Data & Research March 17, 2026 • Updated: 9 November 2026

Recruitment marketing
statistics 2026

80+ verified recruitment marketing statistics, each linked to its source. From hiring costs and time to fill to recruitment channels, employer branding, social recruiting, AI in hiring and the Dutch labor market. Sources: CBS, UWV, Eurostat, LinkedIn, SHRM, ManpowerGroup, Pew Research and more.

375,000

open vacancies in the Netherlands (Q3 2026)

Source: CBS, 2026

92

vacancies per 100 unemployed (NL, Q3 2026)

Source: CBS, 2026

72%

of employers worldwide struggle to fill roles

Source: ManpowerGroup, 2026

Statistics overview

Hiring is still hard in 2026. At the end of the third quarter there were 375,000 open vacancies in the Netherlands, 92 for every 100 unemployed people (CBS), and the Dutch job vacancy rate is the highest in the EU (Eurostat). Worldwide, 72% of employers struggle to fill roles (ManpowerGroup). So how much does a hire cost? Which channels do candidates actually use? And what is the role of employer branding, social recruiting and AI?

On this page you will find 80+ verified recruitment marketing statistics, each linked to its source: CBS, UWV, Eurostat, LinkedIn, SHRM, ManpowerGroup, Pew Research and others. Whether you want to strengthen your B2B lead generation with talent acquisition, build a business case for employer branding, or back your recruitment strategy with data: this page gives you the numbers you need.

We cover hiring costs and timelines, recruitment channels, employer branding, video, diversity, candidate experience and artificial intelligence. Specifically for the Dutch market, we have included a section with labor market data from CBS and UWV, plus UWV research into how Dutch job seekers search and how employers recruit.

Recruitment marketing combines the principles of traditional marketing with talent acquisition. It goes beyond posting a vacancy on a job board: it encompasses employer branding, content marketing, social media campaigns, programmatic advertising, and data-driven optimization. The best recruitment teams think like marketers — they build a talent pipeline, measure conversions through the entire funnel, and continuously optimize based on data. The statistics on this page help you support that data-driven approach.

Section 1

Cost per hire

~$4,700

average cost per hire (US)

SHRM, 2022

$275

median cost per interview (US)

Appcast, 2026

10%+

extra cost per hire with a bad reputation

HBR, 2016

0.5-2x

annual salary to replace one employee

Gallup, 2019

Cost per hire: the key figures

Cost per hire is one of the most important KPIs in recruitment marketing. It encompasses all direct and indirect costs associated with filling a vacancy, from advertising budget to recruiter hours. For Dutch advertisers, how these figures shape campaigns on Facebook and Instagram: more on advertising on Facebook and Instagram (in Dutch). There is no recent public benchmark for cost per hire in the Netherlands, so the figures below are labeled by country.

  • The average cost per hire in the US was nearly $4,700, according to SHRM benchmarking data (SHRM, 2022)
  • In SHRM's latest benchmark of more than 4,600 organizations, executive cost per hire increased, while nonexecutive costs remained relatively stable (SHRM, 2026)
  • The median cost per interview across all roles in the US is $275, according to Appcast's 2026 benchmark (Appcast, 2026)
  • A bad reputation costs a company at least 10% more per hire, according to LinkedIn's Wade Burgess in Harvard Business Review (Harvard Business Review, 2016)
  • Replacing an employee costs one-half to two times their annual salary, and 52% of employees who quit say their manager or organization could have prevented it (US) (Gallup, 2019)
  • 52% of Dutch employers with recent vacancies hire people who still need training, because of the tight labor market (UWV, 2025)
Section 2

Time to hire

39 days

median time-to-fill, nonexecutive roles (US)

SHRM, 2026

45%

of Dutch vacancies hard to fill (2025)

