Public Sector Contract Job Trends in the North West
Public Sector
England > North West
The table below looks at the prevalence of the term Public Sector in contract job vacancies in the North West. 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 | 27 | 12 | 11 |
| Rank change year-on-year | -15 | -1 | -2 |
| Contract jobs citing Public Sector | 263 | 241 | 241 |
| As % of all contract jobs in the North West | 6.55% | 10.66% | 10.05% |
| As % of the General category | 12.76% | 17.28% | 17.39% |
| Number of daily rates quoted | 158 | 177 | 125 |
| 10th Percentile | £363 | £215 | £341 |
| 25th Percentile | £420 | £395 | £402 |
| Median daily rate (50th Percentile) | £573 | £450 | £493 |
| Median % change year-on-year | +27.22% | -8.72% | -6.10% |
| 75th Percentile | £655 | £550 | £588 |
| 90th Percentile | £750 | £646 | £686 |
| England median daily rate | £525 | £500 | £513 |
| % change year-on-year | +5.00% | -2.44% | -6.82% |
| Number of hourly rates quoted | 20 | 8 | 10 |
| 10th Percentile | £13.24 | £16.11 | £15.95 |
| 25th Percentile | £20.06 | £17.30 | £16.70 |
| Median hourly rate | £25.49 | £20.07 | £18.62 |
| Median % change year-on-year | +27.01% | +7.77% | -1.99% |
| 75th Percentile | £75.75 | £32.95 | £29.88 |
| 90th Percentile | £85.00 | £67.25 | £36.40 |
| England median hourly rate | £20.69 | £21.29 | £23.80 |
| % change year-on-year | -2.82% | -10.55% | +11.66% |
All General Skills
North West
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 the North West.
| 6 months to 18 Oct 2026 |
Same period 2025 | Same period 2024 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Contract vacancies with a requirement for general skills | 2,061 | 1,395 | 1,386 |
| As % of all contract IT jobs advertised in the North West | 51.29% | 61.73% | 57.82% |
| Number of daily rates quoted | 1,152 | 912 | 759 |
| 10th Percentile | £263 | £255 | £275 |
| 25th Percentile | £400 | £375 | £389 |
| Median daily rate (50th Percentile) | £500 | £450 | £480 |
| Median % change year-on-year | +11.11% | -6.25% | -4.00% |
| 75th Percentile | £600 | £550 | £575 |
| 90th Percentile | £688 | £677 | £664 |
| England median daily rate | £525 | £500 | £525 |
| % change year-on-year | +5.00% | -4.76% | -4.55% |
| Number of hourly rates quoted | 281 | 116 | 86 |
| 10th Percentile | £14.06 | £12.91 | £16.13 |
| 25th Percentile | £19.50 | £15.50 | £19.43 |
| Median hourly rate | £35.50 | £23.57 | £35.00 |
| Median % change year-on-year | +50.65% | -32.67% | +55.35% |
| 75th Percentile | £63.75 | £45.88 | £45.89 |
| 90th Percentile | £80.00 | £65.13 | £63.75 |
| England median hourly rate | £28.00 | £25.00 | £35.00 |
| % change year-on-year | +12.00% | -28.57% | +16.67% |
Public Sector Job Vacancy Trend in the North West
Historical trend showing the proportion of contract IT job postings citing Public Sector relative to all contract IT jobs advertised in the North West.
Public Sector Daily Rate Trend in the North West
Contractor daily rate distribution trend for jobs in the North West citing Public Sector.
Public Sector Daily Rate Histogram in the North West
Daily rate distribution for jobs citing Public Sector in the North West over the 6 months to 18 October 2026.
Public Sector Hourly Rate Trend in the North West
Contractor hourly rate distribution trend for jobs in the North West citing Public Sector.
Public Sector Hourly Rate Histogram in the North West
Hourly rate distribution of jobs citing Public Sector in the North West over the 6 months to 18 October 2026.
Public Sector 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 Public Sector within the North West 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manchester | -16 | 176 | £566 | +29.43% | 206 |
| Cheshire | -3 | 26 | £510 | +22.89% | 5 |
| Merseyside | -10 | 23 | £525 | -1.87% | 14 |
| Lancashire | -12 | 22 | £575 | +26.37% | 30 |
| Cumbria | -29 | 9 | £376 | -30.37% | |
| Public Sector England |
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Public Sector Co-Occurring Skills & Capabilities in the North West 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 | 27.0% | 71 |
| 2 | Military | 16.7% | 44 |
| 3 | Finance | 9.5% | 25 |
| 4 | Analytical Skills | 6.1% | 16 |
| 5 | Local Government | 4.6% | 12 |
| 6 | Influencing Skills | 3.8% | 10 |
| 7 | Legal | 2.7% | 7 |
| 8 | Presentation Skills | 2.3% | 6 |
| 9 | Organisational Skills | 1.9% | 5 |
| 9 | Police | 1.9% | 5 |
| 11 | Marketing | 1.1% | 3 |
| 12 | Documentation Skills | 0.8% | 2 |
| 12 | General Ledger | 0.8% | 2 |
| 14 | Inclusion and Diversity | 0.4% | 1 |
| 14 | Telecoms | 0.4% | 1 |