The Glossary · Term
Cost per hire
Total spend to fill a role, divided by hires.
Cost per hire measures the total spend required to fill a role, from advertising and agency fees to referral bonuses and recruiter time, divided by the number of hires. It is a core efficiency metric that helps quantify the return on employer branding, since a stronger brand typically lowers reliance on paid channels. Tracked over time and by source, it reveals where hiring budgets deliver value and where they leak.