Glossary · Operations
What is Fill rate
Definition
The percentage of client requisitions you actually fill. It is the single metric that decides whether you keep a contract at renewal.
Applies to: US and UK · Reviewed by James Doyle
In practice
A 70% fill rate on twenty roles beats a 100% fill rate on three, but only if quality holds. Clients score both, and vendor scorecards are usually visible to you if you ask.
Fill rate collapses when the bill rate is below market — which is why rate benchmarking is a delivery problem, not just a commercial one.
Related terms
Time to fill
Elapsed days from a client raising a requisition to a candidate starting. In contract staffing the winning window is often hours, not days.
ReadBill rate
The hourly rate an agency charges its client for a contractor. It has to cover the pay rate, employment burden, funding cost and the agency's margin.
ReadMSP
A managed service provider runs a client's contingent workforce programme and sits between the client and its supply chain of staffing agencies.
Read
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