Cost analysis: What you will really pay for a job ad in 2025

The prices for job portals are a shock for many HR teams. A single 30-day ad on one of the leading platforms quickly costs €1,399. For more visibility with a "Pro Plus" package, you can even pay €1,699. If you need a term of 60 days, the price can rise to €2,399. Even niche portals often charge upwards of €700 for a single placement.

However, this expenditure does not guarantee success. Companies often invest over €4,700 per hire (cost-per-hire) without getting the desired quality. Traditional ad placement has become an expensive gamble. These high fixed costs drain budgets even before a single suitable CV is on the table.

But the pure advertising costs are only the tip of the iceberg, because the real cost drivers lurk in the process behind it.

Hidden cost eaters: Why time-to-hire destroys your ROI

The average vacancy period in Germany is an alarming 121 days. Some studies even show a peak value of 180 days for the beginning of 2025. Each of these days costs money due to unfilled positions and overworked teams. 83% of recruiters in Germany describe the recruitment process as challenging. The manual sifting of applications ties up valuable resources that are lacking elsewhere.

The hidden costs of slow staffing are enormous:

• Loss of productivity: An unfilled position can reduce team output by up to 25%.
• Administrative burden: HR employees spend up to 30% of their time reviewing unsuitable applications.
• High cost-per-hire: The average cost per hire is €4,700, and even over €10,000 for managers.
• Poor candidate experience: Long processes frustrate top candidates, who then sign up with the competition.

Many overlook the fact that a reduction in time-to-hire of just 10% already significantly reduces recruitment costs. A more efficient process is therefore not a luxury, but an economic necessity. A look at the skilled trades sector shows how this can be achieved even in difficult sectors.

KMLS case study: How a job bot achieves a 76% success rate in the skilled trades

The KMLS Group, a building technology service provider with around 300 employees, was faced with the challenge of finding niche profiles such as service technicians for HVAC or MSR. Traditional job boards for specialists were hardly providing any qualified applicants. KMLS has been relying on inga's recruiting automation for over five years and has achieved a fill rate of 76% in over 50 projects.

The company received an average of 21 verified applications per vacancy. The key to success is a job bot that addresses candidates where they are - on social media. "The job bot is fast, uncomplicated ... talent flows directly into our BMS - the icing on the cake," confirms the KMLS Group. Automated bots reduce the admin workload and reliably fill even niche roles in the skilled trades.

But what if the target group is not even passively active on social media?

SCHRAMM success story: When customized bots win over untraceable experts

The recruiting service provider SCHRAMM specializes in hard-to-reach specialists and experts in the DACH region. Traditional channels fail completely here, as the target group neither actively searches nor responds to standard ads. Instead of a one-size-fits-all solution, SCHRAMM relies on individually programmed bots from inga, which act like a digital headhunter.

These "manual work bots" enable extremely precise targeting that reaches passive candidates where other methods fail. The success proves it: Quality over quantity through customized automation is the key to reaching rare experts. This approach avoids application spam and only delivers truly suitable profiles. This proves that technology and precision can go hand in hand to fill even the most difficult vacancies.

This precision is impressive, but can such an approach be scaled up to fill hundreds of positions?

EDEKA transformation: How social recruiting is turning a traditional brand into a talent magnet

The EDEKA Group, with over 70,000 employees, is struggling with a shortage of skilled workers in logistics, administration and chain store retail. Traditional processes tend to deter talent. Since 2020, inga has achieved a recruitment rate of 72% in over 120 projects for 20 different profiles - from store managers to drivers. The process delivered an average of 21 pre-qualified applications per position.

The solution combines social recruiting campaigns with a job bot. This conducts a short, brand-independent interview and transfers qualified profiles directly into EDEKA's applicant management system. The biggest advantage: this approach activates hard-to-reach target groups in a scalable and efficient way, without additional work for the HR team.

The success factors at a glance:

• Targeted approach on social media instead of expensive portals.
• Automated pre-qualification by a 24/7 job bot.
• Mini-interview without employer brand bias for honest answers.
• Seamless transfer of data to the existing ATS.
• Activation of passive candidates for logistics and counter jobs.

These examples show that switching from traditional job portals to an automated strategy is the decisive lever.

ROI calculation: How to reduce your cost-per-hire sustainably

Let's do the math: Three advertisements on premium portals quickly cost €3,000 to €5,000. Add to this 10 to 15 hours of HR work per week for administration and pre-selection. With an average vacancy period of 121 days, the costs quickly add up to over €10,000 per recruitment if you include internal expenses.

An automated approach like inga's is much more efficient here. By eliminating expensive advertisements and reducing manual effort by up to 80%, the cost-per-hire drops dramatically. Companies such as EDEKA and KMLS not only achieve a staffing rate of over 70%, but do so at significantly lower overall costs. The 50% money-back guarantee from inga further minimizes the risk. This makes social recruiting a calculable investment instead of an expensive experiment.

Switching from expensive job portals to a smart, automated solution is therefore not a trend, but a strategic necessity for any future-proof company.