Every unfilled day costs your organisation real money
Every day a specialist engineering or technical role remains unfilled costs your organisation productivity, project momentum and revenue. Use our Vacancy Cost Calculator to estimate the daily and total financial impact of an open position, and see how reducing your time-to-hire can lower the true cost of recruitment across energy, engineering and infrastructure.
The average UK time-to-fill for specialist energy and engineering roles is around 67 days, while Astute People averages 39 days. That 28-day difference can recover significant productivity, accelerate project delivery and reduce the hidden costs of recruitment for critical technical, engineering and leadership positions.
What a vacancy actually costs
The daily revenue output a filled role would generate stops accumulating the moment a vacancy opens.
Existing team members absorb additional workload, increasing burnout risk and reducing overall output quality.
Critical roles on energy projects carry timeline risk — delays in commissioning, compliance or delivery can cascade into contract penalties.
Top candidates move quickly. Extended vacancy periods often result in settling for a weaker shortlist — increasing mis-hire risk.
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About vacancy costs
Answers to common questions about the financial impact of an unfilled role and how to reduce time-to-hire.
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The calculator divides annual revenue by number of employees to get revenue per employee, then divides by 251 working days to produce a daily revenue impact per seat. This gives a conservative estimate of the productivity cost per vacant day.
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The UK industry benchmark for specialist technical roles is approximately 67 days from vacancy to offer acceptance. Astute People's average time-to-fill for energy sector placements is 39 days, representing a significant reduction in vacancy exposure.
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No — the calculator measures the revenue opportunity cost of the unfilled seat. Recruitment fees are separate. In most cases, a specialist agency fee is significantly offset by the reduction in vacancy days and the lower risk of a costly mis-hire.
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Both carry significant financial risk. A vacancy creates a daily revenue gap; a bad hire adds salary waste, productivity loss and re-recruitment costs on top. You can model the bad hire risk using our Cost of a Bad Hire Calculator.
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Astute People's specialist network of 100,000+ pre-qualified energy sector candidates means we can shortlist faster and with higher quality. Our average time-to-fill of 39 days is 28 days faster than the industry benchmark — a saving that compounds quickly on high-value roles.
Fill it right. Fill it fast.
Astute People's specialist recruitment solutions are built to reduce time-to-fill without compromising on candidate quality.
Permanent Recruitment
Fast access to pre-qualified energy sector specialists, with targeted candidate matching and dedicated consultant ownership from brief to offer.
Retained Recruitment
Structured search for hard-to-fill or business-critical roles. Dedicated search, market mapping and quality-led shortlist delivery.
Cost of a Bad Hire Calculator
Filling quickly reduces vacancy cost — but a mis-hire adds salary waste, productivity loss and re-recruitment on top. Model your bad hire risk.