Average IT contractor day rates in the UK have jumped 9.11% in the last 12 months, and have hit £431, according to a new report by Experis, the ManpowerGroup professional staffing brand.

The report, Tech Cities Job Watch Survey, also states that the UK’s Gig economy is picking up pace, with an almost double year-on-year growth in permanent salaries, up by 4.61%.

Meanwhile, 15% of the UK workforce works in a freelance capacity. There is now more demand for freelance workers, than there is for permanent workers. Demand for freelance workers is up 2.23% against the demand for permanent workers which is up 1.95%

"Gig working and digital platforms make it very easy for tech professionals to go freelance and for employers to tap into global talent. With their skills highly sought after, IT experts can demand a premium as well as have their pick of projects", Geoff Smith, managing director at Experis, said.

"This trend is only set to rise,” Smith said. “69% of IT managers will become increasingly reliant on temp staff to plug the growing skills gap and they believe 28% of their workforce needs to be employed on a contingent basis to achieve tech transformation. As we navigate through times of uncertainty following Brexit, a flexible workforce that can be quickly scaled up or down will be more attractive too.”

Cloud has seen the biggest year-on-year growth in day rates (11.34 %), followed by IT security (4.98%) and mobile (3.49%).