The true cost of STEM hiring
Your role mix, hiring volumes and sourcing approach affect recruitment spend. Establish your baseline so you can assess how changes to your hiring plan affect costs.
Recruitment cost calculator
Know what your STEM hiring is costing you.
Bring your recruitment spend into one view. Find your direct cost per hire over 12 months and compare your result with a UK benchmark.
Takes 2 minutes · Measured over a 12-month period
Transforming talent management
22%
Average cost saving delivered
70%
Improvement in time-to-hire
100%
Compliance record
Reducing cost, not quality
Bring your recruitment spend into one view.
ATS licences, LinkedIn and job board subscriptions, advertising campaigns and agency suppliers can sit across different budgets and teams.
Add those costs together to establish your direct recruitment spend. Your cost per hire gives you a baseline for budget conversations, supplier reviews and hiring plans.
Your 12-month recruitment cost calculator
All figures are measured over a 12-month period
Step 1 of 4
- Hiring volumes
- Candidate source
- Further questions
- Your results
Hiring volumes
Please provide the details below to calculate your direct recruitment costs.
Candidate source
Tell us where your recruitment spend goes across the year.
Further questions
A few final details help us tailor your insights.
Your 12-month recruitment snapshot
Direct recruitment costsTotal over 12 months
Average cost per hire
How you compare
Your cost per hire
UK benchmark
This is a historical UK-wide reference, not an industry- or location-specific benchmark. The salary threshold is an illustrative proxy for seniority, not a CIPD classification. Direct costs and the benchmark may use different cost definitions.
Where your spend goes
Illustrative saving at 22%Applied to your direct recruitment spend. This is an illustration, not a quote or guaranteed saving.
Illustrative replacement cost
What this means for you
Talk through your results
Our specialists can help you review your figures and identify practical ways to reduce your cost per hire.
Book a consultationResults are estimates based on your inputs. Historical benchmark figures supplied for this calculator: CIPD Resourcing and Talent Planning 2022, UK private-sector median cost per hire. Internal recruitment time is excluded. Calculator answers are not submitted with the consultation form.
How it works
Review your hiring costs in four steps.
Each step adds to your direct hiring cost calculation. Gather your annual recruitment expenses before you start, and enter each cost once.
2 minutes to complete · 12 months of spend
Start calculatingHiring volumes
Set your baseline: industry, location, company size, hires per year and average salary.
Candidate source
Add your ATS fee, agency share, agency fee, advertising and recruitment technology spend.
Further questions
Tell us about your internal TA team, recruitment lead, preferred suppliers list and retention rate.
Your results
Review direct recruitment costs, cost per hire, a historical UK comparison and tailored recommendations.
When to use it
A baseline for your next hiring decision.
Use your direct recruitment cost baseline to support HR, Finance and Procurement decisions.
- Prepare a budget conversation with your FD or board.
- Review agency spend alongside direct hiring costs.
- Build a baseline for an RPO or Contingent Worker Solutions business case.
- Review the costs associated with your preferred suppliers list.
- Estimate direct recruitment spend as your hiring volumes change.
The bigger picture
What drives your cost per hire?
Agency fees and your supply chain
Agency fees in this calculator are a percentage of first-year salary. A managed preferred suppliers list helps you compare terms, agree pricing and review performance.
Costs across different budgets
ATS licences, LinkedIn seats, job board credits and advertising campaigns may sit on different budget lines. Include each annual expense once to keep your calculation consistent.
Measuring ROI with a partner
Once you know your baseline, you can assess the cost of recruitment support against it. Our RPO solutions support direct hiring, supplier management and a transparent recruitment cost structure.
Proven results
Real savings for STEM businesses.
RPO43.9%
Cost saving, with 34 hires in year one and a 32-day average time to hire.
Stuart Turner →Embedded RPO48%Saving on permanent hiring fees, plus 37.5% off contractor spend.
ALL.SPACE →RPO & contract supply35%Cost saving across 45 appointments in year one, 100% IR35 compliant.
Saab Seaeye →RPO20%Cost saving across 64 placements, with a 32-day average time to hire.
WHS Plastics →Power of a partner
Solutions to support your hiring plans.
Review your recruitment model alongside your cost baseline. Our adaptable solutions support direct hiring, supplier management and workforce compliance.
Recruitment Outsourcing (RPO)
Take control of your recruitment spend, increase direct hiring and manage your agency supply chain.
Explore RPO →Contingent Worker Solutions
Cost savings, containment, supplier performance and real-time visibility of your workforce.
Explore CWS →Contract Recruitment
From project teams to temporary workers, compliant, on-demand STEM talent when you need it.
Explore contract →Payroll & Compliance
Compliant payroll globally, from one worker to end-to-end solutions and audits.
Explore payroll →“
The team worked hard to understand our business and our hiring managers, which makes all the difference when you are working on a high volume of vacancies.
HR Manager, Saab Seaeye
FAQs
Recruitment cost calculator FAQs
What is a recruitment cost calculator?
This calculator combines the direct recruitment costs you enter into an annual total and average cost per hire. You can review your agency fees, advertising, ATS licence and recruitment technology spend together, then use the result as a starting point for budget and supplier conversations.
Which costs does the calculator include?
Your direct cost includes ATS platform fees, estimated agency fees, advertising and recruitment technology such as Indeed, LinkedIn and job boards. Enter each expense once. Internal recruitment time, hiring manager time, vacancy costs and the wider impact of turnover are excluded from the direct total.
How is the benchmark worked out?
The supplied historical CIPD 2022 references are £2,000 for other employees and £3,000 for senior managers and directors in the UK private sector. This calculator uses a £60,000 average salary threshold as an illustrative seniority proxy. The comparison is not industry-specific or adjusted for inflation.
What happens to the information I enter?
The calculator uses your answers in your browser to display results. Calculator answers are not submitted with the consultation form. If you choose to submit that form, your contact details are used to follow up on your enquiry in line with our Privacy Policy.
What should I do with my results?
Use your direct cost per hire as a baseline for reviewing recruitment spend. Compare agency fees with your direct hiring activity and review retention alongside replacement demand. The turnover illustration uses an assumed headcount, so replace that assumption with your actual workforce figures for planning.
How can Owen Daniels reduce my cost per hire?
Our RPO, Contingent Worker Solutions and supplier management services support direct hiring and a transparent recruitment cost structure. Review the right model with our team using your hiring plans and cost baseline. The calculator’s 22% saving illustration is not a quote or a guaranteed outcome.
Start your process
Talk through your recruitment costs.
Book a consultation with our team to review your recruitment spend, agency reliance and hiring plans. We will help you identify practical ways to reduce costs and maintain candidate quality.