May 2026: Average Monthly Rate for Freelance Engineers Reaches 787,000 Yen; Engineering Manager Rates Surge
Key facts
- May 2026: Average Monthly Rate for Freelance Engineers Reaches 787,000 Yen; Engineering Manager Rates Surge
- A survey by En Inc. shows that the average monthly rate for freelance engineers in May 2026 was 787,000 yen, with a sharp increase in the average rate for engineering managers. Rates rose across all programming languages, and remote project rates exceeded on-site rates.
- Source: PR Times
- Date: June 8, 2026
Direct answer
A survey by En Inc. shows that the average monthly rate for freelance engineers in May 2026 was 787,000 yen, with a sharp increase in the average rate for engineering managers. Rates rose across all programming languages, and remote project rates exceeded on-site rates.
- Citation
- May 2026: Average Monthly Rate for Freelance Engineers Reaches 787,000 Yen; Engineering Manager Rates Surge (June 8, 2026), PR Times
- Source
- PR Times
- Date
- June 8, 2026
A survey by En Inc. shows that the average monthly rate for freelance engineers in May 2026 was 787,000 yen, with a sharp increase in the average rate for engineering managers. Rates rose across all programming languages, and remote project rates exceeded on-site rates.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: June 8, 2026 at 23:26
- 🔍 Collected: June 8, 2026 at 14:36
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: June 12, 2026 at 15:43 (97h 6m after Collected)
En Inc. (Headquarters: Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, Representative Director and Chairman & CEO: Michikatsu Ochi) operates the freelance engineer job search engine 'Freelance Start' (https://freelance-start.com/), which aggregates and analyzes all job listings posted on the site. We are pleased to announce the aggregated results for May 2026.
Survey Overview
Average monthly rate for freelance projects in May 2026: 787,000 yen.
Number of listings as of end of May 2026: 437,808 projects. Highest rate: 2,950,000 yen. By job type, the average rate for 'Engineering Manager' surged.
By programming language, the downward trend reversed and rates increased across the board.
Commentary
We conducted a survey on the compensation market for freelance engineers in May 2026. The results show that the average monthly rate for freelance projects in May was 787,000 yen, with 437,808 projects listed as of the end of May 2026. The highest rate by job type was for 'Consultant' at 2,950,000 yen.
By job type, the average rate for 'Engineering Manager' surged to 1,099,000 yen (+175,000 yen / 18.9% increase). This is likely due to companies shifting to the execution phase of DX and increasing demand for management talent to lead development organizations.
By programming language, rates increased for all languages. This is thought to reflect growing demand for high-skill talent across the market.
Trends for on-site vs. remote projects: Remote projects accounted for 28.4% of listings, and the compensation difference was 20,000 yen (on-site: 779,000 yen, remote: 799,000 yen), with remote projects commanding higher rates.
We will continue to analyze compensation market information as a support site for freelance engineers seeking projects.
(Toshiyuki Soba, Business Manager of 'Freelance Start')
Detailed Survey Results
Average Monthly Rate by Job Type (Top 15)
Looking at the average monthly rate by job type (top 15), 'Engineering Manager' took the top spot with a significant increase to 1,099,000 yen (+175,000 yen / 18.9% increase). This is likely driven by rapidly growing demand for management personnel who can improve development team productivity and maximize overall organizational performance.
Meanwhile, 'Consultant', which held the top position until last month, dropped to second place but still saw a fourth consecutive monthly increase to 1,058,000 yen (+7,000 yen / 0.7% increase), indicating continued solid demand for roles involved in strategic planning.
Please refer to the April 2026 report for reference.
Average Monthly Rate by Programming Language (Top 15)
Looking at the average monthly rate by programming language (top 15), the downward trend of recent months reversed this month, with rates rising for all languages. Notably, 'Go' (1st) and 'Ruby' (2nd) maintained their rankings for the third consecutive month, indicating stable demand in the freelance market. It is speculated that their solid position as core technologies for web services supports their high rates (Go: +26,000 yen / 3.0% increase, Ruby: +10,000 yen / 1.2% increase).
Additionally, 'Rust' rose from 5th to 3rd place, driven by its high safety and processing performance, with expanding adoption in advanced fields such as WebAssembly and blockchain (+26,000 yen / 3.2% increase).
Average Monthly Rate by Framework (Top 15)
Looking at the average monthly rate by framework (top 15), rates increased for all frameworks after a period of moderate adjustment. 'Ruby on Rails' (1st) and 'Next.js' (2nd) maintained their rankings for the third consecutive month. This is thought to reflect their establishment as strategic options for companies developing web services and digital products, supporting stable demand (Ruby on Rails: +7,000 yen / 0.8% increase, Next.js: +35,000 yen / 4.3% increase).
