FTE, assignments, and vacancy

Use FTE to describe how much full-time work is approved or filled. 1 FTE is one full-time job; a 0.5 FTE assignment fills half of that job. Headcount counts people instead, so two people can share one position.

Before you begin

How the values relate

Approved FTE describes the approved size of a position. Active FTE describes how much of that capacity participates on the selected date. A suspended full-time position has 1 approved FTE and 0 active FTE. An active, vacant full-time position has 1 approved FTE, 1 active FTE, and 0 assigned FTE.

On a position’s Summary, Position information shows approved or proposed FTE. Current staffing starts with Staffing status, then shows active, assigned, vacant or overassigned FTE and the current assignment count. The sections appear beside each other on wider screens and one after the other on smaller screens, with current assignment details below.

Drafts identify unapproved position sizes as Proposed FTE. In an approval comparison, Position FTE shows the approved and proposed sizes, while Active FTE shows how each status affects capacity.

For an Active position, vacant FTE is calculated as active position FTE minus active assigned FTE, with no vacancy below zero. Overassigned FTE is shown separately when assignments exceed approved capacity.

FTE when a position stops or returns

While a position is suspended, FTE Tree keeps its approved FTE in the record but counts zero FTE toward staffing capacity. When the position returns, it counts again from the approved return date, using the FTE approved for that date. Neither vacancy nor zero approved FTE automatically suspends a position.

An otherwise eligible Active position with zero FTE still counts as one managed position. Contracted pay and continuing compensation obligations may require separate review. Missing position status or FTE information is a setup issue, not a confirmed zero.

See Suspend, reactivate, or eliminate a position for paired dates and corrections.

Examples

Example: headcount is not FTE

A full-time position has two employees assigned half-time: 0.5 + 0.5 = 1 FTE.

• Headcount is 2.
• Assigned FTE is 1.
• Vacant FTE is 0.
• Overassigned FTE is 0.

Counting employees alone would overstate the staffed capacity. Summing FTE alone would not tell you how many people are involved.

Example: vacancy and overassignment do not offset

Position A has 0.5 vacant FTE. Position B has 0.5 overassigned FTE. Subtracting one from the other would give zero, but both still need attention: A has half a job unfilled, and B has half a job more assigned than approved.

Review staffing at the position level before interpreting only a department total.

Assignment dates matter

An assignment starts on its effective date and stops counting on its end date. Choose the same effective date before comparing position control, assignments, vacancy, or a report.

Future and ended assignments remain in history but do not fill the position outside their active dates.

An assignment contributes to staffing only while the position is Active, the employee is available for assignment, and the employee’s status counts as active. Your organization defines which employee statuses count as active. An assignment at 0 FTE does not add to staffed FTE or the staffing headcount. Missing employee setup needs review rather than being treated as a confirmed zero.

The end date is the first date the assignment no longer counts. An assignment ending July 1 fills the position through June 30. A new assignment can begin July 1 without overlapping it.

Employee FTE and assignment FTE

Employee FTE describes the employee. Assignment FTE describes how much of that employee is allocated to one position.

One employee can have more than one assignment when your organization’s assignment rules allow it. Do not use employee FTE as a substitute for the FTE on each assignment.

For example, an employee with 1 employee FTE may split their time equally between two positions. Each assignment is 0.5 FTE. Each position counts its half-time assignment; neither becomes fully staffed just because the employee works full-time overall.

Vacancy and financial results

Position control shows how much of the approved job is unfilled. Labor budget shows the budget for that unfilled work when the position has the required budget information.

A fully vacant position has no contributing assigned FTE. A partially staffed position still has vacant FTE for its unfilled share. An assignment at zero FTE or for an employee whose status does not count as active does not fill that vacancy. Vacant FTE can still have a labor budget; open labor budget when you need the financial result.

An intentionally unfilled position can still have complete position information. Its FTE, department, and job classification should be recorded even while it has no employee assignment.

Actual compensation follows active employee assignments. Ordinary vacant FTE has no employee compensation record to apply. Labor budget and actual compensation therefore answer different questions for the same vacancy.

Example: financial views of a partial vacancy

A full-time position has a $70,000 annual labor budget rate and one half-time assignment at 0.5 FTE.

• Position control shows 0.5 staffed FTE and 0.5 vacant FTE.
• Labor budget shows $70,000 × 0.5 = $35,000 for staffed work and $35,000 for the vacancy before adjustments.
• Actual compensation uses the employee’s recorded pay for the half-time assignment. It does not add employee compensation for the vacant half of the position.

Do not add the labor budget and actual compensation amounts together.

If a result looks wrong

Check:

1. the selected effective date;
2. the approved position FTE;
3. every active assignment and its FTE;
4. assignment start and end dates;
5. whether the employee and position are active; and
6. whether a recent change is still updating.

Use Staffing or assignment issue when the values still do not match.

Common questions

How do vacancies appear in Issues?

Active approved positions with uncovered FTE appear in Issues. If a vacancy is intentional, an authorized manager can accept the staffing arrangement or schedule a later review. This does not change the FTE figures.

Can a fully staffed position have two employees?

Yes. Several assignments can total the approved FTE when the organization assignment rule permits them.

Can assigned FTE be greater than approved FTE?

It can be recorded only when the assignment rules and validations permit the relationship, but it is shown as overassigned and should be reviewed.

Optional practice: see when a position is fully filled

For exercises that change records, use a separate practice organization and complete the preparation below.

Practice steps and checks

Open the walkthrough’s position for January 1, 2027.

1. Read its approved FTE: 1, meaning one full-time job.
2. Read Avery’s assignment: 1, meaning Avery fills that full-time job.
3. Subtract: 1 - 1 = 0 open FTE.
4. Count the people assigned: one.

For a separate hiring lesson, create a vacant full-time practice position. It starts with 1 open FTE. Assign Casey at 1 FTE, and the open amount becomes 0.

The part-time and shared-position examples earlier on this page are useful once you are comfortable with a fully filled position. They are separate examples, not changes to Avery’s assignment.