hire vs take on

hire

verb
  • To employ; to obtain the services of (a person) in exchange for remuneration; to give someone a job. 

  • To occupy premises in exchange for rent. 

  • To accept employment. 

  • To obtain the services of in return for fixed payment. 

  • To accomplish by paying for services. 

  • To exchange the services of for remuneration. 

  • (neologism) (in the Jobs-to-be-Done Theory) To buy something in order for it to perform a function, to do a job 

noun
  • Payment for the temporary use of something. 

  • A person who has been hired, especially in a cohort. 

  • The state of being hired, or having a job; employment. 

take on

verb
  • To obtain the services of (a person) in exchange for remuneration; to give someone a job. 

  • To assume or take responsibility for. 

  • To (attempt to) dribble round (an opposition player). 

  • To catch on, do well; to become popular. 

  • To begin to have or exhibit. 

  • To attempt to fight, compete with, or engage with. 

  • To acquire, bring in, or introduce. 

  • To grieve or be concerned (about something or someone). 

How often have the words hire and take on occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )