Fill rate for staffing agencies: order, headcount and shift fill rates, worked

Fill rate for a staffing agency is the share of what the client asked for that you actually delivered. For temporary and contract staffing, the useful version is counted in people or shifts, not orders: positions (or shifts) filled ÷ positions (or shifts) requested, after client cancellations. An order for twenty pickers that you staff with eighteen is not "filled" or "unfilled"; it is 90% filled, and the client will remember the two empty spots.

This page covers the three versions of fill rate staffing agencies use, works each through with invented numbers including no-shows and cancellations, and gives a client-facing report. For direct-hire job order fill rate and the rest of the agency funnel, see recruiting agency metrics.

Three fill rates, three questions

Each can be reported in two forms: confirmed (a worker was booked) and show-adjusted (a worker actually arrived). The gap between them is your no-show problem, and it is often larger than the gap between requested and confirmed.

Worked example: one light industrial week

The same week produces 33%, 81% and 89% depending on the definition. The order fill rate is harsh because one missing picker makes a 20-person order "unfilled". The confirmed headcount rate is flattering because it ignores the two pickers who never arrived. The show-adjusted headcount rate is the one that matches what the client's floor supervisor saw on Monday morning.

The breakdown also says where to work. Orders 1 and 3 fell short for different reasons: order 1 is a volume and reliability problem (two unconfirmed, two no-shows), order 3 is a skills problem (one lead short).

Worked example: a month of per diem shifts

The on-time figure matters because a shift filled at 5 a.m. for a 7 a.m. start is technically filled but has already cost the client's scheduler an anxious night. If the client measures you on fill within a deadline, report that version, with the deadline stated.

Counting rules to settle first

• Client cancellations: remove cancellations made with the notice your agreement requires. Late cancellations can stay in, or be reported separately; say which.
• Order changes: if a client raises an order from 15 to 20 workers two days before start, measure against 20 but note the late increase.
• Replacements: a no-show replaced by 10 a.m. the same day is a filled position but a late fill. Decide whether same-day replacements count as filled and apply it consistently.
• Partial shifts: a worker who leaves at lunch covered half a shift. Count it as 0.5, or as unfilled; do not count it as a full shift.
• Multi-day orders: measure day 1 for the order fill rate, and track attrition across the assignment separately (see below).
• Duplicate orders: when two branches both log the same client request, it is one order. Deduplicate before reporting.

Beyond day 1: assignment completion

A high day-1 fill rate with workers drifting away by day 3 is not a good week. Track assignment completion: workers who completed the assignment (or are still on it) ÷ workers who started. In the light industrial example, if 16 pickers started on a four-week order and 12 were still working at the end of week two, completion so far is 12 ÷ 16 = 75%, and the client now needs four more workers. Early drop-off usually traces back to what the worker was told about the job; a clear temp assignment confirmation email with pay, hours, location, dress code and what the work actually involves reduces both no-shows and early exits.

Improving the number where it counts

• Take complete orders. Many short fills start with an order missing shift times, physical requirements or certifications. A structured job order form catches those before recruiting starts.
• Overbook where no-shows are predictable. If a shift has a history of no-shows, confirm a small bench of standby workers, paid or not according to your policy and local law, rather than hoping.
• Confirm twice. A confirmation when booked and another the day before catches most would-be no-shows while there is still time to replace them.
• Keep a warm pool. Workers who finished an assignment well are the fastest fills for the next one. Recruit continuously for recurring roles; the high-volume hiring process covers the pipeline.
• Price the hard shifts properly. Night, weekend and short-notice shifts fill worse at the same pay rate. If the bill rate cannot support a higher pay rate, say so to the client; see how to calculate staffing markup.

Managed service programmes and client scorecards

Clients that buy staffing through a managed service provider (MSP) or a vendor management system often score suppliers on fill rate and related measures such as time to submit and assignment completion. Definitions vary between programmes: some count confirmed workers, some count shows, some measure against a deadline. Ask for the written definition, calculate your own figures the same way, and reconcile them monthly with the programme's report. Disputes over a supplier scorecard are much easier with your own dated records than without them.

How to report it to a client

FILL REPORT: [Client], week of [date]
Definitions: headcount fill rate = workers who arrived ÷ workers requested,
net of cancellations with 24+ hours' notice. Measured on day 1.

Orders: 3   Workers requested: 27   Confirmed: 24   Arrived: 22
Headcount fill rate: 81.5%   Show rate: 91.7%
Short: 2 pickers (unconfirmed), 2 pickers (no-show; replacements started day 2),
       1 shift lead (no qualified candidate by start)
Day-1 starters still on assignment at end of week: 21 of 22

Next week: standby bench of 2 for first-shift pickers; lead candidate
interview Tuesday.

Give the client the show-adjusted number even when the confirmed one looks better. They already know how many people turned up; a report that says 89% when their supervisor counted 22 of 27 will cost more credibility than the lower number.

Common mistakes