UWV, 2025

42%

of recruiters feel pressure to fill roles faster

LinkedIn, 2026

2x

applicants per US open role since spring 2022

LinkedIn, 2026

Time to hire: the key figures

  • Median time-to-fill for nonexecutive positions fell to 39 calendar days in SHRM's benchmark of more than 4,600 US organizations (SHRM, 2026)
  • 45% of vacancies at Dutch employers were hard to fill in 2025, down from 53% in 2023 and 2024 (UWV, 2025)
  • 87% of Dutch employers with hard-to-fill vacancies cite too few responses as the cause (UWV, 2025)
  • 42% of recruiters feel growing pressure to fill roles faster, and 39% to uncover 'hidden gem' candidates (LinkedIn, 2026)
  • In the Netherlands, 342,000 new vacancies arose and 341,000 were filled in Q3 2026 (CBS, 2026)
  • Recruiters using LinkedIn's Hiring Assistant find interview-quality applicants 33% faster while reviewing 83% fewer profiles (Microsoft, 2026)
Section 3

Recruitment channels

75%

of Dutch job seekers on benefits use vacancy websites

UWV, 2025

62%

of them use LinkedIn to find work

UWV, 2025

74%

of Dutch employers recruit via their own website

UWV, 2022

~9,000

job applications on LinkedIn every minute

LinkedIn, 2026

How Dutch job seekers search

  • Dutch job seekers receiving unemployment benefits (WW) use 4.8 channels on average: vacancy websites 75%, personal network 65%, company websites 64%, LinkedIn 62%, Facebook 16%, Instagram 11% (survey of 4,200+ job seekers) (UWV, 2025)
  • Other job seekers (mostly employed) use 2.8 channels: vacancy websites 43%, LinkedIn 40%, TikTok 9% (UWV, 2025)
  • LinkedIn use depends heavily on the occupation: 87% of job seekers on benefits looking for a management role and 81% looking for an ICT role used LinkedIn (UWV, 2025)

How Dutch employers recruit

  • Most-used recruitment methods of Dutch employers: social media 78%, own website 74%, own staff 71%, vacancy sites 62%, business relations 62% (4,500 employers, autumn 2022) (UWV, 2022)
  • LinkedIn has 1.4 billion+ members and 71 million companies; every minute about 9,000 job applications are submitted. More on paid reach via LinkedIn recruitment ads (LinkedIn, 2026)
  • More than 10 million LinkedIn members use its AI-powered job search daily (Microsoft, 2026)
Section 4

Employer branding

19%

of UK workers skipped an application over reputation

Midnight/Censuswide via HRreview, 2026

83%

of US job seekers research reviews before applying

Harris Poll for Glassdoor via LHH, 2023

51%

say a positive work environment is the top enabler of work-life balance

Randstad, 2026

Employer branding: the impact in numbers

  • A bad reputation costs a company at least 10% more per hire (Harvard Business Review, 2016)
  • In the UK, 19% of workers decided not to apply for a role because of a company's reputation, 15% turned down an offer and 13% left a company for that reason (1,000 employees) (Midnight/Censuswide via HRreview, 2026)
  • 83% of US job seekers are likely to research company reviews and ratings before deciding where to apply (Harris Poll for Glassdoor, June 2023) (LHH, 2023)
  • The top five drivers of employer attractiveness worldwide: salary and benefits, work-life balance, job security, work atmosphere and career progression (166,000+ respondents, 34 markets) (Randstad, 2026)
  • In the Netherlands, a negative company culture, too long a commute and pay below a minimum are the most-cited reasons to turn down a job offer (UWV, 2025)
  • About 40% of Gen Zs and millennials worldwide have rejected an assignment or employer based on personal ethics (Deloitte, 2026)
Section 5

