Public Sector Contract Job Trends in Scotland
Public Sector
UK > Scotland
The table below looks at the prevalence of the term Public Sector in contract job vacancies in Scotland. Included is a benchmarking guide to the contractor rates offered in vacancies that cited Public Sector over the 6 months leading up to 29 October 2026, comparing them to the same period in the previous two years.
| 6 months to 29 Oct 2026 |
Same period 2025 | Same period 2024 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | 10 | 6 | 2 |
| Rank change year-on-year | -4 | -4 | -1 |
| Contract jobs citing Public Sector | 288 | 279 | 448 |
| As % of all contract jobs in Scotland | 12.20% | 17.32% | 24.79% |
| As % of the General category | 19.21% | 25.48% | 38.10% |
| Number of daily rates quoted | 180 | 178 | 302 |
| 10th Percentile | £270 | £208 | £164 |
| 25th Percentile | £375 | £352 | £319 |
| Median daily rate (50th Percentile) | £470 | £450 | £450 |
| Median % change year-on-year | +4.44% | - | -5.26% |
| 75th Percentile | £531 | £538 | £524 |
| 90th Percentile | £675 | £612 | £600 |
| UK median daily rate | £525 | £500 | £500 |
| % change year-on-year | +5.00% | - | -4.76% |
| Number of hourly rates quoted | 2 | 4 | 14 |
| 10th Percentile | - | £14.28 | £12.36 |
| 25th Percentile | £13.25 | £14.80 | £13.98 |
| Median hourly rate | £13.50 | £16.12 | £19.59 |
| Median % change year-on-year | -16.25% | -17.71% | +44.68% |
| 75th Percentile | £13.75 | £19.91 | £23.37 |
| 90th Percentile | - | £24.73 | £32.18 |
| UK median hourly rate | £21.35 | £20.86 | £22.78 |
| % change year-on-year | +2.37% | -8.45% | +6.42% |
All General Skills
Scotland
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 citing general skills in Scotland.
| 6 months to 29 Oct 2026 |
Same period 2025 | Same period 2024 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Contract vacancies citing general skills | 1,499 | 1,095 | 1,176 |
| As % of all contract jobs advertised in Scotland | 63.52% | 67.97% | 65.08% |
| Number of daily rates quoted | 796 | 651 | 673 |
| 10th Percentile | £212 | £203 | £165 |
| 25th Percentile | £363 | £363 | £322 |
| Median daily rate (50th Percentile) | £463 | £463 | £444 |
| Median % change year-on-year | - | +4.17% | -6.53% |
| 75th Percentile | £556 | £538 | £530 |
| 90th Percentile | £650 | £606 | £611 |
| UK median daily rate | £525 | £500 | £525 |
| % change year-on-year | +5.00% | -4.76% | -4.55% |
| Number of hourly rates quoted | 127 | 53 | 39 |
| 10th Percentile | £13.45 | £13.00 | £12.48 |
| 25th Percentile | £13.50 | £16.02 | £14.73 |
| Median hourly rate | £16.11 | £17.87 | £18.00 |
| Median % change year-on-year | -9.85% | -0.72% | -6.93% |
| 75th Percentile | £39.62 | £24.38 | £24.18 |
| 90th Percentile | £54.75 | £52.00 | £36.10 |
| UK median hourly rate | £27.00 | £24.34 | £30.00 |
| % change year-on-year | +10.93% | -18.87% | +0.47% |
Public Sector Job Vacancy Trend in Scotland
Historical trend showing the proportion of contract IT job postings citing Public Sector relative to all contract IT jobs advertised in Scotland.
Public Sector Daily Rate Trend in Scotland
Contractor daily rate distribution trend for jobs in Scotland citing Public Sector.
Public Sector Daily Rate Histogram in Scotland
Daily rate distribution for jobs citing Public Sector in Scotland over the 6 months to 29 October 2026.
Public Sector Hourly Rate Trend in Scotland
Contractor hourly rate distribution trend for jobs in Scotland citing Public Sector.
Public Sector Contract Job Locations in Scotland
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 Scotland region over the 6 months to 29 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 |
Job Ads Past 6 Months |
Median Daily Rate Past 6 Months |
Median Daily Rate % Change on Same Period Last Year |
Live Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Glasgow | +4 | 145 | £450 | -10.00% | 6 |
| Edinburgh | -1 | 116 | £475 | +4.40% | 18 |
| Lanarkshire | -1 | 6 | £413 | +217.31% | 5 |
| South Lanarkshire | -3 | 6 | £722 | +31.23% | |
| Fife | - | 3 | - | - | 1 |
| Dundee | +1 | 2 | £400 | +99.50% | |
| Aberdeen | -6 | 2 | £425 | +27.34% | 1 |
| Dumfries and Galloway | - | 2 | £500 | - | |
| Midlothian | -1 | 1 | £500 | +233.33% | 11 |
| Inverclyde | - | 1 | £675 | - | |
| East Lothian | - | 1 | - | - | |
| Highlands | - | 1 | - | - | 1 |
| Public Sector UK |
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Public Sector Co-Occurring Skills & Capabilities in Scotland 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 | 30.9% | 89 |
| 2 | Finance | 9.4% | 27 |
| 3 | Analytical Skills | 7.3% | 21 |
| 4 | Organisational Skills | 6.6% | 19 |
| 5 | Influencing Skills | 3.5% | 10 |
| 6 | Local Government | 2.8% | 8 |
| 7 | Documentation Skills | 2.4% | 7 |
| 8 | Legal | 2.1% | 6 |
| 8 | Marketing | 2.1% | 6 |
| 8 | Presentation Skills | 2.1% | 6 |
| 8 | Publishing | 2.1% | 6 |
| 12 | Military | 1.7% | 5 |
| 13 | Retail | 1.0% | 3 |
| 14 | Back Office | 0.7% | 2 |
| 14 | Law | 0.7% | 2 |
| 16 | Banking | 0.3% | 1 |
| 16 | Digital Healthcare | 0.3% | 1 |
| 16 | Fire and Rescue | 0.3% | 1 |
| 16 | Inclusion and Diversity | 0.3% | 1 |
| 16 | Multimedia | 0.3% | 1 |