An unfilled vacancy can easily cost your organisation several hundred to over a thousand euros a week. You can calculate this amount by dividing the role’s annual turnover or production contribution by 52 weeks and adding the hidden costs to that figure. The longer a vacancy remains unfilled, the higher the cost.
As an employer in the engineering, manufacturing or logistics sectors, you’re usually well aware of these costs, but you rarely work them out in detail. It’s precisely this reverse calculation that reveals exactly how much money an unfilled post is costing you each week. In this article, we’ll show you how to do this, using a specific example.
On average, how much does an unfilled vacancy cost per week?
An unfilled vacancy costs on average between 500 and 1,500 euros per week, depending on the role, the contribution to turnover and the sector. For scarce technical and maritime roles, this figure is often higher, as every week without that skilled worker affects production or orders.
That figure consists of two parts: the direct value generated by the role and the hidden costs arising from the position remaining vacant. In the case of a technician or operator, this translates directly into lost production hours. In the case of a sales role, it is reflected in lost turnover and customers switching to the competition.
The labour shortage is exacerbating the problem. According to Statistics Netherlands (CBS), the number of unfilled vacancies at the end of 2024 still stood at around 384,000 (CBS, 2025). The UWV labour market tension indicator shows that the labour market for technical and logistics professions is among the tightest (UWV, 2025). The tighter the market, the longer your vacancy remains unfilled and the higher the costs become.
How do you calculate the cost of a vacant post?
You can calculate the cost of a vacant post in four steps: determine the annual value of the role, divide that by 52 weeks, add the hidden costs, and multiply by the number of weeks the post has been vacant. This will give you a weekly figure and a total amount.
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The step-by-step guide below works for almost any role, from a welder in shipbuilding to an account manager:
- Determine the annual turnover or production contribution. Use the turnover generated by the role or the direct value of the production hours.
- Divide by 52 weeks. That way, you’ll know how much the role should generate each week if the position were filled.
- Add up the hidden costs. Think of overtime, agency staff, missed orders and the extra strain on your team.
- Multiply by the term. Multiply the weekly amount by the number of weeks the vacancy remains open.
The fairest calculation also takes account of any loss of quality. An overworked team is more likely to make mistakes, and the risk of staff turnover increases. Whoever the wants to improve the time to hire, you’ll see that every week’s savings are reflected directly in the final total.
What hidden costs do employers overlook?
The biggest costs associated with a vacant post do not lie in recruitment, but in the hidden costs that are rarely taken into account. Employers often focus solely on the salary they save, whilst the real cost lies elsewhere.
The table below lists the hidden cost items so that you don’t overlook them when working out the figures:
| Cost item | How much it will cost you |
|---|---|
| Lost production or turnover | Orders that you fail to deliver or deliver late |
| Overtime for permanent staff | Surcharges and a higher risk of non-attendance |
| Hiring temporary staff | Higher hourly rate than a permanent employee |
| Overworking the team | More errors, lower quality, higher staff turnover |
| Slower growth | Projects that you put off or cancel |
| Management time | Hours spent on temporarily resolving issues and reallocating work |
Soft costs, in particular, have a significant impact. A team that is chronically understaffed becomes exhausted and starts looking for other work. In this way, a single vacancy quietly leads to the next one.
Calculation example: how much does an unfilled engineering vacancy cost per week?
An unfilled mechanic vacancy with an annual contribution to production of 130,000 euros costs you around 2,500 euros per week in direct costs plus hidden costs. Over eight weeks, this amounts to approximately 20,000 euros. The breakdown is shown below.
Suppose you’re looking for a service engineer who generates 130,000 euros in turnover per year. Divided by 52 weeks, that’s 2,500 euros in direct turnover per week that you’re missing out on.
Add the hidden costs to that. In this example, you’re assuming around 600 euros per week in overtime pay and agency staff to cover part of the workload. This brings the weekly loss to around 3,100 euros.
If a vacancy remains unfilled for eight weeks, it will cost you nearly 25,000 euros. A vacancy that remains unfilled for twelve weeks will set you back around 37,000 euros. This illustrates why filling vacancies quickly pays off so much.
Calculations of this kind form the basis of a data-driven recruitment approach. Based on target audience data and campaign data, you’ll not only know what an empty slot costs, but also how quickly you can realistically fill it.
Why does speeding up the completion process save the most money?
Reducing the time taken to fill a vacancy saves more than cutting costs on the recruitment process itself, as every week a vacancy remains unfilled costs money directly. In the case of a mechanic, filling a vacancy four weeks sooner saves well over 12,000 euros in lost value and hidden costs.
At FosFor, a vacancy is filled on average within 3 to 8 weeks, with a shortlist of the 2 to 4 best candidates drawn up each month. This speed is based on data from hundreds of recruitment campaigns, combined with labour market and target audience data. Every week you save on the time taken to fill a vacancy is a direct benefit.
Speed and quality go hand in hand here. Filling a vacancy more quickly without carrying out the proper pre-selection will still result in a costly mistake if the candidate leaves after three months. The real saving lies in filling the vacancy both quickly and effectively, so that you don’t have to start all over again.
Would you like to know how this approach applies to your sector? Take a look at our measurable recruitment results or read more about our data-driven approach. This gives you a clear idea of the specific benefits of filling in forms more quickly on a regular basis.
Frequently asked questions about the costs of a vacant post
On average, how much does an unfilled vacancy cost per week?
On average, an unfilled vacancy costs between 500 and 1,500 euros per week, depending on the role and its contribution to turnover. For hard-to-find profiles in engineering, industry and the maritime sector, this figure is often higher, as every week without that skilled worker affects production or orders.
How do you calculate the cost of a vacant post?
Divide the role’s annual turnover or production contribution by 52 weeks and add up the hidden costs, such as overtime, agency staff and lost orders. Multiply that weekly figure by the number of weeks the vacancy remains unfilled to arrive at the total.
What costs do employers often forget to factor in?
Employers often overlook the hidden costs: overtime pay, expensive agency staff, lost turnover, overburdening the team and higher staff turnover. It is precisely these costs that outweigh the salary saved and reveal the true cost of a vacant post.
Why is it cheaper to fill a vacancy quickly than to wait a long time for the perfect candidate?
Every week that a vacancy remains unfilled costs money in terms of lost value and hidden costs. In an average scenario, filling the vacancy four weeks earlier saves over 12,000 euros. Furthermore, filling the vacancy quickly and with a thorough shortlist prevents the need for a costly replacement shortly after the new employee starts work.
Which is more cost-effective: recruitment marketing or continuing to advertise on a single channel?
A targeted, data-driven multi-channel campaign usually fills hard-to-fill vacancies more quickly than individual adverts on a single platform. As every week a vacancy remains unfilled costs money, filling it more quickly often carries greater weight than the recruitment costs themselves. Book a no-obligation strategy meeting to work out the figures for your situation.