Social recruiting

78%

of Dutch employers share vacancies on social media

UWV, 2022

14.0M

LinkedIn members in the Netherlands

DataReportal, 2026

17%

of Dutch job seekers aged 16-25 used TikTok to find work

UWV, 2025

Social recruiting statistics

  • Dutch employers spreading vacancies on social media use Facebook (61%), LinkedIn (54%) and Instagram (38%); for approaching candidates directly they use LinkedIn (23%) and Facebook (18%) (2022) (UWV, 2022)
  • The Netherlands has 14.0 million LinkedIn members, 8.15 million Instagram users and 6.30 million TikTok users aged 18+, according to the platforms' ad tools (late 2025) (DataReportal, 2026)
  • Among job seekers who are not on benefits, 17% of 16 to 25-year-olds and 11% of 25 to 34-year-olds used TikTok to look for work (UWV, 2025)
  • 81% of people worldwide have used or plan to use AI in their job search (LinkedIn, 2026)
Section 6

Video in recruitment

~30%

year-over-year growth of paid video on LinkedIn

LinkedIn, 2026

6.00%

engagement rate of video posts on LinkedIn pages

Socialinsider, 2026

-36%

views per video on LinkedIn pages, year over year

Socialinsider, 2026

Video statistics

There is little recent, verifiable research on video specifically in recruitment. The figures below describe video on LinkedIn in general, the main channel for employer content.

  • Paid video on LinkedIn is growing nearly 30% year over year (LinkedIn, 2026)
  • LinkedIn reports 25% year-over-year growth in paid video ads (LinkedIn, 2026)
  • Engagement rate by format on LinkedIn company pages in 2025: documents 7.00%, multi-image 6.45%, video 6.00%, image 5.30%, text 4.50% (2.45 million posts) (Socialinsider, 2026)
  • Average views per video on LinkedIn pages fell by 36% year over year, across every page size (Socialinsider, 2026)
Section 7

Diversity hiring

~50%

of Dutch job seekers felt a personal trait hurt their chances

UWV, 2025

71%

of jobseekers 55+ on benefits feel their age counts against them

UWV, 2025

11.1%

unadjusted gender pay gap in the EU (2024)

Eurostat, 2026

Diversity hiring statistics

  • About half of Dutch job seekers felt in the past year that one or more personal characteristics hurt their chances of finding work (UWV, 2025)
  • Age is the main factor: 71% of job seekers aged 55+ on unemployment benefits and 49% of other job seekers aged 55+ experience a negative effect of their age (UWV, 2025)
  • 9% of Dutch job seekers who are not on benefits feel their origin has a negative effect on their chances (UWV, 2025)
  • The average unadjusted gender pay gap in the EU was 11.1% in 2024 (Eurostat, 2026)
  • Under the EU Pay Transparency Directive, applicants have the right to information on starting pay or its range, and employers may not ask about pay history (EUR-Lex, Directive (EU) 2023/970)
  • Among Americans who see racial or ethnic bias in hiring as a problem, 53% think more AI use by employers would reduce it, and 13% think it would make it worse (survey December 2022) (Pew Research Center, 2023)
Section 8

Candidate experience

52%

of Dutch job seekers on benefits like a trial day

UWV, 2025

66%

of them reject a job over too long a commute

UWV, 2025

48%

of Dutch job ads on Indeed show pay

Indeed Hiring Lab, 2026

61-82%

more likely to apply when salary is listed

Indeed via HRreview, 2026

Candidate experience statistics

  • A suitable salary is what other Dutch job seekers mention most as the most important thing in a job (46%), followed by atmosphere and colleagues (29%) and work-life balance (23%); job seekers on benefits rate atmosphere (41%) almost as high as salary (40%) (UWV, 2025)
  • Only 30% of job seekers on benefits and 17% of other job seekers consider all the usual information in a vacancy text essential (UWV, 2025)
  • Too long a commute is a reason to turn down an offer for 66% of job seekers on benefits and 43% of other job seekers (UWV, 2025)
  • Low-threshold introductions are popular: a trial day appeals to 52% and an introductory talk with a manager to 47% of job seekers on benefits; only 13% and 7% have no need for them (UWV, 2025)
  • 44% of Dutch employers with recent vacancies offer candidates a no-obligation way to get to know the company (UWV, 2025)
  • Share of job postings on Indeed with salary information: UK 56%, Netherlands 48%, France 43%, Germany 12% (Indeed Hiring Lab, 2026)
  • Between 61% and 82% of job seekers surveyed by Indeed said they were more likely to apply if salary information was included (Indeed via HRreview, 2026)
  • 65% of people say finding a job has become more challenging (LinkedIn, 2026)
Section 9

