One of the most surprising findings in the 2026 Recruitment Marketing Benchmark Report is this: even as the labor market cooled, recruiting got more expensive.
That runs counter to what labor economists would predict. When more people are looking for work and hiring demand is soft, application volume usually rises, and we would expect costs to fall. But that didn’t happen this year.
Let’s unpack what’s behind the unexpected spike in costs and what it means for hiring teams in 2026.
For most of 2023 and 2024, it looked like recruitment costs were finally cooling off. But then cost-per-click (CPC) took off again.
Why? The labor market plays a role, but it’s not the only factor. Job boards and media platforms are changing their cost models. Organic reach has shrunk over time, pushing employers into pay‑to‑play territory.
Recruiters should note that these changes aren’t temporary – they are the new normal.
Despite rising CPC, apply rates improved in 2025, climbing to 5.19%. This is partly job‑seeker behavior (more applications per candidate), but it’s also a sign that
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