Microsoft SQL Server (MS SQL)
UK
The table below provides summary statistics and contractor rates for jobs requiring SQL Server skills. It covers contract job vacancies from the 6 months leading up to 16 March 2026, with comparisons to the same periods in the previous two years.
| 6 months to 16 Mar 2026 |
Same period 2025 | Same period 2024 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | 135 | 93 | 65 |
| Rank change year-on-year | -42 | -28 | -14 |
| Contract jobs citing SQL Server | 868 | 809 | 1,371 |
| As % of all contract jobs in the UK | 2.01% | 2.74% | 3.08% |
| As % of the Database & Business Intelligence category | 12.55% | 14.38% | 18.77% |
| Number of daily rates quoted | 588 | 592 | 949 |
| 10th Percentile | £350 | £332 | £325 |
| 25th Percentile | £406 | £409 | £400 |
| Median daily rate (50th Percentile) | £490 | £500 | £525 |
| Median % change year-on-year | -2.05% | -4.76% | -1.87% |
| 75th Percentile | £588 | £625 | £638 |
| 90th Percentile | £662 | £700 | £720 |
| UK excluding London median daily rate | £455 | £500 | £475 |
| % change year-on-year | -9.00% | +5.26% | - |
| Number of hourly rates quoted | 26 | 9 | 31 |
| 10th Percentile | £16.10 | £24.50 | £20.25 |
| 25th Percentile | £21.25 | £25.25 | £38.81 |
| Median hourly rate | £39.10 | £27.35 | £40.25 |
| Median % change year-on-year | +42.96% | -32.05% | -7.75% |
| 75th Percentile | £63.50 | £65.00 | £60.75 |
| 90th Percentile | £69.72 | £65.62 | £70.00 |
| UK excluding London median hourly rate | £27.44 | £27.35 | £40.25 |
| % change year-on-year | +0.33% | -32.05% | +15.00% |
All Database & BI Skills
UK
SQL Server falls under the Databases and Business Intelligence category. For comparison with the information above, the following table provides summary statistics for all contract job vacancies requiring database or business intelligence skills.
| Contract vacancies with a requirement for database or business intelligence skills | 6,917 | 5,627 | 7,303 |
| As % of all contract IT jobs advertised in the UK | 16.04% | 19.03% | 16.42% |
| Number of daily rates quoted | 4,752 | 3,891 | 5,170 |
| 10th Percentile | £349 | £350 | £340 |
| 25th Percentile | £413 | £422 | £425 |
| Median daily rate (50th Percentile) | £500 | £525 | £525 |
| Median % change year-on-year | -4.76% | - | -4.55% |
| 75th Percentile | £600 | £650 | £650 |
| 90th Percentile | £700 | £763 | £750 |
| UK excluding London median daily rate | £475 | £495 | £488 |
| % change year-on-year | -4.04% | +1.54% | -2.50% |
| Number of hourly rates quoted | 143 | 96 | 172 |
| 10th Percentile | £18.25 | £19.59 | £14.36 |
| 25th Percentile | £28.19 | £24.06 | £20.77 |
| Median hourly rate | £50.00 | £30.00 | £40.25 |
| Median % change year-on-year | +66.67% | -25.47% | -32.92% |
| 75th Percentile | £74.84 | £64.56 | £58.81 |
| 90th Percentile | £84.80 | £70.00 | £72.50 |
| UK excluding London median hourly rate | £50.00 | £27.50 | £40.00 |
| % change year-on-year | +81.82% | -31.25% | -30.43% |
SQL Server
Job Vacancy Trend
Historical trend showing the proportion of contract IT job postings citing SQL Server relative to all contract IT jobs advertised.
SQL Server
Daily Rate Trend
Contractor daily rate distribution trend for jobs in the UK citing SQL Server.
SQL Server
Daily Rate Histogram
Daily rate distribution for jobs citing SQL Server over the 6 months to 16 March 2026.
SQL Server
Hourly Rate Trend
Contractor hourly rate distribution trend for jobs in the UK citing SQL Server.
SQL Server
Hourly Rate Histogram
Hourly rate distribution of jobs citing SQL Server over the 6 months to 16 March 2026.
SQL Server
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 SQL Server within the UK over the 6 months to 16 March 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 | -46 | 763 | £490 | -4.44% | 478 |
| London | -28 | 456 | £500 | -9.09% | 130 |
| UK excluding London | -49 | 330 | £455 | -9.00% | 417 |
| Work from Home | -38 | 271 | £506 | +2.02% | 248 |
| South East | -39 | 103 | £484 | -3.20% | 132 |
| North of England | -29 | 98 | £450 | +5.88% | 112 |
| North West | -29 | 60 | £466 | +6.57% | 61 |
| Yorkshire | -35 | 36 | £400 | -0.06% | 45 |
| Scotland | +8 | 33 | £455 | -11.22% | 31 |
| Midlands | -70 | 32 | £450 | -10.00% | 60 |
| South West | -36 | 31 | £488 | -11.36% | 48 |
| West Midlands | -69 | 23 | £450 | -21.74% | 24 |
| East of England | -16 | 21 | £600 | +14.83% | 38 |
| Wales | -1 | 9 | £418 | +149.90% | 8 |
| East Midlands | -36 | 7 | £425 | +11.70% | 36 |
| Northern Ireland | -1 | 3 | £430 | - | |
| North East | -10 | 3 | £475 | +14.11% | 9 |
SQL Server
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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