Who buys it
| Buyer | What they need | How they buy it |
|---|---|---|
| Recruitment and executive search firms | Research capacity they can sell on under their own name, without carrying permanent headcount | White-label, usually a monthly researcher seat |
| In-house talent teams | Capacity for a spike, or depth in a market the team does not know | Defined project, or a seat during a hiring surge |
| Consultancies and advisory firms | Primary labour-market data behind a workforce or strategy engagement | Defined project, frequently multi-market |
| Private equity and corporate development | Verification of a target’s claimed bench before a transaction | Defined project on a deal timetable |
| Internal research functions | Overflow, or languages and markets they cannot cover | Seat or project, working to their own template |
What we research
Employer universe build
Every organisation that could hold a capability in a defined market, including privately held mid-sized firms with no brand recognition and no meaningful public footprint.
This is the step most lists skip, and the reason most lists are incomplete.
Named population research
Individuals identified inside those employers against capability criteria, with employer, level, function, location and tenure captured and verified.
Organisation structure reconstruction
Approximate headcount, spans, layers and reporting structure for a named function, built from research rather than disclosure.
Contact discovery
Verified business contact details where the brief requires them, handled as a separate activity with its own legal considerations. See number gathering.
Compensation research
Pay reconstructed at population level from published scales, collective agreements, posted ranges, disclosed executive pay and evidenced offers, with the basis stated.
Dataset re-verification
An existing dataset checked against current sources, with changes marked and confidence recorded per record. Usually the cheapest useful thing we do.
White-label delivery
Explicitly supported, not tolerated.
A large share of our research is delivered unbranded to recruitment firms, executive search firms and consultancies who present it to their own clients under their own name. We built the service around that use rather than treating it as an awkward exception.
In practice that means: deliverables carry no Audentia branding unless you ask for it; we work to your template and your field definitions where you have them; we never contact your client; we do not approach the people in the dataset unless your brief asks; and we do not take direct work from a client we have researched for you without your agreement.
It also means the commercial model has to work for you. A monthly researcher seat at a fixed day rate lets an agency carry research capacity as a variable cost and price it into its own fees with a known margin.
The verification standard
| Level | What it means | How to use it |
|---|---|---|
| Corroborated | Two or more independent sources agree and nothing contradicts | Safe to act on, and to put in front of your own client |
| Single-sourced | One credible source, no contradicting evidence, corroboration unavailable | Directional; say so when you quote it |
| Estimated | Modelled rather than observed, with the method stated | For sizing and scenario work, never as a point fact |
Two sources that both derive from the same original feed count as one source wearing two hats, which is a problem a great deal of aggregated workforce data has. We treat derived sources as single-sourced and say so.
The full method — the three source tiers, the eleven research stages and what we refuse to do — is published on our methodology page.
What you receive
- A written research scope agreed before fieldwork: population, employer universe, fields to capture, explicit exclusions.
- The dataset in a format your systems can ingest, with source and collection date against every material field.
- A confidence register recording the grade and basis for each material finding.
- A written analysis where the brief calls for one: what the data shows, what it rules out, what could not be established.
- Unbranded output where you want it, built to your template.
- Permanent ownership, with no restriction on re-use, refresh or resale to your own client.
Three ways to buy it
| Model | Best for | Typical fee |
|---|---|---|
| Defined research project | A bounded population or employer set | $3,000–$8,000 |
| Multi-market or programme research | Several markets to one specification, or a population refreshed through the year | $9,500–$30,000 |
| Dedicated researcher seat | Continuous demand — a named researcher on your briefs only | $5,200–$9,500 per month |
Fee bands by currency
Each market page also states its own.
| Engagement | USD | GBP | EUR | AUD |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Defined research project | $3,000–$8,000 | £2,400–£6,500 | €3,000–€8,000 | A$5,500–A$13,500 |
| Multi-market or programme research | $9,500–$30,000 | £7,500–£24,000 | €9,000–€30,000 | A$17,000–A$48,000 |
| Dedicated researcher seat (per month) | $5,200–$9,500 | £4,200–£7,500 | €5,200–€9,500 | A$8,500–A$15,000 |
What moves the number: how large the population is, how much of the work is primary research rather than desk compilation in that market, how many working languages, whether contact discovery is included and whether a written analysis is required.
What never moves it: any salary, and what you charge your own client for it.
Talent research FAQs
What are talent research services?
Talent research services supply the research layer that sits underneath talent mapping, talent intelligence, sourcing and executive search: building the employer universe, identifying named individuals inside it, verifying employer, level and location by primary research, and recording the source and date against every field.
Bought on its own it is capacity — a researcher or a research team working to your brief, on a fixed fee or a monthly seat.
Who buys talent research as a standalone service?
Three groups. In-house talent teams who need research capacity without permanent headcount. Recruitment and executive search firms who sell the output to their own clients under their own name. And consultancies who need primary labour-market data behind a workforce engagement.
The second group is the largest, and white-label delivery is explicitly supported.
Can we resell the research to our own client?
Yes. Deliverables are unbranded by default, you own the dataset permanently and there is no restriction on re-use or resale. We never contact your client and we do not approach the people in the dataset unless your brief asks us to.
How much does talent research cost?
A defined research project typically costs $3,000 to $8,000, around £2,400 to £6,500 or €3,000 to €8,000. A multi-market or programme engagement typically costs $9,500 to $30,000. A dedicated researcher seat typically costs $5,200 to $9,500 a month.
All are fixed fees or agreed day rates. Full bands on the cost page.
How do you verify what you find?
Each material finding is corroborated against an independent second source. Two sources deriving from the same original feed count as one, and we say so.
Where corroboration is not possible, the record is still delivered but labelled single-sourced with the basis stated. The full standard is on our methodology page.
Do you approach the people you research?
Not unless the brief asks. Research identifies and verifies; it does not contact. Approaching and qualifying people is talent sourcing, a different engagement with a different lawful basis and fee.
What is a researcher seat?
A named researcher retained monthly to work only your briefs, typically covering several in parallel. It suits recruitment and search firms with continuous demand and in-house teams that need capacity without headcount.
There is no minimum term and no notice beyond the current month.
Is this not just data entry?
No, and the difference shows in the deliverable. Compiling a list from a database is cheap and frequently wrong. Establishing that a named person is still in that role, at that level, in a privately held German manufacturer that discloses nothing, is primary research — and it is the part no licence has already done.
What is your lawful basis?
Legitimate interests under GDPR and UK GDPR, supported by a documented balancing test, with the equivalent position scoped per market elsewhere. Professional fields only, with a source recorded against each. See GDPR compliance.
Can you re-verify a dataset we already have?
Yes, and it is one of the most cost-effective things we do. An eighteen-month-old dataset typically has a significant share of records out of date through job moves alone.
We re-verify against current sources, mark what changed, and record confidence per record so you can see what is solid and what is not.
Which markets do you cover?
We publish dedicated pages for the UK, US, UAE, Germany, Netherlands, Belgium, Austria and Australia, and state research coverage across more than seventy markets.
How quickly can research start?
A 30-minute scoping call, then a written scope and fixed fee within one working day. Fieldwork begins as soon as the scope is signed.