Industry's first-ever down-funnel benchmarks reveal true recruitment efficiency and quality of hire

LEBANON, N.H., Feb. 17, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Appcast, the leading recruitment marketing platform powered by programmatic, announced today the release of its 10th Annual Recruitment Marketing Benchmark Report. The 2026 edition provides talent acquisition teams with unprecedented visibility into the full recruitment funnel, from click-to-hire, by introducing the most advanced dataset in the report's history.

This year's report arrives at a pivotal moment for employers and hiring teams. Recruitment in 2025 was marked by rising apply rates, slowing labor market activity, and unexpectedly increasing costs per hire. As talent acquisition (TA) teams navigate a "low–hire, low–fire" environment, the 2026 Benchmark Report provides clarity on what's driving these shifts and how organizations can plan for the year ahead.

The 10th anniversary edition includes two major advancements for recruitment marketing analytics:

• First-Ever Candidate Disposition Benchmarks: This new data reveals the full candidate journey from click to apply, screen, interview, offer, and hire, giving talent teams a deeper view of true down-funnel recruitment efficiency and quality of hire.
• New International Hiring Benchmarks: The report now includes data from select global markets, enabling employers to compare recruitment costs and hiring performance across key regions.

"For 10 years, this report has helped recruitment teams understand not just what's happening in the labor market—but why," said Matt Molinari, CEO of Appcast. "With the addition of disposition data and international benchmarks, the 2026 edition gives TA leaders the most complete picture yet of how their recruitment marketing investments translate into real hiring outcomes."

Key Findings from the 2026 Recruitment Marketing Benchmark Report

• Rising Recruitment Costs: Cost-per-application (CPA) and cost-per-hire (CPH) rose sharply in 2025 despite a softer labor market, driven by shifts in job board pricing and programmatic media models.
• High Apply Rates: Candidate apply rates remained high, fueled by increased job-seeker volume and more efficient recruitment marketing strategies.
• Diverging Labor Markets: The "white-collar recession" deepened, with apply rates for office roles rising significantly, while frontline "standing-up" roles—especially in healthcare—remained costly and hard to fill.
• The Remote Work Advantage Shrinks: After years of outperforming in-person roles, remote and hybrid jobs saw their candidate attraction advantage shrink. Shifting job-seeker expectations have made "remote" less of a funnel-filling differentiator.
• Geography's Growing Impact: Fast-growing Sun Belt states delivered stronger apply rates and lower CPAs, while older and more rural states continued to generate the highest recruitment advertising costs.

Drawing on more than 302 million clicks, 27 million applications, and data from nearly 1,200 employers, the 2026 Appcast Benchmark Report remains one of the most comprehensive, data-rich analyses in the recruitment technology industry.

To download a full copy of the 2026 Recruitment Marketing Benchmark Report, click here.

About Appcast 
Appcast is the leading recruitment marketing platform powered by programmatic. With advanced technology, unmatched market data and a team of the industry's best recruitment marketers, Appcast's platform drives hiring outcomes for more than 1,000 clients. Appcast is headquartered in Lebanon, N.H. with offices throughout North America and Europe. Appcast is a subsidiary of The Stepstone Group, a leading digital recruitment platform that connects companies with the right talent and helps people find the right job. To learn more, visit http://www.appcast.io.

Media Contact:
Michiko Morales
Gabriel Marketing Group (For Appcast)
202-805-2345
michim@gabrielmarketing.com 

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SOURCE Appcast