Redeployment rate in staffing: definition, formula, a worked month and the workflow that raises it

Redeployment rate is the share of temporary or contract workers whose assignments ended who start another assignment through the same agency within a set window. The formula is eligible workers redeployed within the window ÷ eligible assignment endings in the period × 100, where "eligible" usually excludes workers converted to the client's payroll, ended for cause, or not available for more work. We found no original publisher's benchmark for it as of October 2026, so the useful comparison is your own month-on-month trend, by branch, skill and recruiter.

Our fill rate and recruiting agency metrics pages measure how well you supply clients. Neither measures what happens to a worker when the assignment ends, which is where redeployment comes in.

What decisions define the metric?

Write the definition down and keep it fixed. Changing exclusions halfway through a year produces an improvement nobody earned.

The formula

Eligible endings = All assignment endings in the period
                 − converted to client payroll
                 − ended for cause / not eligible for rehire
                 − worker unavailable or quit (reason recorded)

Redeployment rate (N days) = Eligible workers who started a new assignment
                             within N days of the last day worked
                             ÷ Eligible endings × 100

Worked example: one branch, one month

The gap between the 14-day and 30-day figures is 13 workers who waited two to four weeks between assignments. Some of them will have taken other work in that time; the faster the next offer, the more of them you keep.

Why does redeployment lower recruiting cost?

• No sourcing. The worker is already in your database, already responsive to your recruiters.
• Less screening. You have the last client's feedback, attendance record and the skills used on the job, which is better evidence than a resume.
• Paperwork on file. Onboarding documents, safety training records and payroll setup often carry over. Whether a new Form I-9 is needed depends on whether employment ended; see I-9 for rehires.
• Faster fills. Redeployed workers can often start sooner, which supports your fill rate on short-notice orders.
• Retention. Workers who move straight from one assignment to the next have less reason to register with a competitor.

To put a number on it for your agency, compare your recruiting cost per new worker placed with the cost per redeployed worker (mostly recruiter time) and multiply the difference by the extra redeployments a few points of rate would bring.

Does redeployment affect unemployment claims?

It can, depending on the state. In Texas, Labor Code section 207.045(h) says a temporary employee of a temporary help firm "is considered to have left the employee's last work voluntarily without good cause connected with the work if the temporary employee does not contact the temporary help firm for reassignment on completion of an assignment." The same subsection adds that this applies only if the worker has been advised "that the temporary employee is obligated to contact the temporary help firm on completion of assignments" and "that unemployment benefits may be denied if the temporary employee fails to do so." (Text checked October 2026.)

Other states have their own rules, and some have none. The practical point holds everywhere: tell workers in writing at hire to contact you when an assignment ends, and log every end-of-assignment contact with its date. Those records support redeployment and any unemployment claim that follows. This is general information, not legal advice; check your state's unemployment law.

Which end-of-assignment workflow raises the rate?

1. Flag end dates early. A weekly list of assignments ending in the next 21 days, by recruiter. Many redeployments are lost because nobody noticed the end date until the worker called.
2. Ask the client first. Is an extension possible, is there another order coming, and would they take this worker again? Record the answer; a client "do not return" request is handled separately (see what DNR means in staffing).
3. Talk to the worker a week or two before the end. Availability, shifts, travel distance, pay floor, skills picked up on this assignment. Update the record the same day.
4. Match against open orders before the last day. The best outcome is a confirmed next start date before the current assignment finishes. Confirm the details in writing with an assignment confirmation email.
5. Close the assignment properly. Equipment, badges, final timesheet and feedback; the contractor offboarding checklist covers it.
6. Keep in touch inside the window. Workers not placed by the last day get a call or message every few days with specific openings, not a generic "we'll be in touch". The candidate rediscovery templates can be adapted.
7. Record the outcome. Redeployed (date, client), converted, not eligible, unavailable (reason), or lost (took other work, no response).

How should you report it?

REDEPLOYMENT REPORT: [Branch], endings in [month]
Endings 120 | Converted 10 | Not eligible 8 | Unavailable 12 | Eligible 90
Redeployed within 14 days: 45 (50.0%)   within 30 days: 58 (64.4%)
Same client 21 | New client 37 | Median gap (redeployed): [x] days
Lost: took other work 14 | no response 11 | still open 7
By recruiter: [table]   By skill: [table]

The "lost" lines are where the improvement is. A rising count of "took other work" usually means the next offer came too late or paid too little; "no response" usually means contact started after the assignment ended.

Common mistakes