Cost of vacancy

In short: An unfilled IT role is anything but free — lost value contribution, extra strain on the team, and recruiting costs quickly add up to around €69,000 for a single role that stays vacant for 90 days. The formula: (lost value contribution per day × days vacant) + extra strain on the team + recruiting costs. Every day you fill the role faster saves real money.

The formula

Cost of Vacancy = (lost value contribution per day × days vacant) + extra strain on the team + recruiting costs

• Value contribution per day: roughly = (annual revenue ÷ headcount ÷ ~220 working days). Set it higher for revenue-critical or bottleneck roles.
• Days vacant: the time from "role open" to "fully productive and onboarded".
• Extra strain: overtime, delays, cancelled projects, and the risk of higher turnover in an overloaded team.

Worked example

Value contribution/day €600 · 90 days vacant = €54,000 in lost contribution. Plus extra strain/delay (a conservative €10,000) and recruiting costs (€5,000) = ~€69,000 for one unfilled role.

What this means

Every day you fill the role faster saves real money. Speed and fit aren't "soft facts" — they're direct cost levers.

Avoid the thinking trap

"We'll wait for the perfect talent" often costs more than a good, fast hire. Always factor the waiting time into your math.

We cut your days vacant with pre-vetted, well-matched talents. Let us run the numbers on your case. Book a free demo