UK freelancers surveyed by freelance jobs platform YunoJuno saw an average increase in day rates of around 10% in 2023, with the average freelancer earning £375 per day. Yet there are huge gaps in pay within the same industry, the survey found. Are you earning to your full potential?
It happens all the time in the workplace. Two people have the same role, but one colleague has somehow negotiated or been granted a much higher salary package than the other. This can cause friction between colleagues and serious regret, especially for the colleague who has probably lost out on thousands if not tens of thousands in earning potential.
That is why in the freelance economy it pays to know what other freelancers in your industry are charging and on average getting paid.
Of the industries covered in the YunoJuno survey, the highest earning fields were market research (£518 average per day), data (£515), and strategy (£502). The longest average project lengths were for those working in QA/testing (69 working days), followed by software engineering (66 working days) and design (62 working days).
The most common roles within the highest-earning disciplines were:
- Market research: analyst, researcher
- Data: scientist, analyst, engineer
- Strategy: consultant, manager, planner
The report also found that the most common day rate range for freelancers across all disciplines was £300-400 per day.
Freelancers can use the report to benchmark their rates against other freelancers in their discipline and experience level. For example, those working in certain industries, such as the creative sector, can see that the average day rate was £399, up 6% from 2021. The minimum in 2022 in the creative sector was £250 and a maximum of £650.
To read the report in full, go here.