th Percentile) £450 £500 £451
Median % change year-on-year -10.00% +10.80% -7.44%
75th Percentile £500 £563 £538
90th Percentile £572 £625 £625
England median daily rate £500 £525 £525
% change year-on-year -4.76% - -6.67%
Number of hourly rates quoted 12 2 2
10th Percentile £26.57 - £78.05
25th Percentile £36.32 - £78.88
Median hourly rate £41.06 £86.00 £81.50
Median % change year-on-year -52.26% +5.52% +103.75%
75th Percentile £65.13 - £82.88
90th Percentile £73.83 - £82.95
England median hourly rate £60.00 £63.00 £62.50
% change year-on-year -4.76% +0.80% +4.17%

All Contract IT Job Roles
North West

For comparison with the information above, the following table provides summary statistics for all contract IT job vacancies in the North West. 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 the North West with a recognized job title 2,915 1,788 2,594
% of contract IT jobs with a recognized job title 92.07% 92.74% 94.16%
Number of daily rates quoted 1,722 1,198 1,717
10th Percentile £250 £259 £281
25th Percentile £375 £375 £400
Median daily rate (50th Percentile) £465 £475 £500
Median % change year-on-year -2.11% -5.00% -
75th Percentile £575 £575 £585
90th Percentile £670 £656 £677
England median daily rate £508 £525 £525
% change year-on-year -3.33% - -4.55%
Number of hourly rates quoted 303 106 264
10th Percentile £19.00 £13.25 £11.02
25th Percentile £25.44 £18.13 £13.45
Median hourly rate £45.46 £30.10 £26.39
Median % change year-on-year +51.03% +14.06% -19.73%
75th Percentile £70.75 £58.50 £46.18
90th Percentile £80.55 £82.00 £61.79
England median hourly rate £45.00 £32.50 £34.53
% change year-on-year +38.46% -5.88% -21.17%

Developer
Job Vacancy Trend in the North West

Historical trend showing the proportion of contract IT job postings featuring 'Developer' in the job title relative to all contract IT jobs advertised in the North West.

Developer job vacancy trend in the North West

Developer
Daily Rate Trend in the North West

Contractor daily rate distribution trend for Developer job vacancies in the North West.

Contractor daily rate distribution trend for Developer job vacancies in the North West

Developer
Daily Rate Histogram in the North West

Daily rate distribution for jobs citing Developer in the North West over the 6 months to 16 April 2026.

Daily rate histogram for Developer in the North West

Developer
Hourly Rate Trend in the North West

Contractor hourly rate distribution trend for Developer job vacancies in the North West.

Contractor hourly rate distribution trend for Developer job vacancies in the North West

Developer
Hourly Rate Histogram in the North West

Hourly rate distribution of jobs citing Developer in the North West over the 6 months to 16 April 2026.

Hourly rate histogram for Developer in the North West

Developer
Contract Job Locations in the North West

The table below looks at the demand and provides a guide to the median contractor rates quoted in IT jobs citing Developer within the North West region over the 6 months to 16 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
Manchester +3 258 £475 +1.06% 109
Cheshire -8 43 £358 -21.32% 29
Lancashire -11 18 £500 -6.59% 55
Merseyside -15 15 £475 -13.64% 21
Cumbria 0 2 - - 4
Developer
England

Developer Skill Set
Top 30 Co-Occurring Skills & Capabilities in the North West

For the 6 months to 16 April 2026, Developer 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 North West region featuring Developer in the job title.

1 138 (40.71%) Java
2 110 (32.45%) Agile
3 89 (26.25%) CI/CD
4 87 (25.66%) Microservices
5 84 (24.78%) AWS
6 75 (22.12%) Spring
7 72 (21.24%) Spring Boot
8 68 (20.06%) Problem-Solving
9 64 (18.88%) Azure
10 62 (18.29%) Test Automation
11 58 (17.11%) Full-Stack Development
12 56 (16.52%) DevOps
12 56 (16.52%) Security Cleared
12 56 (16.52%) SQL
13 50 (14.75%) JavaScript
13 50 (14.75%) React
13 50 (14.75%) TDD
14 48 (14.16%) Docker
15 45 (13.27%) Node.js
16 44 (12.98%) RESTful
17 42 (12.39%) Kubernetes
18 39 (11.50%) Git
18 39 (11.50%) REST
18 39 (11.50%) TypeScript
19 36 (10.62%) GitLab
20 35 (10.32%) Python
21 33 (9.73%) Microsoft
22 32 (9.44%) API Design
23 31 (9.14%) Containerisation
24 30 (8.85%) .NET

Developer Skill Set
Co-Occurring Skills & Capabilities in the North West 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:

