The Real Cost of Hiring: Why Recruiters Deliver More Value Than You Think

Too often, recruitment is treated as a cost rather than an investment. But the reality is that slow or ineffective hiring drains far more money through lost productivity, mis hires and team burnout than a well justified recruitment fee ever will.

Faster hiring and reduced downtime

Internal hiring often takes 6 to 10 weeks from advert to offer. A specialist recruiter can cut this to 2 to 6 weeks by supplying prequalified candidates early. 

Every unfilled vacancy typically costs £200 to £400 per day in lost productivity, client delay or increased team pressure.

Access to talent you cannot reach directly

Only 15 to 20 percent of suitable UK candidates are active jobseekers. Recruiters reach the other 80 to 85 percent through established networks and targeted headhunting.

Better quality hires

A mis hire can cost 1.5 to 2 times the employee’s salary when you include onboarding, lost productivity and rehiring.

Recruiters improve shortlist quality by qualifying candidates for capability, motivation and cultural fit.

Reduced internal workload

Hiring managers typically spend 15 to 25 hours on each vacancy. Recruiters remove 70 to 80 percent of this workload, freeing managers for strategic priorities.

Market intelligence

Salary movements for in demand roles across the South West and UK are rising 3 to 7 percent per year. Recruiters help businesses stay competitive and avoid rejected offers.

Lower long term cost

Reducing time to hire by even two weeks often saves more money than the recruitment fee once productivity and project continuity are considered.

Improving first time hiring success can lift 12 month retention by 10 to 20 percent.

Our 2025 performance snapshot

• Average time to hire: 5.7 weeks
• 67 percent of placed candidates did not apply for the role 
• For every 2 CVs, clients interviewed 1 candidate
• For every 3 first interviews, a client made 1 offer
• Drop out rate: under 1 percent

For hiring managers the right recruitment partner can reduce cost, improve quality and speed up hiring in a competitive market.