Facebook Ads CPM Benchmarks for HR & Staffing

Introduction

HR & Staffing CPMs across All countries spent most of 2025 priced well below the global market, then posted two outsized spikes that rewrote the story: a mid-year surge in July and a sharp jump in January 2026. The year’s median sat in the low teens, but the average was pulled higher by those outliers — a profile of a market that was generally cost-efficient with rare, dramatic bursts of demand. 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 All countries compared to the global benchmark.

The story in the data

The year opened at $9.48 CPM in January 2025 and closed the calendar year at $13.05, a 38% lift. The absolute high arrived later: $63.90 in January 2026, after a previous spike to $52.15 in July. The low remained January 2025’s $9.48. Across the full 13-month window, HR & Staffing averaged $19.91 CPM, but the median was just $11.81 — evidence of a skewed distribution driven by two exceptional months. More than half the months sat in the $9–14 band.

Month-to-month movement was unusually sharp. Average absolute volatility was $13.63, over eight times the global benchmark’s $1.63. Key swings included a climb from $9.56 in June to $52.15 in July (+$42.59), a pullback to $18.70 in August (−$33.45), and a late-year jump from $13.05 in December to $63.90 in January 2026 (+$50.86). Outside these bursts, the market traced a relatively steady, low-cost path punctuated by a one-month lift in April to $20.90 before reverting to the teens.

Seasonal and monthly dynamics

Seasonality was unconventional. While many categories see CPMs build into Q4, HR & Staffing stayed subdued in October–December ($11.81 → $14.38 → $13.05) and saved its peak for January 2026. The early year was soft, with most of Q1–Q2 under $12 aside from April’s temporary lift. Q3 was the most turbulent stretch: a July spike followed by quick normalization through August and September. In contrast with typical Q4 competition, the segment did not materially inflate until the post-holiday period.

Country vs. Global

Relative to the global benchmark, HR & Staffing CPMs were below market in 10 of 13 months. In 2025 alone, HR & Staffing averaged $16.25 versus the global $20.15, roughly 19% lower. The gap narrowed notably in August (8% below market), flipped positive in April (+13%), widened to its largest deficit in June (51% below), and surged to its widest premium in January 2026 (+306%). Across the entire period, HR & Staffing’s $19.91 average sat effectively at parity with the global $19.81, but that parity masks a very different shape: the global series moved within a $16–25 corridor and finished January 2026 down 11% year over year, while HR & Staffing whipsawed and finished January up 574% versus the prior January.

In short, the benchmark for HR & Staffing across All countries combined a long stretch of low CPMs with rare, outsized spikes, whereas the global trend stayed steadier and more seasonally conventional.

Closing

This CPM analysis provides Facebook Ads benchmarks for HR & Staffing across All countries, highlighting a market that was mostly below global pricing in 2025, punctuated by July and January surges that reshaped averages. Understanding country-specific ad costs and HR & Staffing industry ad performance in this period helps contextualize Facebook Ads CPM benchmarks against broader global patterns.