It depends on the kind of order. For temp and light industrial orders that a firm has accepted, many firms aim to fill 70 percent or more. Direct-hire fill rates are much lower, often under half, because clients send the same search to several agencies and only one wins. The honest version of a good fill rate counts only the placements that stuck. Filling the wrong order fast does not count.
What fill rate measures
Fill rate is the share of positions you were asked to fill that you did fill. Eighteen positions requested, fourteen filled, fill rate 78 percent. It is the client's view of whether you deliver.
It does not measure speed, quality, or whether the person stayed. That is why it needs a second number next to it.
What "good" looks like, by order type
- Repeat temp orders for a known client: very high. If you know the site and the must-haves, most orders should fill.
- New temp clients: lower at first. The first few orders are where you learn the real requirements.
- Skilled and licensed roles: lower and slower. Credentials limit the pool.
- Direct hire with several agencies on the search: often well under half. You are competing on the first submittal.
Compare your number with your own history, by order type, before you compare it with anyone else's.
Why filling the wrong order fast does not count
Say a client orders five warehouse workers. You fill all five by Tuesday. Two have the wrong shift agreed and leave by Thursday. One has no forklift card and is sent home at the gate.
On the quick version, fill rate was 100 percent. On the honest version, two of five stuck. The client's version is the honest one, and it is the one that decides whether they call you next week.
The honest fill rate
Count a position as filled only if the worker showed up and was still there after the first week, or the first month for longer placements. Track that number next to the quick one. The gap between them is your rework: orders filled twice, candidates replaced, trust spent.
A good fill rate is a high honest one. A high quick one with a big gap under it is a warning.
How to raise the honest number
Most placements that fall off were wrong before they started. The shift was never agreed. The must-have was not checked. The confirmation left out the gate and the start time. Take the order in writing, check each submittal against it, and send the four-line confirmation the night before. The honest fill rate follows.
Where M-Tracker fits
The gap between the quick fill rate and the honest one is made of submittals and confirmations that left something out. M-Tracker checks each one against the written order before it goes, in plain words, so the placements you count are the ones that hold.
Try M-Tracker free14-day trial. No credit card. No employee surveillance.
Questions people ask
Should I count orders the client cancelled?
Not against you, but track them. A lot of cancelled orders often means slow fills.
What is a good fill rate for a new agency?
Whatever it is in month one, higher in month three. Pick a few clients, learn their orders cold, and the number climbs.
Is 100 percent fill rate possible?
For repeat orders with a known client, close to it. Across a whole desk, no. Some orders are not fillable at the pay rate offered.
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