Financial research concept

Professional Staffing Average Placement Fee

measures the fee earned per successful permanent hire, separating fee economics from the number of placements.

By Lee BaileyPublished Sep 28, 2026

Research context

See what supports this page, how current it is, and where comparable or historical context is available.

Research date: Sep 28, 2026Use the dated article and cited sources for the definition, examples, and stated limitations.
Operating-model context: 10 connected conceptsPart of the reviewed Professional Staffing & Talent Solutions Economics; issuer definitions remain distinct where disclosed.
Company examples: 2 reviewed companiesRelationships reflect supported examples, not a normalized cross-company KPI ranking.

Fee growth can offset weaker placement volume
The fee is sensitive to role mix
Part of the Professional Staffing & Talent Solutions Economics
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Professional staffing average placement fee is the average fee earned when a staffing or recruiting firm successfully places a candidate into a permanent role.

Kforce reported an average fee of $24,278 in the second quarter of 2026, up from $21,964 a year earlier. Robert Half said its average fees per placement increased 5.5% over the same period.

Fee growth can offset weaker placement volume

Robert Half's second-quarter permanent-placement revenue rose 2.9% even though the number of placements fell 2.6%, because average fees increased 5.5%.

That is the core analytical split. Investors should read the fee together with permanent placement count, rather than treating revenue growth as a single demand signal.

The fee is sensitive to role mix

Senior, specialized, or higher-salary positions can command larger placement fees than lower-salary roles. Geography and fee structure also matter.

The average therefore combines pricing and candidate mix. It helps explain permanent placement revenue, but it is not a standardized price index across staffing firms.

Primary sources: Kforce second-quarter 2026 results and Robert Half second-quarter 2026 Form 10-Q.

Part of the Professional Staffing & Talent Solutions Economics

Connect contract staffing volume, billing rates, calendar normalization, worker-pay spreads, gross margin, and permanent-placement count and fee economics.

Browse the full operating model in Company Analysis →

Where this concept fits

Permanent placement and contract-to-hire economicsCurrent relationship
Permanent-placement revenue is driven by successful placement count and average fee, while conversion revenue captures a separate contract-to-hire path that can contribute high-margin fee revenue without adding contract hours.
Average Placement FeeCurrent conceptStaffing Conversion Revenue Permanent Placement Count Permanent Placement Revenue
Contract staffing volume, rate, and calendar
Billable hours measure delivered labor volume, average bill rate captures pricing and assignment mix, billing-day adjustment normalizes the calendar, and the volume-rate bridge explains how those pieces combine into contract revenue growth.
Staffing Average Bill Rate Staffing Billable Hours Staffing Billing-Day Adjustment Staffing Volume-Rate Bridge
Contract staffing spread and gross margin
The pay-bill spread captures the gap between customer billing and worker pay, while contract gross margin incorporates payroll taxes, benefits, reimbursable expenses, conversion revenue, and other direct-cost effects around that spread.
Staffing Contract Gross Margin Staffing Pay-Bill Spread

See It in Company Research

These companies are examples of how the concept is reported or discussed in public filings. Definitions can differ by issuer; these links open company research rather than a normalized metric comparison.

KFRCOpen operating-model research →10 of 10 reviewed concepts in Professional Staffing & Talent Solutions EconomicsPermanent placement and contract-to-hire economics4 of 4 bridge concepts supportedContinue through this bridge:Permanent Placement Count Permanent Placement Revenue Staffing Conversion Revenue
RHIOpen operating-model research →10 of 10 reviewed concepts in Professional Staffing & Talent Solutions EconomicsPermanent placement and contract-to-hire economics4 of 4 bridge concepts supportedContinue through this bridge:Permanent Placement Count Permanent Placement Revenue Staffing Conversion Revenue

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Compare placement fee economics

Compare fee per permanent placement without confusing higher-salary role mix with like-for-like recruiting price increases.

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