Understand how your CPC compares. Dive into benchmark data by industry, region, and campaign type
November 2024 - November 2025
Detailed observation of presented data
The dominant story in the data is price separation: HR & Staffing CPCs in South Africa sat dramatically below the global Facebook Ads benchmarks and fell even further across the observed window. From late Q4 into mid‑Q2, the local cost per click compressed sharply, while the global market eased more gradually and then stabilized. The result is a consistently “below market” pattern, with an unusually steep local drop between November and May.
This analysis is based on $3B worth of advertising data from our dataset, which provides strong directional benchmarks. This analysis explores ad performance trends for HR & Staffing in South Africa compared to the global benchmark.
Across the two observed months, South Africa’s HR & Staffing CPC moved from $0.094 in November 2024 to $0.0125 in May 2025 — an 87% decline over six months. The local median averaged $0.053 across these points, with a high of $0.094 (November) and a low of $0.0125 (May), a range of $0.081 that underscores a pronounced downshift in country-specific ad costs.
By contrast, the global baseline for COST_PER_CLICK averaged roughly $1.15 across November 2024 to November 2025. It peaked at $1.46 in November 2024 and troughed at $1.04 in September 2025. Month‑to‑month volatility in the global series averaged about $0.06, with two standout moves: a sharp step-down from November to December 2024 (−$0.18) and a rebound into November 2025 (+$0.16). Overall, global CPC trends trended down modestly through mid‑year before regaining some ground in Q4.
The timeline aligns with typical platform seasonality: elevated CPCs around late Q4, a reset in early Q1, softer costs into late Q3, and renewed pressure into Q4. The global series shows this cadence clearly — high in November, softer into Q1 and mid‑year, then firming by the following November.
South Africa’s HR & Staffing readings echo the direction but with a heavier amplitude. The higher November 2024 print sits in the holiday window; by May 2025, the metric had compressed to its observed low. This progression matches the broader rhythm of CPC trends without the intermediate month‑to‑month checkpoints, but the magnitude of the decline is notably stronger than the global easing.
Relative positioning is consistent: South Africa’s HR & Staffing CPCs remained far below the global benchmark at both observation points. In November 2024, South Africa’s $0.094 CPC was about 94% lower than the global $1.46. By May 2025, the gap widened further: $0.0125 versus $1.13 — roughly 99% below market. Across the same period, the global benchmark declined 23%, while South Africa fell 87%, indicating a steeper local reset.
On an average basis, South Africa’s observed CPC ($0.053) sat roughly 95% below the global average (~$1.15). In short, the narrowest gap was about 94% below global levels, and the widest expanded to roughly 99% — a persistent, pronounced discount relative to worldwide industry ad performance.
Understanding Facebook Ads CPC benchmarks for HR & Staffing in South Africa reveals starkly lower country-specific ad costs versus the global market and a sharper late‑Q4 to mid‑Q2 decline. These CPC trends help quantify how HR & Staffing performance in South Africa compares to global patterns across Facebook Ads benchmarks, CPM analysis context, and broader CTR performance expectations.
Insights & analysis of Facebook advertising costs
Cost Per Click (CPC) is the amount advertisers pay each time a user clicks on their Facebook ad. In the HR & Staffing industry, Facebook ad costs can be influenced by seasonal trends and market competition. For campaigns targeting South Africa, advertisers should consider local market factors and user behavior. Different campaign objectives lead to varying costs based on how Facebook optimizes for your specific goals. The data shown represents median values across multiple campaigns, and individual results may vary based on ad quality, audience targeting, and campaign optimization.
We use the median CTR because the underlying distribution of click-through rates is highly skewed, with a small share of campaigns achieving extremely high CTRs. These outliers can inflate a simple average, making it less representative of what most advertisers actually experience. By using the median—which sits at the midpoint of all campaigns—we provide a more rigorous and realistic benchmark that reflects the true underlying data model and helps you set attainable performance expectations.
Note: This data represents industry median values and benchmarks. Your actual costs may vary based on specific targeting, ad creative quality, and campaign optimization.
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Late November (Black Friday/Cyber Monday), December (Christmas & Day of Goodwill), Mid-year retail (June Youth Day promotions)
CPM and CPC might rise during long weekends like Human Rights Day, Freedom Day, and Heritage Day as leisure and travel-related media consumption increases. Retail CPMs may spike in late November–December for holiday shopping. Youth Day and National Women's Day might drive regional campaigns. Weekend extensions across public holidays may benefit weekend campaigns.
CPC (Cost Per Click) is what you pay each time someone clicks on your ad, on any Facebook Ads placement. It's calculated by dividing your total spend by the number of clicks received. Facebook Ads lists Clicks, Link Clicks and Outbound Clicks separately. The former is the sum of all types of clicks (including, for example, clicks to your profile page, to a link or to a comment).
The truth is that varies, so play with our tool to get some benchmarks that are relevant to you. CPC values are highly dependent on the region, industry and campaign objective. The US is one of the most expensive markets.
Several factors affect CPC: your audience targeting, competition in your industry, ad relevance score, and creative performance. If your ad isn't getting engagement or relevance is low, CPC tends to spike.
CPC spikes usually happen because of increased competition in your target audience, seasonal trends (like holidays), poor ad relevance scores, or algorithm changes. Check if your audience targeting has become too narrow or if your creative is showing fatigue.
Yes, there's a noticeable difference between platforms. Mobile CPCs often run lower than desktop. How many times do check Instagram on your phone and how often do you open it in your computer? There's simply much more mobile inventory. Tip: segment your performance data by placement to understand where your clicks are coming from. Spoiler: it's likely all mobile.
For most businesses, optimizing for conversions will deliver much better ROI than focusing purely on CPC. A low CPC is meaningless if those clicks don't convert. However, if you're running awareness campaigns or some kind content promotion, CPC optimization might potentially make sense, although most experts have switched to conversion optimization by now.
Your specific audience targeting, creative quality, bidding strategy, and account history all influence your CPC. Industry averages provide a reference point, but your historical performance is a more reliable benchmark for setting expectations and measuring improvement.
Instagram CPCs are generally slightly higher due to stronger purchase intent and higher competition among advertisers. But it depends on the audience and creative.
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