A vacancy is an unfilled position the business needs to recruit for - either a brand new role created by growth or restructuring, or an existing position left open by a departure such as a resignation or retrenchment.
What it means
A vacancy is the trigger for the recruitment process: it usually needs a job requisition approved before recruiting activity can formally begin, ensuring the spend and headcount impact of filling it has been signed off.
Where it fits in
A vacancy sits within workforce planning and headcount tracking - an approved but unfilled vacancy is counted differently from filled headcount, and the time it stays open is what the time-to-hire metric measures.
Key rules
- An unfilled position, either newly created or left open by a departure.
- Usually requires an approved job requisition before recruiting begins.
- Tracked separately from filled headcount in workforce planning.
- The starting point the time-to-hire metric is measured from.
