A UK startup has unveiled a new platform designed to transform how IT consultancies use and share talent, amid rising concerns about wasted skills and soaring recruitment costs.
BenchBee, launched today in London, describes itself as the first talent sharing economy for IT consultancies. The platform enables firms to monetise idle consultants, cut recruitment fees and respond more quickly to project demands by subcontracting skills within a trusted, member-driven network.
Founder and chief executive Hassen Hattab said the initiative was designed to disrupt traditional recruitment models. “This isn’t just another job board – it’s an entirely new category of talent sharing,” he explained. “We’ve created a member-driven ecosystem where consultancies can match available talent to project needs in real time and access hidden talent pools that traditional recruitment can’t reach.”
According to IDC, IT skills shortages will affect 90 per cent of organisations by 2026, costing the global economy an estimated $5.5 trillion (£4.18 trillion). In the UK alone, consultants spend on average 15–20 per cent of their time ‘on the bench’ – employed but not generating revenue.
For a consultancy with 500 consultants, this equates to £15.3 million a year in lost revenue, while across the industry the total climbs to £3.06 billion annually.
Traditional recruitment, meanwhile, is proving increasingly inadequate. Agencies typically charge 15–20 per cent placement fees on inflated salaries, but often fail to deliver the specialist skills required at speed. As a result, companies face a choice between paying steep fees, gambling on unvetted freelancers, or leaving projects under-resourced while skilled consultants sit idle elsewhere.
A new model for sharing expertise
BenchBee’s platform offers an alternative by enabling vetted consultancies to subcontract available consultants within a secure network. A flat membership fee replaces commission-based recruitment costs, while members gain real-time access to pre-qualified, industry-experienced professionals.
By creating what it calls a “talent sharing economy”, BenchBee aims to address three of the industry’s biggest challenges: monetising underused consultants, accessing hidden talent pools, and eliminating recruitment inefficiencies.
Hattab said the model reflects the realities of the modern IT consultancy sector. “After more than a decade in the industry, I kept seeing the same problem. One organisation has brilliant people on the bench. Another is losing work because of a lack of skills. BenchBee directly connects those dots.”
With hiring freezes, budget cuts and skills shortages squeezing consultancies, BenchBee argues its approach offers firms a way to protect margins and accelerate delivery.
“This isn’t better recruitment, it’s a completely different approach,” Hattab added. “It’s a smarter way for companies to collaborate, share expertise and uncover underused talent. This is talent sharing for the real world: faster, leaner and built around how consultancies actually operate.”
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UK startup set to tackle £3bn IT skills gap