AI in recruitment

93%

of recruiters will increase their use of AI in 2026

LinkedIn, 2026

25,000

customers use LinkedIn's agentic hiring

Microsoft, 2026

66%

of Americans would not apply where AI helps decide on hiring

Pew Research Center, 2023

High risk

AI for recruitment under the EU AI Act

AI Act, Annex III

AI recruitment applications

  • 93% of recruiters plan to increase their use of AI in 2026, and 66% plan to use more AI for pre-screening interviews (LinkedIn, 2026)
  • 25,000 customers use LinkedIn's agentic hiring solutions; Hiring Assistant users find interview-quality applicants 33% faster (Microsoft, 2026)
  • LinkedIn's agentic hiring products passed a $450 million annual revenue run rate (LinkedIn, 2026)
  • AI model and application development (20%) and AI literacy (19%) are the hardest skills for employers to find worldwide (ManpowerGroup, 2026)

AI-related concerns in recruitment

  • 71% of Americans oppose employers using AI to make a final hiring decision (7% favor it); 66% would not want to apply for a job with an employer that uses AI to help make hiring decisions (11,004 adults, December 2022) (Pew Research Center, 2023)
  • 47% of Americans think AI would do better than humans at treating all applicants the same way; 15% think it would do worse (Pew Research Center, 2023)
  • The EU AI Act lists AI systems for recruitment or selection, including targeted job ads and analysing, filtering and evaluating applications, as high-risk (Annex III, point 4) (AI Act, Annex III)
Section 10

Dutch labor market 2026

375K

open vacancies (Q3 2026)

CBS, 2026

4.0%

unemployment rate (Q3 2026)

CBS, 2026

92

vacancies per 100 unemployed

CBS, 2026

4.1%

job vacancy rate, highest in the EU (Q2 2026)

Eurostat, 2026

Dutch labor market figures 2026

  • There were 375,000 open vacancies in the Netherlands at the end of Q3 2026, almost as many as a quarter earlier (provisional) (CBS, 2026)
  • There were 92 vacancies for every 100 unemployed in Q3 2026, down from 95 in Q2 (CBS, 2026)
  • Unemployment stood at 4.0% in Q3 2026: 407,000 people (CBS, 2026)
  • The Dutch job vacancy rate of 4.1% was the highest in the EU in Q2 2026 (EU 2.0%, euro area 2.1%) (Eurostat, 2026)
  • EU unemployment was 6.2% in September 2026 (euro area 6.5%); youth unemployment in the EU was 15.5% (Eurostat, 2026)
  • UWV's tightness indicator shows a tight or very tight labor market for 87 of 93 occupational groups in Q1 2026 (UWV, 2026)
  • 58% of Dutch employers are still affected by the tight labor market (59% a year earlier) (UWV, 2025)
  • Employers with hard-to-fill vacancies say applicants lack skills (64%), professional knowledge (59%) or work experience (55%); 36% mention salary demands (UWV, 2025)
  • 2.7 million flex workers and 1.1 million self-employed together make up 3.8 million people: 4 in 10 workers (Q3 2026) (CBS, 2026)

Open vacancies by sector (Netherlands, Q3 2026)

  • Trade 70,700, healthcare 69,100, business services 61,700, industry 29,900, construction 28,400, hospitality 26,500, public administration 22,800, information and communication 16,500 (CBS, 2026)
  • The vacancy rate was 41 per 1,000 jobs; highest in construction (72), lowest in education (16) (CBS, 2026)

Sources & methodology

The statistics on this page are compiled from publicly available research. Every figure links to the source it comes from; in November 2026 we re-checked every figure and removed those without a traceable original source. International figures are labeled as such. The key sources are:

