QA Contract Job Trends in the Thames Valley
Quality Assurance (QA)
South East > Thames Valley
The table below provides summary statistics and contractor rates for jobs advertised in the Thames Valley requiring QA skills. It covers contract job vacancies from the 6 months leading up to 16 October 2026, with comparisons to the same periods in the previous two years.
| 6 months to 16 Oct 2026 |
Same period 2025 | Same period 2024 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | 73 | 67 | 64 |
| Rank change year-on-year | -6 | -3 | +18 |
| Contract jobs citing QA | 85 | 56 | 59 |
| As % of all contract jobs in the Thames Valley | 2.79% | 3.23% | 2.71% |
| As % of the Quality Assurance & Compliance category | 16.10% | 16.92% | 21.93% |
| Number of daily rates quoted | 51 | 39 | 23 |
| 10th Percentile | £339 | £215 | £238 |
| 25th Percentile | £363 | £408 | £344 |
| Median daily rate (50th Percentile) | £440 | £500 | £480 |
| Median % change year-on-year | -12.00% | +4.17% | +1.05% |
| 75th Percentile | £513 | £550 | £563 |
| 90th Percentile | £575 | £640 | £635 |
| South East median daily rate | £425 | £500 | £425 |
| % change year-on-year | -15.00% | +17.65% | -10.53% |
| Number of hourly rates quoted | 6 | 2 | 2 |
| 10th Percentile | £15.75 | - | £22.74 |
| 25th Percentile | £17.53 | - | £29.09 |
| Median hourly rate | £21.88 | £15.12 | £40.35 |
| Median % change year-on-year | +44.68% | -62.53% | -19.30% |
| 75th Percentile | £29.13 | - | £51.79 |
| 90th Percentile | £31.88 | - | £58.25 |
| South East median hourly rate | £33.00 | £15.12 | £55.00 |
| % change year-on-year | +118.25% | -72.51% | +10.00% |
All Quality Assurance and Compliance Skills
Thames Valley
QA falls under the Quality Assurance and Compliance category. For comparison with the information above, the following table provides summary statistics for all contract job vacancies requiring quality assurance or compliance skills in the Thames Valley.
| 6 months to 16 Oct 2026 |
Same period 2025 | Same period 2024 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Contract vacancies with a requirement for quality assurance or compliance skills | 528 | 331 | 269 |
| As % of all contract IT jobs advertised in the Thames Valley | 17.34% | 19.11% | 12.37% |
| Number of daily rates quoted | 318 | 198 | 116 |
| 10th Percentile | £360 | £307 | £258 |
| 25th Percentile | £432 | £410 | £385 |
| Median daily rate (50th Percentile) | £538 | £500 | £498 |
| Median % change year-on-year | +7.50% | +0.50% | -0.50% |
| 75th Percentile | £610 | £600 | £561 |
| 90th Percentile | £775 | £654 | £666 |
| South East median daily rate | £525 | £500 | £490 |
| % change year-on-year | +5.00% | +2.04% | -6.67% |
| Number of hourly rates quoted | 62 | 21 | 13 |
| 10th Percentile | £16.12 | £15.12 | £15.88 |
| 25th Percentile | £20.81 | £15.13 | £35.58 |
| Median hourly rate | £47.50 | £18.87 | £61.71 |
| Median % change year-on-year | +151.72% | -69.42% | +22.12% |
| 75th Percentile | £71.00 | £83.00 | £64.73 |
| 90th Percentile | £86.94 | £89.63 | £66.95 |
| South East median hourly rate | £33.00 | £17.48 | £55.00 |
| % change year-on-year | +88.79% | -68.22% | +7.73% |
QA Job Vacancy Trend in the Thames Valley
Historical trend showing the proportion of contract IT job postings citing QA relative to all contract IT jobs advertised in the Thames Valley.
QA Daily Rate Trend in the Thames Valley
Contractor daily rate distribution trend for jobs in the Thames Valley citing QA.
QA Daily Rate Histogram in the Thames Valley
Daily rate distribution for jobs citing QA in the Thames Valley over the 6 months to 16 October 2026.
QA Hourly Rate Trend in the Thames Valley
Contractor hourly rate distribution trend for jobs in the Thames Valley citing QA.
QA Hourly Rate Histogram in the Thames Valley
Hourly rate distribution of jobs citing QA in the Thames Valley over the 6 months to 16 October 2026.
QA Contract Job Locations in the Thames Valley
The table below looks at the demand and provides a guide to the median contractor rates quoted in IT jobs citing QA within the Thames Valley region over the 6 months to 16 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 |
Matching Contract IT Job Ads |
Median Daily Rate Past 6 Months |
Median Daily Rate % Change on Same Period Last Year |
Live Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Berkshire | -12 | 57 | £463 | -11.90% | 64 |
| Buckinghamshire | -9 | 25 | £430 | +4.24% | 25 |
| Oxfordshire | -26 | 3 | £375 | +145.10% | 34 |
| QA South East |
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QA Co-Occurring Skills & Capabilities in the Thames Valley 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.
Quality Assurance & Compliance
| Rank | Skill | Share | Job Ads |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Data Quality | 7.1% | 6 |
| 2 | SLA | 2.4% | 2 |
| 2 | Software Quality Assurance | 2.4% | 2 |
| 4 | Disclosure Scotland | 1.2% | 1 |