HIRING ENGINEERS, BY THE NUMBERS.
Guides for hiring managers and founders hiring software engineers in the UK: what it really costs, how long it really takes, and what changes when an agent does the legwork.
Hiring costsWhat it really costs to hire a software engineer in the UK: agency, in-house, or an agent
The agency fee is the number everyone quotes, but it is not the only one. Here is the full bill for one engineering hire in the UK in 2026, on three different routes, with the assumptions shown.
8 September 2026
Hiring toolsWhat LinkedIn Recruiter costs a company that hires two engineers a year
Recruiter is priced for people who hire every week. If you hire twice a year, the seat costs more per hire than most of the alternatives, and the reply rates do not improve with the price.
7 September 2026
Hiring timelinesWhy hiring a software engineer in the UK takes 4 to 12 weeks, and where the weeks go
Time to hire is a sum of small waits, and only some of them can be shortened. A week-by-week breakdown of a UK engineering hire, with the notice period nobody plans for.
6 September 2026