Application Platforms
1 11 (3.24%) Confluence
2 5 (1.47%) Apache Spark
3 3 (0.88%) Adobe Experience Manager
3 3 (0.88%) Apache
3 3 (0.88%) SAS
4 2 (0.59%) Apache Airflow
4 2 (0.59%) JBoss
4 2 (0.59%) SharePoint
5 1 (0.29%) Appian
5 1 (0.29%) Camunda
5 1 (0.29%) CMS
5 1 (0.29%) Headless CMS
5 1 (0.29%) Mule
5 1 (0.29%) Mule ESB
5 1 (0.29%) OpenStack
5 1 (0.29%) Tomcat
5 1 (0.29%) WebLogic
Applications
1 1 (0.29%) Microsoft Excel
1 1 (0.29%) Microsoft Office
1 1 (0.29%) Spreadsheet
Business Applications
1 8 (2.36%) Advent Geneva
2 7 (2.06%) Maximo
3 2 (0.59%) NEC Housing
3 2 (0.59%) Oracle Applications
4 1 (0.29%) Dynamics CRM
4 1 (0.29%) Odoo
4 1 (0.29%) SAP HR
4 1 (0.29%) SAP PSCD
Cloud Services
1 84 (24.78%) AWS
2 64 (18.88%) Azure
3 24 (7.08%) Serverless
4 17 (5.01%) Power Platform
5 16 (4.72%) GitHub
6 13 (3.83%) Azure DevOps
7 12 (3.54%) AWS Lambda
8 11 (3.24%) Dynamics 365
9 10 (2.95%) GitHub Actions
10 9 (2.65%) Amazon S3
11 8 (2.36%) Power Automate
12 7 (2.06%) Amazon SQS
12 7 (2.06%) GCP
13 6 (1.77%) AWS Step Functions
13 6 (1.77%) Azure Logic Apps
13 6 (1.77%) OpenShift
14 5 (1.47%) GitHub Copilot
14 5 (1.47%) PowerApps
15 4 (1.18%) Copilot Studio
15 4 (1.18%) Microsoft Copilot
Communications & Networking
1 5 (1.47%) HTTPS
2 4 (1.18%) HTTP
3 1 (0.29%) Internet
3 1 (0.29%) PABX
3 1 (0.29%) VoIP
Database & Business Intelligence
1 22 (6.49%) PostgreSQL
2 20 (5.90%) SQL Server
3 19 (5.60%) Relational Database
4 17 (5.01%) MySQL
4 17 (5.01%) NoSQL
5 15 (4.42%) MongoDB
6 10 (2.95%) Power BI
7 9 (2.65%) Data Warehouse
7 9 (2.65%) SQL Server Reporting Services
8 8 (2.36%) DB2
8 8 (2.36%) OLTP
9 7 (2.06%) DocumentDB
10 5 (1.47%) DynamoDB
10 5 (1.47%) Hadoop
10 5 (1.47%) Redis
11 4 (1.18%) Elasticsearch
11 4 (1.18%) Power Query
12 2 (0.59%) Metadata
12 2 (0.59%) SQL Server Integration Services
12 2 (0.59%) WebFOCUS
Development Applications
1 39 (11.50%) Git
2 36 (10.62%) GitLab
3 24 (7.08%) JIRA
4 14 (4.13%) JUnit
5 13 (3.83%) Cypress.io
6 12 (3.54%) Mockito
7 9 (2.65%) Jenkins
7 9 (2.65%) SonarQube
8 8 (2.36%) Mocha
9 6 (1.77%) CircleCI
10 5 (1.47%) Postman
11 4 (1.18%) ESLint
12 3 (0.88%) Gradle
12 3 (0.88%) Jasmine
13 2 (0.59%) Android Studio
13 2 (0.59%) fastlane
13 2 (0.59%) IntelliJ
13 2 (0.59%) Xcode
13 2 (0.59%) XCTest
14 1 (0.29%) Vite
General
1 85 (25.07%) Public Sector
2 51 (15.04%) Social Skills
3 43 (12.68%) Finance
4 24 (7.08%) Analytical Skills
5 18 (5.31%) Banking
6 7 (2.06%) Aviation
6 7 (2.06%) Documentation Skills
7 4 (1.18%) Manufacturing
7 4 (1.18%) Publishing
8 3 (0.88%) Aerospace
8 3 (0.88%) Law
8 3 (0.88%) Local Government
9 2 (0.59%) Legal
9 2 (0.59%) Retail
10 1 (0.29%) Advertising
10 1 (0.29%) Games
10 1 (0.29%) Inclusion and Diversity
10 1 (0.29%) Presentation Skills
Libraries, Frameworks & Software Standards
1 75 (22.12%) Spring
2 72 (21.24%) Spring Boot
3 50 (14.75%) React
4 45 (13.27%) Node.js
5 44 (12.98%) RESTful
6 39 (11.50%) REST
7 30 (8.85%) .NET
8 27 (7.96%) AngularJS
9 22 (6.49%) HTML
10 21 (6.19%) Jest
11 18 (5.31%) CSS
