Build the business case
What UK hiring costs — and where a CV database saves you money
Real numbers in pounds, a side-by-side comparison, and a break-even sum you can put in front of a finance director.
Quick answer
How much does hiring cost in the UK, and does a CV database save money?
A typical UK agency fee is 15–25% of first-year salary, so a £35,000 hire can cost £5,250–£8,750. Annual CV database access is usually a fraction of one agency fee, so it often pays for itself on the first direct hire.
- Agency fee: roughly 15–25% of first-year salary
- Job advert costs add up per role, with no guaranteed applications
- Database access is a fixed annual cost across unlimited roles
- Break-even is usually one or two direct hires per year
Cost comparison for a £35,000 role
Indicative UK market ranges. Your figures will vary by sector and region — use these as a starting point, then drop in your own.
| Method | Typical pricing | Cost per hire | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Recruitment agency (contingency) | 15–25% of salary | £5,250 – £8,750 | No upfront cost, but the most expensive per hire |
| Single job advert | £100 – £400 each | £100 – £400 | Cheap, but volume and quality vary a lot by sector |
| CV database subscription | Fixed subscription | Spread across every hire | Best value when you hire more than once or twice a year |
| Internal time | £25 – £45 per hour | £500 – £1,500 | Often the hidden cost nobody measures |
The break-even sum
It's simpler than most people expect. Work out what you'd have paid an agency for the hires you could realistically have sourced yourself, then compare that to a year of database access.
- Count your hires in the last 12 months.
- Note how many went through an agency, and the fee for each.
- Add your advertising spend.
- Compare the total to the annual subscription. If one avoided agency fee covers it, everything after that is saving.
For most SMEs hiring three or more salaried people a year, direct database sourcing is comfortably cheaper — often by five figures.
The costs nobody counts
- Vacancy cost. An unfilled role often costs more per week in lost output than the whole hiring budget.
- Time to hire. Every extra week is more manager hours and more risk of losing your first choice.
- Bad hires. A mis-hire at £35,000 can cost several times the salary once notice, rehiring and disruption are counted.
Speed matters as much as fees. Read our CV database guide for the process we use to get to a shortlist in a day.
Recruitment cost FAQs
How much does a recruitment agency charge in the UK?
Contingency agency fees typically run between 15% and 25% of the candidate's first-year salary. On a £35,000 role that is roughly £5,250 to £8,750 plus VAT for a single hire.
How much does CV database access cost?
CV database access is usually sold as a subscription — monthly or annual — rather than per hire. Pricing depends on the number of users and CV views, so the fairest way to compare is cost per hire over a year, not the headline monthly figure.
What is a typical cost per hire in the UK?
Industry surveys commonly place UK cost per hire in the low thousands of pounds for salaried roles once advertising, agency fees and internal time are counted. Direct sourcing from a CV database is one of the most reliable ways to bring that figure down.
How do I build a business case for CV database access?
Take your hires over the last 12 months, multiply the ones filled by an agency by the fee you paid, and compare that to a year of database access. If replacing even one agency hire covers the subscription, the case usually makes itself.
Free recruiter trial
Work out your own saving
Start with a free trial, count the matching CVs, then compare it to your last agency invoice.
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