Quick answer: If your candidate gets a counteroffer, call them, find out whether it fixes the reasons they wanted to leave, and remind them what your role offers on those exact points. Match pay only if you’d have paid that anyway. Better still, ask about counteroffers before you make the offer. And skip the scare statistics. The common “80% leave within six months” claim has no traceable source.
Why do counteroffers happen?
Because replacing someone is expensive and slow for their current employer too.
When an employee resigns, the employer faces weeks of hiring, lost knowledge and extra load on the team. Offering more money looks cheaper. Robert Half’s research among Australian business leaders, published in July 2021, found 59% were willing to make a counteroffer, and the average counteroffer was a 9% pay rise.
So assume any candidate who’s good at their job might get one.
Do counteroffers usually work for the employer?
Often not for long, but be careful with the numbers you’ve heard.
You’ll see claims online that 80% or even 90% of people who accept a counteroffer leave within six months or a year. We looked for the original research behind those numbers and couldn’t find any. They get repeated by recruitment firms without a named study.
The figure we could trace: Robert Half’s July 2021 release reported that 52% of employees who accept a counteroffer leave in a year or less, and 19% within six months. That’s a real data point, but from one market, and the release doesn’t publish its sample size or method.
So the honest version is: counteroffers often don’t fix the underlying reasons, and many people leave within a year anyway. Not “almost everyone”.
Don’t use made-up statistics on candidates. They can usually tell, and it damages trust right when you need it most.
What should you do before the offer?
Prevent the surprise. Most counteroffer problems can be seen coming.
Ask why they’re leaving, early
In the first or second conversation, ask: “What would need to change in your current job for you to stay?” Write down the answer. That’s your list of reasons to come back to later.
Ask directly about counteroffers
Before the final interview, ask: “If your employer offered you more to stay, what would you do?” Listen for whether money is the main reason or one of several.
Know your limit before you start
Agree the salary range and the absolute maximum in the intake meeting. If you don’t know your ceiling, you’ll negotiate against yourself under pressure.
Make a strong first offer
A low first offer invites a bidding war. If the role and budget allow, offer near what you’d actually pay.
What should you do when they tell you about a counteroffer?
Call, don’t email. Then work through four things.
- Thank them for telling you. Many candidates don’t. It’s a good sign they’re still interested.
- Ask what it includes. Money, title, a promise of change, a new project?
- Go back to their reasons. “When we spoke, you said you wanted X and Y. Does the counteroffer change those?” If they left because of their manager, a raise doesn’t change the manager.
- Decide on your response. Then give a clear deadline.
Your options:
| Option | When it makes sense |
|---|---|
| Hold your offer | You’ve offered fairly and the counteroffer is mostly money |
| Improve non-pay terms | Start date, remote days, title, scope, learning budget |
| Raise the pay | Only if it’s within the range you’d have paid anyway, and fair to the current team |
| Walk away | They’re using your offer to negotiate at their current job |
Watch internal fairness. If you raise one hire’s salary above people already doing the same job, you’ve created a new problem. In the EU, the Pay Transparency Directive makes unjustified pay gaps for equal work more visible and easier to challenge.
What should you avoid?
- Pressure tactics. “This offer expires in two hours” damages trust.
- Badmouthing their employer. Even if they did.
- Scare statistics you can’t source.
- Silence. Waiting for them to decide without contact makes the counteroffer look better.
What about after they accept?
The risk doesn’t end at “yes”. Their employer can try again during the notice period.
Stay in touch until day one. Send the written offer quickly. See the job offer letter template. Have the hiring manager send a personal note, share first-week plans, and invite them to meet the team if it’s appropriate. The quieter the notice period, the more likely a second counteroffer works.
Track why offers are declined
One declined offer is bad luck. Five are a pattern.
Record the reason every time a candidate declines, including counteroffers. If counteroffers keep winning, your pay may be behind market or your process may be slow enough to give employers time to react. In Canvider, the Offer Rejection Analysis on the analytics page groups decline reasons and shows the raw notes, but it only works if you record the reason when the candidate tells you.
For the wider picture of where candidates drop out, see the recruitment funnel and why candidates ghost.
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Frequently asked questions
What should I do if my candidate gets a counteroffer?
Call them. Ask what the counteroffer includes and, more importantly, whether it fixes the reasons they wanted to leave. Restate what your role offers on those reasons. Only raise your offer if you'd have paid that amount anyway, and give a clear deadline.
Do most people who accept a counteroffer leave anyway?
Many do, but the famous 80% figure has no traceable source. Robert Half research in Australia, published in July 2021, reported that 52% of employees who accept a counteroffer leave within a year. Treat any figure as a rough signal, not a law.
Should you ask candidates about counteroffers before making an offer?
Yes. Ask early, ideally before the final interview: "If your current employer offered you more to stay, what would you do?" Their answer tells you how much of the decision is about money and how much is about the job.