A vacant position is not a neutral cost. It's an open wound on your balance sheet that bleeds every day the position is unfilled — and most employers never calculate it. This article gives you the numbers, sector benchmarks, and a calculator that shows your loss in 30 seconds.
Definition: Cost of vacancy is the total economic damage to a company from a position being unfilled — including lost revenue, overtime burden on existing workers, additional contractual penalties, lost customers and morale decline in the team.
TL;DR — numbers you must know in 2026
- Croatia 2026: shortage of ~65,000 seasonal workers in tourism and construction (estimate by Croatian Tourism Association and HGK for 2026)
- EU vacancy rate Q2 2025: 2.1% of all EU jobs are vacant (Eurostat, 2026)
- Average daily revenue loss by sector:
- Construction: €450–700/day per vacant position
- Hospitality (seasonal peak): €600–1,200/day
- Manufacturing (CNC, metalworking): €800–1,500/day
- Transport (C+E driver): €350–550/day
- Healthcare and care: €300–500/day
- 30 days of an empty position on average costs the company between €9,000 (lighter position) and €45,000 (highly productive)
- AI-era reality check: companies that have digitized their HR process work with 4% higher productivity than those that haven't (European Commission, Spring 2026)
1. Five cost components that 90% of employers don't calculate
Most small and medium employers in the EU see a vacant position as "I'm not paying salary → I'm saving." This is mathematically the wrong conclusion. Here's what you're actually losing:
1.1. Lost direct revenue
Most visible component. If one bricklayer builds €35,000 worth of work monthly, no bricklayer = no €35,000. Simplified: revenue-per-employee as the baseline.
1.2. Overtime for existing workers
Work isn't deleted — it's redistributed. Existing workers cover ~30% of the gap, but at 1.5× hourly rate (Croatian Labour Law, Art. 65, similar in most EU jurisdictions). Cost isn't linear: overtime productivity declines over time.
1.3. Burnout and attrition of remaining staff
Gallup 2024 study on team capacity erosion shows: when a team works >110% capacity for more than 6 weeks, risk of additional resignations jumps by 38%. This means: one empty position becomes two or three.
1.4. Cancelled or delayed projects
In construction, 75% of projects are delayed, and 61% of firms cite worker shortage as the direct cause (McKinsey/ECI 2025 Construction Productivity Study). Late penalties typically run 0.5–1% of project value daily — meaning for a €500,000 project, an additional €2,500–5,000 daily cost.
1.5. Hidden "manager tax"
Manager time spent on "patching" schedules, interviews that don't lead to hires, repeated job postings. SHRM 2025 benchmark: average HR manager spends 15–22 hours per unfilled position monthly. If your manager's hourly cost is €35, that's €525–770 monthly just on coordination.
2. How much does it actually cost you? Try yourself.
The calculator below performs a conservative estimate by sector, number of positions and days. Sources: Eurostat hourly labour costs EU 2025 (€34.9 average), SHRM 2025 cost-per-hire benchmarks, sectoral revenue-per-employee studies.
What does a vacant position cost you?
Select industry, number of unfilled positions and how long they've been open. The calculator returns a conservative estimate based on Eurostat and SHRM 2025 benchmarks.
Cost breakdown
- Lost revenue (capacity gap)
- €17,250
- Overtime for existing staff (×1.5)
- €1,620
- Burnout / morale decline (conservative 8%)
- €1,510
Pre-screened candidates ready to arrive. People Pons delivers qualified candidates within days of signing.
Numbers are indicative. Actual loss depends on margin, seasonality and position criticality.
Note on numbers: the calculator uses a conservative midpoint of the range. The actual loss is typically larger for high-margin firms and in peak season, and smaller for low-margin firms or continuous production without bottleneck positions.
