The Hidden Cost of Job Vacancies: What 90 Days Without the Right Hire Is Costing Your Canadian Business

You've posted the job. You've interviewed candidates. Maybe you've even made an offer that fell through. Meanwhile, that position sits empty - 30 days, 60 days, 90 days. You tell yourself you're being selective, waiting for the "right fit."

But what is that empty chair actually costing you?

The Real Math Behind Vacancy Costs

Most business owners calculate the cost of hiring: recruitment fees, onboarding time, training investment. Few calculate the cost of not hiring. Let's break down what 90 days of vacancy actually means for your bottom line.

Lost Productivity

An empty position doesn't mean the work disappears. It gets redistributed, delayed, or simply doesn't get done.

Conservative estimate: If the role was budgeted at $60,000 annually, that's roughly $15,000 in lost productivity over 90 days. Work that should have been completed but wasn't.

Overtime and Burnout

Your existing team picks up the slack. You're paying overtime rates while simultaneously draining the energy and morale of your best performers. Studies show that prolonged understaffing increases turnover risk among remaining staff by up to 50%.

The ripple effect: Losing one good employee because they're burned out can cost you 1.5-2x their annual salary in replacement costs.

Delayed Projects and Missed Opportunities

How many projects are on hold? How many client requests are you turning down? What growth opportunities are you missing because you don't have the capacity?

The opportunity cost: These are the hardest numbers to quantify but often the most expensive. That delayed product launch, that client you couldn't take on, that expansion you had to postpone. Each represents revenue you'll never recover.

Customer Experience Degradation

Understaffing shows up in longer response times, reduced service quality, and missed details. Your customers notice, even if they don't say anything immediately.

The long-term impact: Customer acquisition costs 5-7x more than retention. How many customers are quietly deciding not to return?

The "We'll Find Someone Eventually" Trap

Here's the uncomfortable truth: The Canadian labour market has fundamentally changed.

• Unemployment in skilled trades and technical roles is near historic lows

• Birth rates have been declining for decades. There are simply fewer working-age Canadians

• Competition for talent has never been fiercer

  
  

Waiting for the "perfect local candidate" might mean waiting indefinitely while your business bleeds money and opportunity.

A Different Approach: Strategic Talent Sourcing

What if the problem isn't that you can't find good people? It's that you're only looking in one place.

Canadian employers who embrace global talent sourcing through programs like the Temporary Foreign Worker Program aren't doing it because they can't find Canadians. They're doing it because they can't afford to leave critical positions empty while hoping the perfect local candidate walks through the door.

The Strategic Advantage

Employers who hire temporary foreign workers often discover unexpected benefits:

• Higher retention rates: Workers who've committed to relocating internationally tend to stay longer and invest more deeply in their roles

• Diverse perspectives: Global talent brings fresh approaches to problem-solving and innovation

• Competitive edge: While your competitors wait for local talent, you're building your team and capturing market share

  
  

What's Your Vacancy Really Costing?

Take a moment to calculate your actual cost:

1. Daily productivity loss: Annual salary divided by 260 working days = daily cost

2. Overtime expenses: How much extra are you paying existing staff?

3. Delayed revenue: What projects or clients are on hold?

4. Team morale impact: Are you at risk of losing other employees?

   
   

Multiply your daily cost by the number of days that position has been vacant. The number might surprise you.

The Bottom Line

Every day that chair stays empty, you're making a choice. And it's costing you more than you think.

The question isn't whether you should consider temporary foreign workers. The question is: Can you afford not to?

Ready to explore your options? At Crossing Oceans Immigration Services, we help Nova Scotia and PEI employers navigate the process of hiring temporary foreign workers, from LMIA applications to Atlantic Immigration Program endorsements. Let's talk about filling those critical positions with qualified, committed talent.

Book a consultation today: www.crossingoceansimmigration.com