What makes research in United Kingdom different
These decide how much of the work is primary research rather than desk compilation.
The public record is good, and out of date
Companies House filings, published gender pay gap reports, FCA and professional registers give the UK one of the best public corporate datasets in Europe. They are also lagged, and small-company accounts are abbreviated. We use them to frame a population and verify the current picture by primary research.
Professional coverage is high, which makes laziness easy
Most UK professionals have a public profile, so a list is trivial to produce and frequently wrong. Verification — is this person still there, at that level — is where the research time actually goes.
Regulated populations are separately documented
The FCA register, professional bodies and the DBS regime mean that for financial services, clinical and security-cleared populations, status is a researchable field rather than an assumption.
Twelve regional markets, one national average
ONS data is published by ITL region and travel-to-work area. Research that reports a single national figure throws away the most useful dimension in the dataset.
Legitimate interests, documented
UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018 govern what may be recorded. Research runs on a documented legitimate-interests basis, professional fields only. See our GDPR position.
What is and is not researchable in United Kingdom
Published because the most useful thing a research supplier can tell you is where the evidence runs out.
| Field | Availability | How we establish it |
|---|---|---|
| Current employer and level | High | Public profiles, verified by primary research |
| Team structure and headcount | Moderate to high | Reconstructed from research; not disclosed |
| Individual compensation | Low | Not public; benchmarked at population level against ASHE and evidenced offers |
| Company financials | High for larger entities | Companies House; abbreviated for small companies |
| Gender pay gap | High for employers above the threshold | Mandatory annual reporting |
| Regulatory status | High in financial services | FCA register of approved and certified individuals |
| Security clearance | Low | Not public; reported only where evidenced |
Three ways to buy research capacity in United Kingdom
| Model | Best for | Typical fee |
|---|---|---|
| Defined research project | A bounded population or employer set, delivered once | £2,400–£6,500 |
| Multi-market or programme research | Several markets, or a standing population refreshed through the year | £7,500–£24,000 |
| Dedicated researcher seat | Continuous capacity — a named researcher working only your briefs | £4,200–£7,500 per month |
What a United Kingdom research engagement delivers
- A written research scope — the population, the employer universe, the fields to be captured and the explicit exclusions, agreed before fieldwork begins.
- The researched dataset — named individuals with employer, level, function, location and tenure, each field carrying its source and collection date.
- Verification to a stated standard — material findings corroborated against an independent second source, with confidence recorded where they could not be.
- A written analysis — what the data shows, what it rules out and what it could not establish.
- White-label output where you want it — delivered unbranded so it can go to your own client under your name.
- Permanent ownership — the dataset is yours, with no restriction on re-use, resale to your own client, or refresh by another provider.
Sectors we research in United Kingdom
Deepest where the public record is thinnest.
- Technology, data and engineering — the populations most often researched and the ones where titles are least comparable.
- Financial and professional services — including regulated populations where status is a researchable field.
- Industrial and manufacturing — where public coverage is thinnest and primary research matters most.
- Life sciences and healthcare — including registration-constrained clinical populations.
- Energy, infrastructure and projects — project-cycle populations that move on programme rather than on tenure.
- Consumer, retail and logistics — commercial and operational functions across the supply chain.
What talent research costs in United Kingdom
Fixed project fees or an agreed day rate — never a percentage of salary.
| Engagement | What it covers | Typical fee | Typical duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Defined research project | A bounded population or employer set | £2,400–£6,500 | 2–4 weeks |
| Multi-market or programme research | Several markets, or a refreshed population | £7,500–£24,000 | 4–10 weeks |
| Dedicated researcher seat | A named researcher working only your briefs | £4,200–£7,500 per month | Rolling monthly |
UK research is the most efficient of our markets per name, because the public record is good and professional coverage is high. The cost is verification, not discovery.
Every engagement is a fixed project fee or an agreed day rate, set before work begins. There is no commission, no percentage of salary and no placement fee, and the dataset is handed over permanently — including the right to sell it on to your own client.
UK talent research FAQs
What is talent research in United Kingdom?
The systematic identification and verification of people and employers in a defined uk market: building the employer universe, identifying named individuals, confirming employer, level and location by primary research, and recording the source and date against every field.
What makes uk research difficult?
Company data is unusually open and unusually lagged. That is the single factor that determines how much of the work is primary research rather than desk compilation, and therefore what it costs.
The detail is in the market structure section above, and in the table of what is and is not researchable here.
How much does talent research cost in United Kingdom?
A defined research project typically costs £2,400–£6,500. A multi-market or programme engagement typically costs £7,500–£24,000. A dedicated researcher seat typically costs £4,200–£7,500 a month.
All are fixed project fees or agreed day rates set before work begins. There is no commission and no percentage of salary.
Can we buy research white-label?
Yes, and a large share of our research is delivered that way. Recruitment firms, search firms and consultancies buy research capacity from us and present it to their own clients under their own name.
Deliverables are unbranded by default, we never contact your client, and we do not approach the people in the dataset unless the brief asks us to.
How do you verify a record?
By corroborating each material finding against an independent second source. Two sources that both derive from the same original feed count as one, and we say so.
Where corroboration is not possible — common with privately held mid-sized employers — the record is still delivered but labelled single-sourced with the basis stated. We would rather hand over a smaller dataset we can stand behind.
Do you approach the people in the dataset?
Only if the brief asks. Research identifies and verifies; it does not contact. If you want people approached and qualified, that is talent sourcing, which is a different engagement with a different lawful basis and a different fee.
What is your lawful basis for processing this data?
Legitimate interests, supported by a documented balancing test, with collection limited to professional fields relevant to the agreed scope and a source recorded against each one.
We do not compile special category data against named individuals and we do not infer protected characteristics. The full position is on our GDPR compliance page.
How quickly can research start?
Scoping is a 30-minute call, with a written scope and a fixed fee within one working day. Fieldwork begins as soon as the scope is signed. There is no minimum term and no retainer requirement.
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 permanent headcount.
At that volume the cost per brief falls well below a per-project fee.
Do we own the data?
Permanently, and without restriction on re-use. You can load it into your own systems, refresh it with another provider, and — if you are a recruitment or search firm — sell it on to your own client. We do not resell client research.
How is this different from a data provider or a database?
A database licence gives you modelled data across everything, compiled from profiles and postings and inheriting whatever is stale or absent in them. Commissioned research gives you a verified dataset for your question, built now.
Both have a place. Where a database already answers the question, we will say so — the honest comparison is on our platforms compared page.
Primary sources and how we check
- Companies House registerCompanies House
- Annual Survey of Hours and EarningsOffice for National Statistics
- Nomis official labour market statisticsOffice for National Statistics
- Financial Services RegisterFinancial Conduct Authority
- Gender pay gap serviceGovernment Equalities Office
- Guide to lawful basis — legitimate interestsInformation Commissioner’s Office
Figures quoted on this page were checked against the sources above on 20 October 2026. Statutory rates, thresholds and quotas change: where a number drives a budget or a legal obligation, confirm it against the primary source before you rely on it.