The salary data driving smarter decisions in leadership, technology and change
The La Fosse Salary Index is our annual deep dive into salaries, hiring trends and workforce capability across technology, data, product and transformation. Built from live placement data across more than 5,000 roles, combined with insight from our specialist consultants, it’s the market intelligence organisations and professionals need to plan, hire and compete in 2026.
The numbers that matter
The 2026 market at a glance
This year’s report reveals a market in transition. Salary inflation has cooled in generalist roles, but specialist talent in AI, data, cloud and security continues to command significant premiums. More striking is the shift in what drives talent decisions: benefits have overtaken base salary as the primary factor for senior hires, and retention has become a bigger challenge than recruitment for 42% of hiring managers.
Whether you’re building your 2026 hiring strategy or benchmarking your own market value, The La Fosse Salary Index gives you the data to move with confidence.
“2026 will reward organisations that have done the groundwork: strong leadership pipelines, teams equipped with the right skills, and a culture that retains top talent. Those still relying on reactive hiring will find themselves falling behind.” — Ollie Whiting, Group CEO
Benchmark your salary live
Want to know where you stand?
Our Salary Benchmark Tool compares your salary or day rate against real placement data, filtered by job type, function and role. Whether you’re permanent, contract inside IR35 or contract outside IR35, see how you measure up against the market.
What's shaping the market in 2026?
Benefits have overtaken salary as the #1 driver for senior talent
Flexible working, development opportunities and inclusive leadership now carry more weight than base pay alone. Candidates are willing to walk away from lucrative packages if the environment doesn’t align with their values and career goals.
Retention is the new recruitment
Replacement costs for senior hires have risen nearly 20% year-on-year, making retention a board-level priority. The organisations getting ahead are those creating environments where talented people genuinely want to stay and grow.
The skills gap isn't closing on its own
AI is reshaping every role, every team, every business. With 9 out of 10 workers requiring new skills to stay relevant, organisations are shifting investment from external hiring to internal capability building and upskilling.
Specialist skills continue to command premiums
While general wage inflation has plateaued, targeted increases continue where the commercial impact is clear. AI, data, cloud engineering and security professionals remain scarce, driving sustained salary growth of 10-30% above market average.
What's included in the report
The La Fosse Salary Index 2026 provides comprehensive salary benchmarks and market insight across:
- Technology and IT: Cloud, Infrastructure, DevOps, InfoSec, Privacy and Governance
- Data, Engineering and Digital: Product, UX, Design, Software Engineering, Data and AI, IT Architecture
- Projects and Programmes: Change and Transformation, ERP, CRM
- Corporate Functions: Finance Transformation
- Permanent, contract and interim rates across all disciplines
- Expert commentary from our specialist consultants on what’s driving market movement
- 2026 outlook with actionable insight for hiring managers and candidates
Get the full report with detailed salary benchmarks, market trends and expert insight to inform your 2026 talent strategy.
Beyond the benchmark
The La Fosse Salary Index is just one part of how we support organisations and professionals across the tech and transformation landscape. Through our research, community initiatives and pro bono work, we’re addressing the deeper challenges shaping the future of work.
UNBOUND
Our community for women in tech and transformation. UNBOUND provides structured development, mentorship matching and a powerful network designed to support women at every stage of their careers. From early career professionals to senior leaders, UNBOUND is building the leadership pipeline the industry needs.
Our research underpins everything we do. The Women at Work Blueprint draws on conversations with over 1,700 women in tech to uncover the systemic barriers preventing women from entering, advancing and thriving in technology careers. Our Gen Z Women whitepaper, based on research with over 1,500 Gen Z women, explores how organisations can attract, engage and retain the next generation of female talent. Together, these reports provide a roadmap for businesses ready to take meaningful action.
ConnEx
Mobilising leadership for good. ConnEx is La Fosse’s pro bono advisory initiative that connects UK charities with C-suite executive talent, completely free of charge. We place senior leaders from finance, technology, data, operations, people and cyber security into advisory roles with charities, providing strategic guidance that helps organisations reach their full potential. This isn’t one-off consultancy. It’s about building long-term partnerships between executives who want to give back and charities who need access to expertise they couldn’t otherwise afford.
On 12th February 2026, we’re launching ConnEx at the Natural History Museum, bringing together 300-400 C-suite executives to connect with charity partners and explore advisory opportunities.
AI Reality Check
AI is transforming workplaces faster than most businesses can keep up. Employees are experimenting daily, often without guidance. Leadership teams lack the technical depth to make informed decisions. And without structure, training and expertise, companies are risking flawed decisions, data misuse and competitive disadvantage.
Our research surveying over 2,000 UK tech workers reveals the reality of workplace AI adoption. The findings challenge almost everything leadership teams think they know about AI readiness, risk and capability: 93% of C-level leaders say AI-informed decisions have been made using inaccurate data, only 27% of frontline staff trust C-suite AI expertise, and half the workforce expects AI will cause job losses at their company within three years.
This isn’t hype. It’s the data you need to adopt AI responsibly and at pace.
