Absence Rates Recruitment Cost Calculator FAQ
Answers to common questions about annual absence rates, FTE capacity gaps, recruitment cost and temporary cover estimates.
This FAQ explains the calculator inputs, results, assumptions and appropriate uses. Results are general planning estimates and are not employment, financial or professional advice.
General questions
Core concepts used in the calculator.
What does this calculator estimate?
It estimates annual absence days, average absent capacity in FTE, recruitment cost, temporary cover cost and their combined total.
What is an absence rate?
It is the percentage of scheduled employee work time lost to absence over a year.
What does FTE mean?
FTE means full-time equivalent. Here it represents the average employee capacity absent across the year.
Who can use this calculator?
It can support internal workforce planning for a business, department or team with consistent inputs.
Inputs and calculation
How the calculator uses the values entered.
How are annual absence days calculated?
Headcount is multiplied by scheduled working days, then multiplied by the absence rate divided by 100.
How is absent capacity calculated?
Annual absence days are divided by scheduled working days per employee.
What should recruitment cost per hire include?
It may include relevant advertising, agency fees, screening, interview time, checks, onboarding and initial training.
What should daily cover cost include?
It may reflect temporary staff, overtime, contractor cover or another measurable daily cost of maintaining operations.
Accuracy and assumptions
Factors that can cause actual results to differ.
Does the calculator assume every absence day is covered?
Yes. The cover-cost calculation applies the daily cover cost to every estimated absence day.
Does it include wages paid during absence?
No. It does not separately include payroll, benefits, productivity changes or management time.
Can I use different rates for different teams?
For more detail, calculate each team separately using its own headcount, absence rate and cost assumptions, then combine the results.
Is this a forecast of actual recruitment spending?
No. It is a simplified estimate of the cost associated with replacing average lost capacity.
Using the results
How to interpret outputs for planning.
Why is recruitment cost based on FTE rather than absence days?
Recruitment cost is generally associated with replacing ongoing capacity, so the calculation converts annual lost days into average FTE capacity.
Can I use a zero daily cover cost?
Yes, if you are estimating only the recruitment-based capacity cost and no additional cover cost is expected.
Should I add recruitment and cover cost together?
The calculator provides both separately and as a combined estimate. Whether both apply in practice depends on your staffing model.
How can I compare absence scenarios?
Keep all other inputs constant and change the absence rate, cover cost or cost per hire to compare the estimated results.
How is annual recruitment cost from absence calculated?
Average absence FTE is multiplied by the recruitment cost per hire.
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