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 output369,700
Multiple of base2.17
Cost per productive month44,011.9
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.