Reducing the Time to Get Hired by Half

Aspiration for Society

Reduce the time it takes to get hired by half by FY2030 compared to that of FY2021^*2

We have been working to get closer to the hire by helping job seekers and employers through every step of the search and hiring process. With the power of our hiring platform, job seekers are able to search for a job, apply for a job, have an interview, and get hired faster and simpler than ever before. Through the combination of rich data and product advancement, we will continue improving the quality of job matching.

Advancement in Measurement Methodology

Establishing Job Search Duration Measurement

“When does a job search begin and when does it end?” To date, there has not been an established measurement method available to capture exactly how long it takes for job seekers to get jobs on a job platform. Therefore, our journey started by developing a methodology to enable us to answer this question. Since we launched this goal in May 2021, we started a phased strategy to advance our measurement methodology.

We had a measurement logic in place that shed light on when a job search ended (what we call “hired signal”), but we did not have a way to know and measure when a job search starts. To calculate the overall search duration from when a job search starts to when a person is hired, we began gathering self-reported data on job search duration directly from job seekers who found their jobs on Indeed ― this data formed the basis for our methodology. In May 2021, we shared that it takes approximately 15 weeks for most people to get jobs on Indeed^*3. In the long term, we are evolving our measurement methodology to identify the start of job search from actions on the platform to measure the time it takes to get hired more easily.

Learn more about job seekers’ self-reported data

Employer “Time-to-Hire”^*4

In pursuit of our long-term goal to halve the time it takes to get hired, we need to understand the processes of both the job seeker and employer. We focused on the “Time-to-Hire (TTH)” for employers, a metric that can be measured at each step of the hiring process, up to and including the hire, based on Indeed data. As shown in the diagram below, many of the steps that job seekers follow in the job search process parallel those that employers follow in the hiring process, and employers' actions significantly impact the time it takes to get hired.

We measure the time it takes for an employer to hire by using the date that the job was created on Indeed as the start point, and the date that a successful hire was made as the end point. Each step of this process can be measured on Indeed.

The Hiring Process of Job Seekers and Employers

In 2025, we updated its measurement methodology from the mean to the median, in line with international best practices. TTH stood at 30 days as of December 2025, up 6 days from December 2024^*5. This increase is presumed to be at least partially attributable to the macroeconomic environment in the United States.

Indeed products drive shorter TTH even under macroeconomic fluctuations

Our research continues to indicate that certain paid solutions and product innovations can help reduce TTH, even amid a challenging macroeconomic environment. To further reduce TTH, we are identifying challenges at each major stage of the hiring process and leveraging AI-powered products and other technologies to improve efficiency in the early stages, enhance matching, and streamline communication between employers and job seekers after they apply.

Premium Sponsored Jobs

Premium Sponsored Jobs are sponsored job listings on Indeed that include additional features such as matching tools, candidate outreach functions, and job branding features. In the U.S., jobs posted directly on Indeed using Premium Sponsored Jobs showed a 50% shorter TTH than non-sponsored jobs^*6.

Smart Screening

Indeed offers Smart Screening, a screening solution that uses employer-defined criteria to help employers identify candidates who meet those requirements earlier in the hiring process. This helps employers focus their evaluation on the most relevant applications, saving time while retaining full control over hiring decisions. Based on early testing in the U.S., employers using this feature on Indeed saw a 20% average reduction in TTH^*7.

Our Journey Toward 2030

We continue to introduce improvements in “Time-to-Hire” on Indeed through innovative AI solutions, reduced friction through the hiring process, and increased process automation, to help create a world where opportunities for life are available to all.