Glossary · Costs

Full-time equivalent (FTE)

Full-time equivalent (FTE) is a unit that measures workload or headcount in terms of full-time positions. One FTE equals one person working a full-time schedule, usually 40 hours a week in the U.S. Companies use FTE to plan capacity, budget roles, and compare staffing options on a like-for-like basis.

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What it means in practice

FTE math is useful when you compare an offshore hire with other options. Price one dedicated full-time professional against the fully loaded cost of one local full-time employee, not against a freelancer's rate, because only the first two give you the same capacity every week.

Every Rekruuto hire is one FTE: one person, 40 hours a week, working your hours. Use the salary calculator to compare that FTE with a U.S. hire in the same role.

When you plan headcount, list the recurring work first, estimate the weekly hours, and group it into roles. The job description generator helps turn that list into a role.

How to turn workload into FTEs

  • List every recurring task the role would own and estimate the hours each takes in a normal week.
  • Add time for meetings, training, and handling exceptions, which task lists tend to leave out.
  • Divide the weekly total by 40 to get the FTE need.
  • Group the work into roles by skill, so one person does not hold unrelated jobs.
  • Revisit the estimate after a month of real work and adjust the plan.
  • Fully loaded cost

    Fully loaded cost is the total an employer pays for a worker, not just the salary.

  • Dedicated remote hire

    A dedicated remote hire is one professional who works only for your business, full time, from another location.

  • Role scorecard

    A role scorecard is a one-page definition of what success looks like in a job: the mission, three to five measurable outcomes, and the competencies needed to deliver them.

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