2021 was a year of changes and challenges for recruiters amid tough competition for talent, and those issues were highlighted in findings from the “Recruitment Marketing Benchmark Report” released this week by Appcast, a provider of programmatic job advertising. Measuring data on job advertisements, the report found cost-per-application rose by 43% in 2021 compared to 2020. Cost per click also jumped. In addition, the report found increased interest in remote work jobs.

Ads including “remote work” or “work from home (WFH)” resulted in a higher apply rate and a lower cost per application, Appcast found. The cost-per-application fell to $20.16 from $23.29 when a job ad mentioned remote work. When WFH options were mentioned, the apply rate improved by 12%.

“The global pandemic’s profound effect on the labor market resonates throughout the data found in this year’s benchmark report,” said Heather Salerno, chief marketing officer at Appcast. “It’s clear that it has been a rocky period for recruiting and hiring.”

Other findings in the report included:

• Cost per click on job applications rose by 54% in 2021 from 2020. In comparison, cost per click rose by just 11% between 2020 and 2019.
• Out of 24 job functions analyzed, all but six saw a decline in apply rates. The food service industry recorded the most notable decline in apply rates, which fell 2.67%. It was followed by customer service where apply rates fell 1.64%. On the other hand, apply rates for manufacturing jobs rose by 3.61%.
• Mobile devices gained ground. The report found 67.24% of job applications were completed on mobile devices in 2021. In comparison, only 50.99% of job applications were completed on mobile devices in 2019.

Appcast’s report is based on 2021 job ad data, including 165 million job ad clicks and 8 million applies from nearly 1,200 US employers.