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What hiring costs, at the low end
The salary on an offer letter is only part of what a hire costs. This guide puts a floor under the number for seven roles, shows how we worked it out, and names every source, so the comparison is honest.
The seven roles are the ones behind a team that covers marketing, sales, operations, automation, AI and software: an account manager, a marketing specialist, a sales enablement specialist, an operations coordinator, an automation specialist, an AI specialist and a software developer.
How we worked it out
US: official wages for May 2025 with the official employer-cost ratio for small employers, June 2026 (our calculation).
Low end of pay (the 10th percentile), not a typical hire: most cost more.
We took the low end of pay for each role from official wage data. In most cases, that is the 10th percentile. No official group carries these exact role titles, so each role is priced from the closest official group, named in its Sources entry. We then added the employer costs, as set out in the region block below.
Why the low end: we would rather understate the cost than overstate it. Most hires cost more.
The floor
What it costs to hire these seven roles yourself, full time.
Per role, a month, low end of pay (10th percentile), with employer costs:
| Role | A month, US | Official group |
|---|---|---|
| Account manager | $4,057 | Priced from this official group: SOC 41-4012 Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products |
| Marketing specialist | $4,504 | Priced from this official group: SOC 13-1161 Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists |
| Sales enablement specialist | $4,023 | Priced from this official group: SOC 13-1151 Training and Development Specialists |
| Operations coordinator | $4,970 | Priced from this official group: SOC 13-1199 Business Operations Specialists, All Other |
| Automation specialist | $6,989 | Priced from this official group: SOC 15-1211 Computer Systems Analysts |
| AI specialist | $8,559 | Priced from this official group: SOC 15-1252 Software Developers |
| Software developer | $4,992 | Priced from this official group: SOC 15-1254 Web Developers (priced as a web developer) |
| Seven roles | $38,094 a month | |
The US figure is our calculation, a floor. The employer-cost ratio is an average for small employers, not the cost of any one hire. It leaves out recruiting, equipment, training and any pay above the low end. Sources
The seven-role total, $38,094 a month, is the sum of the seven rounded rows.
Inputs and method: SRC-D14 to SRC-D20 (BLS pay) and SRC-D21 (the employer-cost ratio). Each figure on this page links to its Sources entry.
Our specialists are shared across accounts, so this is what the same roles cost as your own staff.
Typical (median) cost for each role, on the same basis, is on the Sources page (SRC-D27 for Canada, SRC-D30 for the US). It is higher than the figures above.
What is left out
What the figure leaves out
The work that slips. While a seat is empty or the person is still learning, the work in that seat waits. Some of it does not get done.
Management. Someone has to hire, train, correct, and cover for that person. That someone is usually you.
Turnover. When a hire does not work out, you pay the whole bill again.
The point of the math
We did not write this to talk you out of hiring. We wrote it so the comparison is honest.
Susanoo is an outsourced team for small businesses. One account manager and six specialists run your marketing, sales, operations, automation, AI and software.
See what the plan includes and what it costs on the pricing page.
To work it out with your own hours, use the hiring cost calculator.
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