3. Croatian sector benchmarks 2026
The table below shows real data from the Croatian labour market for 2026 (MoI, HZZ, HGK, HUT, Eurostat seasonal reports):
| Sector | Typical monthly salary (gross) | Daily loss per empty position | Average time to fill* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Construction (bricklayer, carpenter) | €1,400–2,000 | €450–700 | 38–67 days |
| Hospitality (waiter, seasonal) | €1,200–1,800 | €600–1,200 | 21–45 days |
| Manufacturing (CNC operator) | €1,800–2,600 | €800–1,500 | 52–90 days |
| Transport (C+E driver) | €1,500–2,200 | €350–550 | 28–55 days |
| Healthcare (caregiver) | €1,300–1,900 | €300–500 | 35–60 days |
| Agriculture (seasonal) | €900–1,400 | €200–400 | 14–30 days |
*Time to fill is measured from end of recruitment process (contract signing) to worker's arrival at position. Includes work permits, OIB, accommodation. Without an agency — often 2–3 months. With a specialised agency that has a regional network — a first qualified candidate within 15 working days, the rest is administrative process beyond the agency's control (Ministry of Interior work permits, employer action, visas).
4. AI era: why slow hiring today means losing the market tomorrow
91% of workers who use AI at work say it helps them work faster (European Commission, Spring 2026). Companies that have adopted AI/automation in operational processes have 4% higher productivity than those that haven't, and in functions like customer support the difference reaches 15% (Brookings, 2025).
Practical implication for you: while you're searching for a worker the traditional way for 67 days, a competitor who has optimised the HR process (specialised agency, regional network, clear internal procedure) gets a first qualified candidate in 15 working days. The ~50-day difference × €800 daily loss (manufacturing) = €40,000 advantage for the competitor — and if this repeats 3–4 times a year, we're talking about €150,000+ in structural loss.
This is a cost you don't see in your accounts, but next year's market share will reflect it.
5. Frequently asked questions (FAQ)
How long does it take on average to fill one position in Croatia 2026?
According to HZZ and SHRM benchmarks, the average for non-traditional positions (worker from abroad) is 45–90 days from process start to arrival. With a specialised agency that has a regional network, a first qualified candidate within 15 working days, the rest is administrative process (work permit, visas) that depends on employer action and competent institutions.
How much does a bad hire cost when someone is hired incorrectly?
SHRM 2025 estimates between 50% and 200% of annual salary, depending on seniority. For a bricklayer with annual salary €18,000 that means €9,000–36,000 cost of errors, dismissal, repeated hiring. More on this in the article "Cost of bad hire" (coming soon).
Which season has the largest daily loss?
July–August for hospitality (up to €1,500/day per empty position), April–June for construction (delay penalties), September–October for manufacturing (Q4 production push). Seasonal peaks increase "default" numbers from the calculator by 2–3×.
Is it cheaper to leave the position vacant or use an agency?
Conservative math: for 30 days of vacant position in construction the cost is ~€17,000. The commission of a specialised agency for one position typically amounts to 1.5–3 monthly salaries (€2,000–6,000). The agency pays for itself already in the 3rd week of filling compared to "self-waiting".
What is the People Pons replacement guarantee?
If the candidate leaves the employer or doesn't match the specification within 60 days, People Pons replaces the worker at no additional cost. Details: Worker replacement guarantee (coming soon).
6. Next step
If you've seen the calculation above and the number surprised you — that's the cheapest part. Next steps:
- Identify the top 3 positions that are blocking your revenue (not necessarily the most numerous — the most critical)
- Calculate your real cost for 60 days (most positions remain vacant that long)
- Contact a specialised agency with a regional network — People Pons delivers a first qualified candidate within 15 working days, the rest of the process depends on employer response speed and permits
- Set an SLA with the agency: 48h candidate contact, clear deadlines for signing
Don't wait for the number from the calculator to become this year's loss.
Sources and notes:
- Eurostat, Hourly labour costs in the EU, 2025
- Eurostat, Job vacancy statistics, Q2 2025
- SHRM, 2025 Talent Access Report (cost-per-hire benchmarks)
- European Commission, European Economic Forecast, Spring 2026 — "The AI-adoption divide"
- World Bank, Croatia Labor Market Review, 2025
- Croatian Ministry of Interior, Work permit statistics, 2025
- Croatian Chamber of Commerce (HGK), seasonal worker estimates 2026
- Gallup, State of the Global Workplace, 2024 (burnout & team capacity)
- McKinsey/ECI, Global Construction Productivity Study, 2025
Numbers are indicative and based on publicly available sources and conservative models. Your actual cost depends on company specifics, season and position criticality.
Have a specific question for your situation? Call +385 91 514 0192 or write via the contact form — our partner liaison responds the same or next business day.