11 18 (5.31%) Kafka
12 16 (4.72%) Vue
13 14 (4.13%) JSON
14 13 (3.83%) OAuth
14 13 (3.83%) React Native
14 13 (3.83%) YAML
15 12 (3.54%) JAX-RS
15 12 (3.54%) OAuth2
15 12 (3.54%) XML
Miscellaneous
1 24 (7.08%) Cloud Native
2 19 (5.60%) Mobile App
3 15 (4.42%) Onboarding
4 14 (4.13%) Product Ownership
5 9 (2.65%) Enterprise Software
6 8 (2.36%) Data Structures
7 6 (1.77%) SWIFT Messaging Network
7 6 (1.77%) Virtual Team
8 5 (1.47%) Data Protection Act
9 3 (0.88%) Blog
9 3 (0.88%) IoT
9 3 (0.88%) Legacy Code
9 3 (0.88%) NHS
10 2 (0.59%) AI Agents
10 2 (0.59%) Algorithms
10 2 (0.59%) Distributed Systems
10 2 (0.59%) FMCG
10 2 (0.59%) IVR
10 2 (0.59%) Legacy Systems
10 2 (0.59%) Self-Motivation
Operating Systems
1 16 (4.72%) Linux
2 15 (4.42%) Unix
3 8 (2.36%) Android
3 8 (2.36%) Apple iOS
3 8 (2.36%) Mac OS X
4 4 (1.18%) Windows
5 3 (0.88%) Windows Server
6 2 (0.59%) Mac OS
6 2 (0.59%) VMS
Processes & Methodologies
1 110 (32.45%) Agile
2 89 (26.25%) CI/CD
3 87 (25.66%) Microservices
4 68 (20.06%) Problem-Solving
5 62 (18.29%) Test Automation
6 58 (17.11%) Full-Stack Development
7 56 (16.52%) DevOps
8 50 (14.75%) TDD
9 32 (9.44%) API Design
10 31 (9.14%) Containerisation
11 30 (8.85%) Continuous Improvement
12 28 (8.26%) Code Quality
13 27 (7.96%) Front End Development
14 26 (7.67%) Unit Testing
15 24 (7.08%) Data Modelling
15 24 (7.08%) SDLC
15 24 (7.08%) User Experience
16 23 (6.78%) API Development
16 23 (6.78%) Design Patterns
17 22 (6.49%) BDD
Programming Languages
1 138 (40.71%) Java
2 56 (16.52%) SQL
3 50 (14.75%) JavaScript
4 39 (11.50%) TypeScript
5 35 (10.32%) Python
6 27 (7.96%) C#
7 19 (5.60%) Kotlin
8 6 (1.77%) Apex Code
9 5 (1.47%) PL/SQL
9 5 (1.47%) Shell Script
10 4 (1.18%) C++
10 4 (1.18%) Data Analysis Expressions
11 3 (0.88%) ProC
11 3 (0.88%) Ruby
11 3 (0.88%) Swift
11 3 (0.88%) T-SQL
12 2 (0.59%) ABAP
12 2 (0.59%) Groovy
12 2 (0.59%) Objective-C
12 2 (0.59%) PowerShell
Qualifications
1 56 (16.52%) Security Cleared
2 29 (8.55%) SC Cleared
3 23 (6.78%) BPSS Clearance
4 18 (5.31%) Degree
5 10 (2.95%) Computer Science Degree
6 5 (1.47%) CTC Cleared
7 4 (1.18%) DV Cleared
8 1 (0.29%) Master's Degree
8 1 (0.29%) Microsoft Certified Professional
Quality Assurance & Compliance
1 21 (6.19%) Accessibility
2 17 (5.01%) QA
3 13 (3.83%) WCAG
4 6 (1.77%) ISO 20022
4 6 (1.77%) PSD2
4 6 (1.77%) SEPA
5 3 (0.88%) Data Quality
5 3 (0.88%) GRC
6 1 (0.29%) GDPR
System Software
1 48 (14.16%) Docker
2 3 (0.88%) ISA Server
Systems Management
1 42 (12.39%) Kubernetes
2 19 (5.60%) Terraform
3 7 (2.06%) Grafana
4 5 (1.47%) Prometheus
5 3 (0.88%) Ansible
6 1 (0.29%) Tivoli
Vendors
1 33 (9.73%) Microsoft
2 26 (7.67%) Oracle
3 13 (3.83%) Salesforce
4 9 (2.65%) ServiceNow
4 9 (2.65%) Virgin Media
5 8 (2.36%) Advent
6 7 (2.06%) Splunk
7 6 (1.77%) Automation Anywhere
7 6 (1.77%) SAP
8 5 (1.47%) Adobe
8 5 (1.47%) Pega
9 4 (1.18%) IFS
9 4 (1.18%) Xamarin
10 3 (0.88%) Atlassian
10 3 (0.88%) Dynatrace
10 3 (0.88%) Veracode
11 2 (0.59%) IBM
11 2 (0.59%) NEC
11 2 (0.59%) OpenAI
11 2 (0.59%) Sage