Freelance Engineer Job Search Engine 'Freelance Start' (https://freelance-start.com/)
Launched in 2018, it is Japan's largest job search engine with the most listings for freelance engineers. It allows cross-searching of project information by detailed conditions such as programming language, rate, location, and project features, enabling one-stop application. Additionally, users can check reviews and reputations of agents introducing projects, supporting the search for the best matching project.
Press Release Download
d725-1219-44027253341ba785131299db448d023d.pdf
En Inc.
Public Relations
Tel: 03-3342-6590
Email: en-press@en-japan.com
Survey Overview
Average monthly rate for freelance projects in May 2026: 787,000 yen.
Number of listings as of end of May 2026: 437,808 projects. Highest rate: 2,950,000 yen. By job type, the average rate for 'Engineering Manager' surged.
By programming language, the downward trend reversed and rates increased across the board.
Commentary
We conducted a survey on the compensation market for freelance engineers in May 2026. The results show that the average monthly rate for freelance projects in May was 787,000 yen, with 437,808 projects listed as of the end of May 2026. The highest rate by job type was for 'Consultant' at 2,950,000 yen.
By job type, the average rate for 'Engineering Manager' surged to 1,099,000 yen (+175,000 yen / 18.9% increase). This is likely due to companies shifting to the execution phase of DX and increasing demand for management talent to lead development organizations.
By programming language, rates increased for all languages. This is thought to reflect growing demand for high-skill talent across the market.
Trends for on-site vs. remote projects: Remote projects accounted for 28.4% of listings, and the compensation difference was 20,000 yen (on-site: 779,000 yen, remote: 799,000 yen), with remote projects commanding higher rates.
We will continue to analyze compensation market information as a support site for freelance engineers seeking projects.
(Toshiyuki Soba, Business Manager of 'Freelance Start')
Detailed Survey Results
Average Monthly Rate by Job Type (Top 15)
Looking at the average monthly rate by job type (top 15), 'Engineering Manager' took the top spot with a significant increase to 1,099,000 yen (+175,000 yen / 18.9% increase). This is likely driven by rapidly growing demand for management personnel who can improve development team productivity and maximize overall organizational performance.
Meanwhile, 'Consultant', which held the top position until last month, dropped to second place but still saw a fourth consecutive monthly increase to 1,058,000 yen (+7,000 yen / 0.7% increase), indicating continued solid demand for roles involved in strategic planning.
Please refer to the April 2026 report for reference.
Average Monthly Rate by Programming Language (Top 15)
Looking at the average monthly rate by programming language (top 15), the downward trend of recent months reversed this month, with rates rising for all languages. Notably, 'Go' (1st) and 'Ruby' (2nd) maintained their rankings for the third consecutive month, indicating stable demand in the freelance market. It is speculated that their solid position as core technologies for web services supports their high rates (Go: +26,000 yen / 3.0% increase, Ruby: +10,000 yen / 1.2% increase).
Additionally, 'Rust' rose from 5th to 3rd place, driven by its high safety and processing performance, with expanding adoption in advanced fields such as WebAssembly and blockchain (+26,000 yen / 3.2% increase).
Average Monthly Rate by Framework (Top 15)
Looking at the average monthly rate by framework (top 15), rates increased for all frameworks after a period of moderate adjustment. 'Ruby on Rails' (1st) and 'Next.js' (2nd) maintained their rankings for the third consecutive month. This is thought to reflect their establishment as strategic options for companies developing web services and digital products, supporting stable demand (Ruby on Rails: +7,000 yen / 0.8% increase, Next.js: +35,000 yen / 4.3% increase).
Freelance Engineer Job Search Engine 'Freelance Start' (https://freelance-start.com/)
Launched in 2018, it is Japan's largest job search engine with the most listings for freelance engineers. It allows cross-searching of project information by detailed conditions such as programming language, rate, location, and project features, enabling one-stop application. Additionally, users can check reviews and reputations of agents introducing projects, supporting the search for the best matching project.
Press Release Download
d725-1219-44027253341ba785131299db448d023d.pdf
En Inc.
Public Relations
Tel: 03-3342-6590
Email: en-press@en-japan.com
FAQ
What is the average rate for freelance engineers in May 2026?
787,000 yen per month.
Which job type has the highest rate?
Engineering Manager at 1,099,000 yen.
Which programming language has the highest rate?
Go, followed by Ruby and Rust.
What is the rate difference between remote and on-site projects?
Remote projects are 20,000 yen higher (799,000 vs 779,000).
How many projects are listed?
437,808 projects.