The National Hiring Metrics exist because UK employers had no common language for measuring recruitment performance. This is the story of how they were built, who built them, and why they matter.
Every organisation measured recruitment differently. Time to hire meant something different in every system. Cost per hire excluded different things in every finance team. Attrition was calculated over different periods by different people. The result was that no two organisations could meaningfully compare their performance, and no employer could credibly demonstrate the return on their recruitment investment.
The National Hiring Metrics resolve this. Nine metrics. Consensus definitions. A single calculation methodology. Independently verified benchmarks. For the first time, UK employers can measure, compare, and improve hiring performance on common ground.
The National Hiring Metrics were built in three stages, each essential to producing a standard that is technically rigorous, practitioner-validated, and embedded in national policy.
Talent Benchmarking designed the data collection framework, the calculation engine, and the specification for all nine metrics across 19 documented versions. The architecture establishes how data flows from ATS and finance systems into independently verified, externally benchmarked outputs. TB gifted the metric definitions to the industry as a free and open standard.
The RL100 community of senior UK talent acquisition leaders reviewed, challenged, and ratified the metric definitions through a structured consensus process. Their input shaped the final naming conventions and ensured every definition reflected how organisations actually recruit — not how they theoretically should.
The Better Hiring Institute embedded the National Hiring Metrics within the National Hiring Strategy, establishing the policy framework for national adoption. The soft launch took place at the House of Lords on 19 March 2026, with the hard launch scheduled for RecFest UK, 2 July 2026 at Knebworth.
“Strategy without measurement is aspiration. If we are serious about improving hiring outcomes across the UK, we must underpin the National Hiring Strategy with standardised recruitment metrics that allow organisations to benchmark performance consistently and credibly.”
Adrian Thomas — House of Lords, 19 March 2026Talent Benchmarking initiates the RL100 consensus process across the UK community. Senior TA leaders review and refine the metric definitions across multiple specification versions.
The 19th version of the benchmarking specification is ratified by the RL100 community, with final definitions agreed across all nine metrics.
The National Hiring Metrics are soft launched at the House of Lords. Adrian Thomas presents the standard as the measurement backbone of the National Hiring Strategy.
The National Hiring Metrics are formally launched to the wider UK TA community at RecFest UK. Full benchmarking programme opens to all UK employers.
Expansion of the standard to RL100 Middle East (~90 members) and US (~22 members) communities, with cross-geography benchmarking for global organisations.
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