Leader
UK
The median Leader daily rate in the UK is £575, according to job vacancies posted in the 6 months leading up to 5 July 2025.
The table below provides contractor rate benchmarking and summary statistics, comparing them to the same period in the previous two years.
| 6 months to 5 Jul 2025 |
Same period 2024 | Same period 2023 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | 30 | 30 | 30 |
| Rank change year-on-year | 0 | 0 | +7 |
| Contract jobs requiring a Lead | 1,949 | 2,504 | 3,349 |
| As % of all contract jobs advertised in the UK | 6.13% | 5.78% | 5.92% |
| As % of the Job Titles category | 6.66% | 6.21% | 6.27% |
| Number of daily rates quoted | 1,284 | 1,557 | 2,265 |
| 10th Percentile | £385 | £395 | £413 |
| 25th Percentile | £481 | £488 | £500 |
| Median daily rate (50th Percentile) | £575 | £580 | £600 |
| Median % change year-on-year | -0.86% | -3.33% | +4.35% |
| 75th Percentile | £675 | £700 | £700 |
| 90th Percentile | £796 | £850 | £775 |
| UK excluding London median daily rate | £540 | £550 | £563 |
| % change year-on-year | -1.90% | -2.22% | +7.14% |
| Number of hourly rates quoted | 42 | 123 | 59 |
| 10th Percentile | £34.19 | £15.03 | £21.85 |
| 25th Percentile | £50.00 | £21.66 | £39.88 |
| Median hourly rate | £65.00 | £45.00 | £52.50 |
| Median % change year-on-year | +44.44% | -14.29% | +20.41% |
| 75th Percentile | £85.38 | £72.50 | £65.00 |
| 90th Percentile | £91.50 | £74.00 | £72.19 |
| UK excluding London median hourly rate | £70.00 | £46.18 | £55.00 |
| % change year-on-year | +51.58% | -16.04% | +30.95% |
All Contract IT Job Vacancies
UK
For comparison with the information above, the following table provides summary statistics for all contract IT job vacancies. 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 UK with a recognized job title | 29,261 | 40,308 | 53,403 |
| % of contract IT jobs with a recognized job title | 92.00% | 92.99% | 94.46% |
| Number of daily rates quoted | 18,659 | 25,937 | 37,084 |
| 10th Percentile | £287 | £285 | £313 |
| 25th Percentile | £400 | £410 | £425 |
| Median daily rate (50th Percentile) | £500 | £525 | £538 |
| Median % change year-on-year | -4.76% | -2.33% | +1.42% |
| 75th Percentile | £625 | £638 | £650 |
| 90th Percentile | £738 | £750 | £750 |
| UK excluding London median daily rate | £475 | £494 | £500 |
| % change year-on-year | -3.85% | -1.20% | +4.17% |
| Number of hourly rates quoted | 1,318 | 2,814 | 1,558 |
| 10th Percentile | £13.75 | £12.86 | £14.25 |
| 25th Percentile | £17.44 | £16.65 | £19.00 |
| Median hourly rate | £26.39 | £38.50 | £43.00 |
| Median % change year-on-year | -31.47% | -10.47% | +70.13% |
| 75th Percentile | £55.25 | £63.31 | £65.00 |
| 90th Percentile | £72.90 | £74.00 | £77.00 |
| UK excluding London median hourly rate | £25.15 | £40.00 | £39.55 |
| % change year-on-year | -37.13% | +1.14% | +96.47% |
Lead
Job Vacancy Trend
Job postings that featured Lead in the job title as a proportion of all IT jobs advertised.
Lead
Contractor Daily Rate Trend
3-month moving average daily rate quoted in jobs citing Lead.
Lead
Daily Rate Histogram
Daily rate distribution for jobs citing Lead over the 6 months to 5 July 2025.
Lead
Contractor Hourly Rate Trend
3-month moving average hourly rates quoted in jobs citing Lead.
Lead
Hourly Rate Histogram
Hourly rate distribution of jobs citing Lead over the 6 months to 5 July 2025.
Lead
Top 18 Contract Locations
The table below looks at the demand and provides a guide to the median contractor rates quoted in IT jobs citing Lead within the UK over the 6 months to 5 July 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| England | +2 | 1,639 | £600 | +1.91% | 6,807 |
| London | -1 | 878 | £625 | +0.81% | 3,481 |
| UK excluding London | -3 | 787 | £540 | -1.90% | 3,816 |
| Work from Home | +1 | 651 | £600 | - | 2,940 |
| North of England | -2 | 216 | £500 | -9.09% | 1,004 |
| South East | -3 | 172 | £575 | +1.10% | 966 |
| North West | -5 | 131 | £481 | -16.30% | 577 |
| South West | -5 | 121 | £625 | +13.64% | 425 |
| Midlands | -14 | 114 | £502 | -4.38% | 554 |
| West Midlands | -12 | 80 | £525 | -4.55% | 325 |
| Scotland | -10 | 79 | £523 | -0.48% | 290 |
| Yorkshire | +4 | 75 | £500 | -6.98% | 348 |
| East of England | +16 | 68 | £580 | +16.00% | 417 |
| East Midlands | -10 | 31 | £358 | +5.76% | 222 |
| Wales | +11 | 15 | £305 | -45.45% | 122 |
| North East | -2 | 12 | £625 | +17.37% | 79 |
| Northern Ireland | -21 | 3 | £590 | +7.27% | 91 |
| Channel Islands | - | 3 | £725 | - |
Lead Skill Set
Top 30 Co-occurring Skills and Capabilities
For the 6 months to 5 July 2025, Lead contract job roles required the following skills and capabilities in order of popularity. The figures indicate the absolute number co-occurrences and as a proportion of all contract job ads featuring Lead in the job title.
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Lead Skill Set
Co-occurring Skills and Capabilities by Category
The follow tables expand on the table above by listing co-occurrences grouped by category. The same employment type, locality and period is covered with up to 20 co-occurrences shown in each of the following categories:
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