Hiring rebounded, but the market has reset
After two years of contraction, hiring grew 8.3% year-over-year. But volumes remain 30% below 2021 levels – this is the new baseline.
Benchmarks Report 2026
2026 recruiting benchmarks: What 1.2M hires reveal
We analyzed over 165 million applications and 1.2 million hires to show you how recruiting has fundamentally changed and where your team stands. Download the full report to see the data.
☑️ Hiring volume and market trends
☑️ Recruiter workload metrics
☑️ Interview volumes
☑️ Source channel performance
☑️ Candidate pass-through rates
In this report, you will find
Hiring volume and market trends
Year-over-year hiring changes across company sizes, industries, departments, and locations.
Team composition and workloads
How teams are leaner than ever with increased jobs req workloads and application volumes.
Pipeline trends and process efficiency
Candidate conversion rates across every stage of the process and how rising interview volumes impact overall time-to-hire.
Customized benchmarks for your organization
Industry, segment, location, and department level data cuts so you can compare metrics against relevant peers.
Key takeaways
Teams are leaner, but workloads have surged
Recruiters handle 93% more applications and manage 40% more open roles than in 2021, yet teams are 14% smaller. Despite working harder, hires per recruiter dropped 43%.
Hiring has become dramatically more selective
Only 0.5% of applicants are hired. Yet, offer acceptance rates hit 82%, the highest since 2021, showing candidates commit when the right opportunity comes along.
Interview processes are more rigorous than ever
Interviews per hire are up 33% overall, with technical roles averaging 35-36 interviews and 26 interviewer hours. The bar for hiring has never been higher.
Sourced candidates are 8x more likely to be hired
The data is clear: job boards drive volume, but referrals, internal mobility, and direct sourcing consistently deliver more hires.
Your database is your best source of talent
Nearly half (46%) of sourced hires now come from rediscovered candidates already in your CRM or ATS – up from 26% in 2021. Your existing network is more valuable than you think.
Download the full report
Get the full report for more data and actionable
strategies to improve your recruiting strategy.
Benchmarks you can act on:
See how your team stacks up on job reqs per recruiter, candidate passthrough rates, time-to-hire, team size, and more—so you know where to improve.
Insights tailored to you:
View tailored data sliced by company size, industry, and department so you can make accurate comparisons.
Source channel insights:
Identify which channels deliver the most applicants and the best candidates.
Real-world trends:
Review industry benchmarks based on over 165 million applicants, 15 million candidates, and 1.2 million hires.
What's inside