What’s the real difference and which one works best for your business?
The past six months at TalentPool have been nothing short of a whirlwind. We’re on an exciting new journey (more on that soon!), and we couldn’t be prouder of our team. Their hard work helped us deliver record-breaking growth in 2024/25 and we are on track to hit our year end number with just under 6 months to go….
Now, we’re navigating a more cautious hiring climate, shaped by a number of trends:
- Board-level scrutiny on headcount & Sign off: Every hire must prove clear commercial
value. - Budget freezes & delayed sign-offs: Slower processes, but higher cost of a wrong hire.
- Leaner teams: Businesses focusing on “must-have” hires with proven impact.
- Rising employment costs: UK National Insurance increases mean every new hire carries a bigger price tag.
- Pressure on internal TA teams: Expected to do more with less, often defaulting to advertising vs. targeting passive or inactive talent.
Despite this, we made 133 permanent placements in 2024/25 with 59% of these placements with high-growth startups and scale-ups, who remain agile and active with their hiring processes.
But a couple of statistics really stood out:
- 18% of our placements were retained searches (clients commit with an upfront commitment fee and work exclusively with us). These roles were filled in just 5.5 weeks (on average).
- 100% retention rate (so far) with most hires outperforming expectations. When you invest in a partnership (not just a race to fill a role), you get results that stick.
Retained clients benefit from:
- Reduced fees vs. standard terms (a two-way commitment).
- A dedicated senior team + intensified search.
- Consistent, accurate messaging on the role, culture and “why”
- Stronger, longer-term outcomes.
And the rest of our placements broke down as:
42% exclusive projects (TalentPool as the sole agency partner) — 92% fill rate
40% contingent — slower processes, lower success rates, especially in today’s
candidate-scarce market
Mid-2025 is proving that the “easy hire” often becomes the most expensive one long-
term.
With rising employer costs, the perception of a cheaper and faster route often costs the most in the long run.
If you’re planning on hiring or hiring now, let’s find out what’s right for your business, together.