What Is That Open Role Actually Costing You?
Lost output, team productivity drag, and any agency fee on top — see the real cost of how long this role has been open.
Showing example numbers — replace them with your own.
Typical estimate: 10–20%
Typical India range: 15–20%
Cost of this vacancy so far
₹3,02,055
Lost output from the open role itself
35 days × daily salary as a proxy for the role's output
₹1,72,603
Productivity drag on the team covering the gap
5 teammates × 15% slower × 35 days
₹1,29,452
Add a 18% agency fee on top and this hire costs ₹3.24L before you even account for the vacancy time above — ₹6,26,055 combined.
Vacancy cost uses the role's own daily salary as a simple proxy for its lost output, plus a team productivity-dip estimate you set. It's a directional estimate, not an audited figure — the point is to make the cost of time visible, not to be precise to the rupee.
Every day this role stays open costs you ₹8,630.
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"It's taking a while to fill" rarely gets escalated the way it should, because nobody puts a number on what the wait costs. This calculator does that: the role's own lost output, the drag on the team covering the gap, and the agency fee if you're paying one. It's a rough estimate, not an audited figure, but it's usually rough enough to make the case for moving faster.
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Lost output from the open seat, plus the productivity drag on the team covering it, added up from your own numbers.
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If you're paying a recruiter, see exactly what that adds to the real cost of this hire.
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Post a Role FreeFrequently asked questions
What's the average time-to-hire in India?
No single standardized public figure exists specifically for India, but SHRM's Talent Acquisition Benchmarking research has repeatedly put average time-to-fill in the mid-to-high 30s of days, commonly cited in the 36–44 day range, in the US — a reasonable reference point. In India, candidate-review data consistently shows large IT-services firms and MNCs taking longer than funded startups, where a hiring manager or founder often reviews applications directly without multiple approval layers.
How do I calculate the cost of a vacant role?
Add up what the role's own output is worth while unfilled (this calculator uses the role's daily salary as a simple proxy), plus the productivity dip on teammates covering the gap. If you're also paying a recruiter, add that fee on top. None of this is an audited figure, but putting a number on it, even a rough one, usually makes the case for moving faster more concrete than "it's taking a while."
Why does time-to-hire matter if the eventual hire is good?
A good hire doesn't erase the weeks of lost output and team strain that happened while the seat was empty, and a longer process also loses strong candidates to faster-moving competitors. Shortening time-to-hire and making a good hire aren't in tension; a faster, better-targeted shortlist (AI-ranked against your actual JD, not a stack of unsorted resumes) usually improves both at once.
What typically slows down hiring the most?
Per recruiting-industry commentary this calculator's sibling report also cites, each additional approval layer (HR screening, a technical panel, a hiring committee, final managerial sign-off) adds calendar days, independent of how qualified the candidate is. Flatter organizations and startups where a founder or hiring manager reviews applications directly consistently move faster for exactly this reason.
Does a faster hiring process mean lowering your bar?
No — the two are separate levers. Speed mostly comes from fewer approval layers and a shortlist that's already been scored against the role, not from skipping interview rigor. AI ranking applicants against your JD the moment they apply removes the week(s) agencies typically take to deliver a shortlist, without changing how carefully you evaluate each candidate once they're in front of you.