What untracked vacancies hide
A vacancy is approved position capacity that is not filled by active employee assignments. It can be a whole position or part of one. A 1.0 FTE position with a 0.6 FTE assignment has 0.4 vacant FTE.
Keeping that open capacity visible helps HR, finance, and department leaders decide what to recruit for, what to change, and what to leave vacant.
Why vacancies are easy to lose track of
An employee roster can lose the context of a role when the employee leaves. A separate position record keeps the approved capacity, department, job details, and history available for the next decision.
For each fully vacant or partly staffed position, record the details that support that decision:
- Position number, department, and job title or job classification.
- Approved FTE, active assigned FTE, and vacant FTE on the review date.
- Position availability and the dates of relevant assignment changes.
- Any required hiring or position-change approval.
- Labor budget review where needed, with access appropriate to that information.
- A named owner, next action, and follow-up date.
Labor budget and hiring readiness
Open capacity, budget availability, and permission to recruit are separate facts. A position can have approved vacant FTE while a replacement request is still waiting for a decision.
| Example vacancy | What needs review | Next action |
|---|---|---|
| Analyst: 1.0 vacant FTE | Replacement approved; budget reviewed | Confirm the hiring process with HR |
| Coordinator: 0.4 vacant FTE | Current coverage may be sufficient | Department owner reviews the staffing need |
| Assistant: 0.5 vacant FTE | Department change is proposed | Resolve the change before arranging staffing |
Give each opening an action that reflects its own situation. A count of vacancies alone cannot tell a hiring team which positions are ready to recruit.
How vacancies affect your labor budget
If approved capacity is 50.0 FTEs and 45.0 FTEs are staffed, review the position-level vacancy and any overassignment that explain the difference. When no positions are overassigned, the gap is 5.0 vacant FTEs.
Vacant capacity can remain part of a labor budget even when there is no current employee to pay. For a dated cost review, check the recorded assignment dates and applicable pay. A position expected to remain vacant all year has a different staffing story from one expected to be filled in October.
Do not assume today’s lower spending is a permanent saving or that an approved position automatically has complete budget information.
Run a regular vacancy review
- Choose one review date and confirm that assignments start and end on the intended dates.
- Check fully vacant and partly staffed positions, including positions with future staffing changes.
- Review approvals and budget information needed for each next action.
- Confirm the owner and follow-up date for each item needing work.
- Record the decision, then update staffing or submit the required position request.
Keep all vacancies visible, including those that need no immediate action. Track follow-up tasks separately so you can see both the available capacity and the work that needs attention.
How FTE Tree handles vacant positions
FTE Tree keeps a position’s approved details and history when an assignment ends. Staffed and vacant FTE can be reviewed for a selected date. Workforce Budgeting adds labor budget and calculated compensation for teams with access.
Use Issues to review staffing problems that need attention, and the position list to review open capacity. Read Fix a staffing or assignment issue for product steps, or explore vacancy management to see the workflow.