The verdict in three sentences
A London construction group hiring dozens of site managers, project managers and engineers every year often spends more on job boards and recruitment agencies than it would cost to own its hiring channel. A careers site from a London agency costs 12,000 to 35,000 GBP in 2026, while Kolonell's remote Growth offer (1,830 to 3,050 EUR) covers the core needs, with an ATS connector and JobPosting markup for Google, in 5 to 8 weeks. It pays for itself as soon as it avoids a couple of agency hires.
Why construction hiring is stuck in London
Infrastructure, housing and retrofit programmes have tightened the market for technical profiles. Experienced candidates get several offers and compare employers on concrete criteria: type of projects, safety record, progression, benefits, stability of the group. A three-line job board ad answers none of those questions. A careers site exists precisely to show projects, teams and career paths.
The table below gives 2026 estimates of annual base salaries seen in London, for guidance only.
| Role | 2026 annual salary (estimate) | Hiring difficulty |
|---|---|---|
| Site supervisor | 40,000 to 52,000 GBP | Medium |
| Site engineer | 38,000 to 50,000 GBP | Medium |
| HSE manager | 55,000 to 75,000 GBP | High |
| Site manager | 55,000 to 75,000 GBP | Very high |
| Structural or civil engineer | 50,000 to 80,000 GBP | Very high |
| Project director | 90,000 to 140,000 GBP | Very high |
What an effective careers site includes and costs
A careers site is more than a Join us page. It holds role profiles, employee stories you collect yourself, real project photos, the safety policy, the onboarding path and, above all, an up-to-date job list with a two-minute mobile application. Each job marked up with JobPosting can appear in Google's job search panel for free.
| Item | 2026 price | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| London agency careers site (market) | 12,000 to 35,000 GBP | Custom design, ATS integration, video |
| Kolonell Growth | 1,200,000 to 2,000,000 FCFA (1,830 to 3,050 EUR) | Full careers site, blog, analytics, two languages |
| Kolonell Premium | 2,000,000 to 3,500,000 FCFA (3,050 to 5,340 EUR) | Advanced animations, in-depth SEO, project video showcase |
| ATS connector (Workable, Greenhouse, Teamtailor) | Quoted per tool | Automatic sync of jobs and applications |
| Custom candidate portal | 2,500,000 to 4,000,000 FCFA (3,810 to 6,100 EUR) | Simple custom app, if the ATS is not enough |
| Kolonell maintenance | 35,000 / 75,000 / 120,000 FCFA per month (50 / 110 / 180 EUR) | Basic, Standard, Premium |
| Job board ad (market) | 150 to 500 GBP per ad | Usually 30 days |
| Recruitment agency (market) | 15 to 25% of annual salary | For scarce profiles |
The 5 to 8 week timeline includes a scoping week with HR, two to three weeks of design and content, then development and ATS connection. The bottleneck is almost always collecting photos and employee stories, which should start on day one.
Content that makes a site manager apply
| Content | What it brings | Internal effort |
|---|---|---|
| Map of live projects | Proof of workload and stability | Low |
| Role profiles with salary band and progression | Filters off-target applications | Medium |
| Safety policy and HSE figures | Reassures experienced profiles | Medium |
| Onboarding and training path, CSCS support | Attracts graduates and apprentices | Medium |
| Two-minute mobile application, CV upload | Reduces drop-off | Low |
| Jobs marked up with JobPosting | Free visibility in Google | Low once automated |
Mini case study
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Emma, HR director of a 600-person construction group in London (illustrative persona), hires 40 people a year. She posts on average 3 ads per role at 300 GBP, 36,000 GBP a year, and gives 4 engineer hires to an agency at 20% of a 65,000 GBP salary, 52,000 GBP. She invests in Kolonell Growth at 2,740 EUR (1,800,000 FCFA), an ATS connector estimated at 2,000 GBP and Standard maintenance at 110 EUR a month: roughly 5,500 GBP in year one. If the site halves paid ads and avoids 2 agency hires, savings reach 18,000 + 26,000 = 44,000 GBP, a net gain of about 38,500 GBP in the first year.
FAQ
Do we need an ATS to launch a careers site?
No, an application form and a dedicated inbox are enough up to about 20 hires a year. Beyond that, an ATS stops applications getting lost, and the connector is quoted per tool.
Will our jobs really appear in Google?
Yes, if each job carries valid JobPosting markup: title, location, date, contract type and salary where possible. Jobs usually show up within a few days to two weeks of publication.
Should we publish salary bands?
In the UK it increasingly pays off: ads with a salary band tend to attract more relevant applications. A band such as 55,000 to 75,000 GBP also filters out off-target candidates.
How long before we can measure the effect?
Allow 3 to 6 months to compare cost per hire before and after. Track the source of every application, site, job board, referral or agency, from launch day.
Should the site be multilingual?
Usually English is enough in London, but a second language helps if you recruit across Europe. Kolonell Growth includes two languages at no extra development cost.
Let's scope your project. Tell us your annual hiring volume and current HR tool, and we will price the careers site, the ATS connector and a 5 to 8 week schedule. Detailed quote within 48 h. WhatsApp +221 77 596 93 33.
Mohamed Bah
Fondateur, Kolonell
Passionate about digital and entrepreneurship in Africa, Mohamed has been helping Sénégalese businesses with their digital transformation since 2020. Founder of Kolonell, he believes every SME deserves a professional and accessible online présence.