  • CBS: vacancies, unemployment, flex work and remote work (2025-2026)
  • UWV: tightness indicator, employer survey 2025, job seeker survey 2025, recruitment methods 2022
  • Eurostat: job vacancy rates, unemployment, gender pay gap
  • LinkedIn and Microsoft: Research Talent 2026, company figures, earnings statements
  • SHRM, Appcast, Gallup: US hiring cost and time benchmarks, turnover and engagement
  • ManpowerGroup, Randstad, Deloitte: talent shortage, employer brand and Gen Z research 2026
  • Pew Research Center, EU AI Act, EUR-Lex: AI in hiring and regulation
  • Other sources: Indeed Hiring Lab, DataReportal, Socialinsider, Owl Labs, Korn Ferry, Grand View Research, Harvard Business Review, and UK research via HRreview

Disclaimer: Figures come from the most recent available editions of the linked reports; the year next to each source link is the year of publication. Survey results apply to the markets surveyed and are not always representative of the Netherlands. CBS quarterly figures are provisional. This page is compiled for informational purposes and does not constitute financial or strategic advice. For specific advice, please contact Searchlab.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

What is the average cost per hire in the Netherlands in 2026?

There is no recent, public benchmark for cost per hire in the Netherlands, so we do not give a euro amount. The best-known benchmark is American: an average of nearly $4,700 per hire (SHRM, 2022), with a median cost per interview of $275 (Appcast, 2026). Indirect costs weigh heavily: a bad reputation adds at least 10% per hire (Harvard Business Review) and replacing an employee costs one-half to two times their annual salary (Gallup).

How long does it take to fill a vacancy on average in 2026?

In the US, the median time-to-fill for nonexecutive positions is 39 calendar days (SHRM, 2026). There is no comparable public figure for the Netherlands, but UWV reports that 45% of vacancies were hard to fill in 2025, and 87% of employers with hard-to-fill vacancies cite too few responses.

Which recruitment channel delivers the best candidates?

That depends on the target group. Dutch job seekers on benefits mainly use vacancy websites (75%), their network (65%), company websites (64%) and LinkedIn (62%); among other job seekers, vacancy websites (43%) and LinkedIn (40%) lead (UWV, 2025). LinkedIn is used by 87% of job seekers looking for a management role. Dutch employers recruit most via social media (78%), their own website (74%) and their own staff (71%) (UWV, 2022).

What is the impact of employer branding on recruitment?

Reputation directly affects hiring: a bad reputation costs at least 10% more per hire (Harvard Business Review), 19% of UK workers skipped an application because of a company's reputation (Midnight/Censuswide, 2026) and 83% of US job seekers research reviews before applying (Harris Poll for Glassdoor, 2023). In the Netherlands, a negative company culture is one of the most-cited reasons to turn down an offer (UWV, 2025).

How is AI being used in recruitment marketing in 2026?

93% of recruiters plan to use more AI in 2026 and 66% want more AI for pre-screening interviews (LinkedIn). 25,000 customers use LinkedIn's agentic hiring, with interview-quality applicants found 33% faster. Candidates are wary: 66% of Americans would not want to apply where AI helps make hiring decisions (Pew, 2023), and the EU AI Act classifies AI for recruitment and selection as high-risk.

How tight is the Dutch labor market in 2026?

Still tight, but easing slightly. At the end of Q3 2026 there were 375,000 open vacancies and 92 vacancies per 100 unemployed (CBS), unemployment was 4.0%, and the Netherlands had the highest job vacancy rate in the EU (4.1%, Eurostat). UWV counts 87 of 93 occupational groups as tight or very tight, and 58% of employers still feel the shortage.

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Ruud ten Have

Compiled by

Ruud ten Have

Ruud is a digital marketer with 10+ years of experience in online advertising and AI implementation. At Searchlab, he combines strategic thinking with hands-on AI tooling to deliver measurable results for businesses.

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