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
31,178
34,025
44,349
% of contract IT jobs with a recognized job title
90.90%
92.87%
93.83%
Number of daily rates quoted
19,741
20,526
30,227
10th Percentile
£278
£300
£300
25th Percentile
£400
£413
£413
Median daily rate (50th Percentile)
£500
£525
£525
Median % change year-on-year
-4.76%
-
-4.55%
75th Percentile
£619
£638
£650
90th Percentile
£725
£738
£745
UK excluding London median daily rate
£475
£490
£500
% change year-on-year
-3.06%
-2.00%
-
Number of hourly rates quoted
1,748
1,301
1,540
10th Percentile
£14.00
£15.03
£14.74
25th Percentile
£17.50
£20.19
£19.06
Median hourly rate
£25.15
£37.50
£45.00
Median % change year-on-year
-32.93%
-16.67%
+62.28%
75th Percentile
£50.75
£65.00
£65.00
90th Percentile
£69.51
£73.75
£77.50
UK excluding London median hourly rate
£25.08
£37.50
£44.50
% change year-on-year
-33.13%
-15.73%
+90.25%
Penetration Tester Job Vacancy Trend
Historical trend showing the proportion of contract IT job postings featuring 'Penetration Tester' in the job title relative to all contract IT jobs advertised.
Penetration Tester Daily Rate Trend
Contractor daily rate distribution trend for Penetration Tester job vacancies in the UK.
Penetration Tester Daily Rate Histogram
Daily rate distribution for jobs citing Penetration Tester over the 6 months to 31 October 2025.
Penetration Tester Hourly Rate Trend
Contractor hourly rate distribution trend for Penetration Tester job vacancies in the UK.
Penetration Tester Top 9 Contract Job Locations
The table below looks at the demand and provides a guide to the median contractor rates quoted in IT jobs citing Penetration Tester within the UK over the 6 months to 31 October 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
Penetration Tester Skill Set Top 30 Co-Occurring Skills & Capabilities
For the 6 months to 31 October 2025, Penetration Tester 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 Penetration Tester in the job title.
Penetration Tester 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:
