What does an open vacancy cost?
A vacancy that stays open for months feels free, because you pay no salary. But the machine that stands still, the quote that stays on the pile and the colleagues working overtime do cost money. This calculator makes that visible with your own numbers.
Net cost of the open vacancy: ≈ € 13,734 (€ 211 per working day)
| Labour cost per working day | € 302 |
|---|---|
| Output the role would have delivered | + € 29,431 |
| Extra cost meanwhile | + € 3,924 |
| Pay you do not spend | − € 19,620 |
Indication. The daily cost is the annual cost from the calculator on this site divided by 230 effective working days. The factor is an assumption; pick the description that fits best.
Want to know what a realistic lead time is for this profile? Discuss your vacancy →
How the calculation works
- The daily cost is the total annual employer cost of the role (the same formula as our employer cost calculator) divided by 230 effective working days: two hundred and sixty working days minus twenty days of leave and ten public holidays.
- The output of the role is the daily cost times a factor. A supporting role produces roughly what it costs; a technical role in production or maintenance more; a role that generates revenue directly or prevents downtime, more still. That factor is the main assumption, so you choose it yourself.
- The pay you do not spend while the seat is empty is deducted. Overtime, outsourcing or temp staff you use meanwhile are added.
The result is an indication, not an accounting figure. It serves to have a conversation about lead time and budget with the right order of magnitude. For a more exact picture, use the revenue or production per employee of your own company as the factor.
Method based on: Dr. John Sullivan, Cost of vacancy formulas for recruiting and retention managers (dagomzet per medewerker, waarde van een medewerker één tot drie keer het loon); Stack Overflow Talent, How to measure cost of vacancy (jaarloon gedeeld door werkdagen, maal dagen open).
Frequently asked questions
Why does an open vacancy cost money if I pay no salary?
Because the role exists to deliver something: production, maintenance, sales or planning. As long as nobody does it, that output disappears or colleagues take it over at overtime rates. The saved pay rarely covers that fully.
Which factor should I choose?
Pick the description that fits the role best. If in doubt, take the lower of the two that apply; the result then stays cautious rather than inflated.
How long does a technical vacancy stay open on average?
That depends heavily on the profession, the region and the package. VDAB lists many technical professions as bottleneck professions, which means filling them is harder than average. Our pages per role tell you whether your profile is on the list.