Leader
UK
The median Leader daily rate in the UK is £550, according to job vacancies posted in the 6 months leading up to 16 February 2026.
The table below compares current contractor rates and summary statistics with the previous two years.
| 6 months to 16 Feb 2026 |
Same period 2025 | Same period 2024 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | 24 | 29 | 28 |
| Rank change year-on-year | +5 | -1 | +9 |
| Contract jobs requiring a Lead | 2,887 | 1,976 | 2,644 |
| As % of all contract jobs in the UK | 7.24% | 6.44% | 5.91% |
| As % of the Job Titles category | 7.90% | 6.93% | 6.34% |
| Number of daily rates quoted | 1,859 | 1,270 | 1,701 |
| 10th Percentile | £373 | £409 | £400 |
| 25th Percentile | £463 | £500 | £481 |
| Median daily rate (50th Percentile) | £550 | £600 | £575 |
| Median % change year-on-year | -8.33% | +4.35% | -4.17% |
| 75th Percentile | £669 | £688 | £688 |
| 90th Percentile | £774 | £800 | £775 |
| UK excluding London median daily rate | £537 | £550 | £550 |
| % change year-on-year | -2.36% | - | - |
| Number of hourly rates quoted | 96 | 38 | 92 |
| 10th Percentile | £18.25 | £20.88 | £15.17 |
| 25th Percentile | £30.37 | £24.21 | £32.38 |
| Median hourly rate | £45.46 | £48.09 | £46.18 |
| Median % change year-on-year | -5.47% | +4.14% | +8.66% |
| 75th Percentile | £65.05 | £72.50 | £74.00 |
| 90th Percentile | £85.79 | £81.13 | £75.25 |
| UK excluding London median hourly rate | £45.46 | £51.75 | £46.18 |
| % change year-on-year | -12.15% | +12.06% | +0.39% |
All Contract IT Job Roles
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 | 36,541 | 28,512 | 41,697 |
| % of contract IT jobs with a recognized job title | 91.61% | 92.94% | 93.14% |
| Number of daily rates quoted | 22,964 | 17,617 | 27,442 |
| 10th Percentile | £304 | £288 | £275 |
| 25th Percentile | £406 | £406 | £410 |
| Median daily rate (50th Percentile) | £500 | £525 | £525 |
| Median % change year-on-year | -4.76% | - | -4.55% |
| 75th Percentile | £614 | £638 | £638 |
| 90th Percentile | £720 | £738 | £738 |
| UK excluding London median daily rate | £478 | £475 | £489 |
| % change year-on-year | +0.53% | -2.86% | -2.20% |
| Number of hourly rates quoted | 2,238 | 809 | 2,311 |
| 10th Percentile | £14.61 | £16.20 | £13.13 |
| 25th Percentile | £18.87 | £21.46 | £16.30 |
| Median hourly rate | £30.00 | £33.54 | £35.00 |
| Median % change year-on-year | -10.55% | -4.17% | -5.74% |
| 75th Percentile | £61.55 | £63.75 | £60.75 |
| 90th Percentile | £72.51 | £75.00 | £72.50 |
| UK excluding London median hourly rate | £29.60 | £32.50 | £35.00 |
| % change year-on-year | -8.92% | -7.14% | - |
Lead
Job Vacancy Trend
Historical trend showing the proportion of contract IT job postings featuring 'Lead' in the job title relative to all contract IT jobs advertised.
Lead
Daily Rate Trend
Contractor daily rate distribution trend for Lead job vacancies in the UK.
Lead
Daily Rate Histogram
Daily rate distribution for jobs citing Lead over the 6 months to 16 February 2026.
Lead
Hourly Rate Trend
Contractor hourly rate distribution trend for Lead job vacancies in the UK.
Lead
Hourly Rate Histogram
Hourly rate distribution of jobs citing Lead over the 6 months to 16 February 2026.
Lead
Top 17 Contract Job 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 16 February 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| England | +1 | 2,486 | £550 | -8.33% | 1,338 |
| UK excluding London | +5 | 1,349 | £537 | -2.36% | 1,072 |
| London | +1 | 1,162 | £575 | -4.17% | 470 |
| Work from Home | +5 | 806 | £575 | -4.17% | 676 |
| South East | +14 | 378 | £575 | -4.17% | 381 |
| North of England | +5 | 370 | £539 | +2.62% | 276 |
| Midlands | 0 | 240 | £504 | -2.37% | 138 |
| South West | +19 | 182 | £510 | -17.27% | 105 |
| West Midlands | -2 | 182 | £525 | - | 83 |
| North West | +10 | 174 | £555 | +5.71% | 171 |
| Yorkshire | -7 | 156 | £527 | +0.38% | 95 |
| East of England | -9 | 84 | £560 | +14.29% | 97 |
| Scotland | -5 | 67 | £450 | -20.07% | 68 |
| East Midlands | +2 | 56 | £450 | +12.50% | 55 |
| North East | +4 | 47 | £550 | -2.65% | 11 |
| Wales | +11 | 35 | £455 | +82.00% | 19 |
| Northern Ireland | - | 1 | - | - | 8 |
Lead Skill Set
Top 30 Co-Occurring Skills & Capabilities
For the 6 months to 16 February 2026, Lead 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 featuring Lead in the job title.
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Lead Skill Set
Co-Occurring Skills & Capabilities 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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