22
2024
Continued
Contractor Profile
Contract Length
The average contract length is now 14 months, down from 16 months in 2023. Almost half of the sample (47%) reported their contract length between 7-12 months. There has been a reduction in average contract length with the number of contracts longer than 13 months reducing from 27% in 2023 to 23% in 2024.
Holidays
In recent years, there has been an upward trend in the amount of holiday time contractors are taking. Back in 2021, contractors, on average, took 17 days off. That number has grown by 5 days, reaching an average of 22 days per year in 2024.
However, it’s interesting to note that despite the average rising to 22 days, 61% of contractors reported taking less than 23 days of holiday in a year. This statistic shows contractors have a diverse approach to time off, suggesting that while the trend is towards taking more holidays, the majority remain cautious.
Average Holiday Days
24 days
2023
21 days
2022
17 days
2021
Contractor Motivation
Higher earnings and job autonomy stand out as the key motivations for contractors, with 71% citing higher earnings and independence as their main reasons for choosing contract work. The motivation to work with blue chip companies has dropped from 37% expressing this to be a motivating factor in 2023 to 21% in 2024.
Average Daily Rate
The reported average daily rate for contractors varies significantly across industries. A contractor’s age greatly influences their daily earnings, with older contractors typically earning more than their younger counterparts, gender also plays a role with females typically paid less than males. Generally, contractors receive higher pay than permanent employees in similar roles. This higher compensation accounts for the perceived lower job security and the absence of additional benefits, such as holiday and sick pay, which professional contractors do not receive.
€571
Average Daily Rate
€555
Average Female Daily Rate
€578
Average Male Daily Rate
Average Daily Rate by Industry
| 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | |
| Accommodation and food service | €375.00 | €275.00 | €0.00 | €0.00 |
| Administrative and support service | €605.00 | €825.00 | €339.00 | €450.00 |
| Agriculture, forestry and fishing | €485.00 | €453.00 | €527.00 | €447.00 |
| Construction | €598.00 | €676.00 | €732.00 | €459.00 |
| Creative, art, entertainment and recreation | €524.00 | €413.00 | €522.00 | €525.00 |
| Education | €616.00 | €402.00 | €1,186.00 | €515.00 |
| Electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply | €619.00 | €473.00 | €557.00 | €564.00 |
| Engineering and technical activities | €545.00 | €543.00 | €565.00 | €460.00 |
| Finance | €661.00 | €633.00 | €598.00 | €589.00 |
| Information Technology | €532.00 | €540.00 | €568.00 | €529.00 |
| Insurance | €767.00 | €620.00 | €591.00 | €544.00 |
| Life Sciences | €581.00 | €561.00 | €582.00 | €488.00 |
| Manufacturing | €599.00 | €516.00 | €638.00 | €510.00 |
| Marketing and design | €630.00 | €353.00 | €617.00 | €366.00 |
| Medical Device | €498.00 | €493.00 | €451.00 | €429.00 |
| Medical Locum | €522.00 | €670.00 | €597.00 | €475.00 |
| Mining and quarrying | €0.00 | €0.00 | €560.00 | €0.00 |
| Other human health and social work activities | €612.00 | €898.00 | €434.00 | €459.00 |
| Other scientific activities | €389.00 | €690.00 | €288.00 | €0.00 |
| Other service activities | €560.00 | €0.00 | €728.00 | €699.00 |
| Other service activities | €560.00 | €413.00 | €0.00 | €0.00 |
| Pharma | €496.00 | €527.00 | €509.00 | €452.00 |
| Professional activities (e.g., legal, management consultancy, advertising, etc.) | €725.00 | €767.00 | €702.00 | €733.00 |
| Public administration and defence (compulsory social security) | €654.00 | €586.00 | €762.00 | €615.00 |
| Real estate | €300.00 | €400.00 | €738.00 | €0.00 |
| Telecommunications | €549.00 | €581.00 | €576.00 | €0.00 |
| Transport and storage | €606.00 | €625.00 | €552.00 | €559.00 |
| Water supply; sewerage, waste management and remediation | €715.00 | €590.00 | €531.00 | €527.00 |
| Wholesale and retail trade (including sales of clothing, footwear and textiles, repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles) | €456.00 | €650.00 | €580.00 | €480.00 |
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Contractor Profile
- Contractors are Happy
- Facators that influence contract work
- AI at work
- The confidence index