Day rate
The average day rate in the Developer discipline was £414 per day, indicating a slight decrease of -1% year-on-year. Top 10% contracts didn’t experience a change, with an average rate of £623 per day.
![Bubble chart showing average day rate increases year-on-year for freelance designers. In 2021 average day rate was £399, in 2022 it was £419 and in 2023 it decreased by 1% to £414.](https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/61768ce7d6889589a6d448e9/65b2660317c5501c66f72ecf_Developers.png)
Experience
All experience levels, except Midweight roles witnessed a decrease in their average day rates, with Director Roles experiencing a notable decline of -15% year-on-year. Midweight roles saw no year-on-year change.
![](https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/61768ce7d6889589a6d448e9/65b90e22980ebc60cb35f0d6_DevelopersRate-Graphs-by-experience-v3-BIG.png)
Times are so difficult right now, especially for freelancers. Whilst this should always be the case and sort of goes without saying, it’s so important to make sure that you’re doing your utmost to ensure that your clients are getting your best work. After all, their success leads to your own.
Times are so difficult right now, especially for freelancers. Whilst this should always be the case and sort of goes without saying, it’s so important to make sure that you’re doing your utmost to ensure that your clients are getting your best work. After all, their success leads to your own.
Contract Length and Bookings
The Developer discipline stood out as one of the few experiencing a year-on-year increase in contract lengths. Contracts averaged 38 working days (just under 8 weeks), marking a notable increase of +7%. However, top 10% contracts averaged 92 working days (just over 18 weeks), reflecting a marginal year-on-year decrease of -2%.
Across all experience levels, except Director which saw no change, increased in contract length. Both Midweight and Senior roles saw the highest year-on-year increase at +6%.
The Development sector witnessed an uptick in bookings, experiencing a +9% year-on-year increase. There was an increase in demand observed during the first quarter of the year. Despite fluctuations, demand remained relatively stable for the remainder of the year, with March being the highest booking month in 2023.
![](https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/61768ce7d6889589a6d448e9/65b90ddaca80bd97e8dfcd82_Developer-Contract-Length-v5-BIG.png)
Roles
Solution Architects earned the highest day rate on average across the Developer discipline, earning £671 per day. Head of Engineering secured the longest contract length at 127 working days.
![Bar chart detailing average day rates by role for freelance developers. Solution Architects commanded the highest average day rate at £671 whereas Email Developers were the lowest average at £342.](https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/61768ce7d6889589a6d448e9/65b135768c0e5c0d06f25571_Developer-Roles-Day-Rates-v3.png)
![Bar chart detailing average contract length by role for freelance developers. Head of Engineering freelancers achieved the longest contracts on average at 127 days whereas Email Developers were the shortest at 16 days.](https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/61768ce7d6889589a6d448e9/65b1357a09a549a08fe7193a_Developer-Roles-Contract-Lengths-v3.png)
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