A first-year engineering hire costs well above their salary: employer load, recruiting, equipment, mentor time and forgone output during ramp typically push the true figure to between 1.5 and 2 times base pay.
170000 USD
30 %
20 %
50 %
40 %
Total first-year cost, cash plus forgone output$369,700
Multiple of base2.17
Cost per productive month$44,012
Loaded salaryUpfront cashOnboarding kitMentor costRamp loss
The recruiting fee is the line everyone argues about, but ramp loss is usually the larger number — and unlike the fee, it never appears on an invoice.