The cost of a frontline worker quitting can range from $1,200 to over $10,000, depending on the factors considered. To calculate the cost for a specific plant, it is essential to break down the total cost per quit into four key line items.
These line items include recruiting and onboarding spend per hire, paid training hours before a new operator can run the line unsupervised, scrap, rework, and output differential in the first 90 days, and overtime accrued by the remaining crew during the vacancy.
The median cost of filling a nonexecutive role is $1,200, according to SHRM’s 2025 benchmarking data, while the average is $5,475. In contrast, UKG’s 2025 manufacturing survey found that 84% of manufacturers spend at least $10,000 to replace a single skilled frontline worker.
These estimates differ because they count costs differently. SHRM’s cost-per-hire metric only includes talent acquisition expenses, such as agency fees and job ads, and excludes training, lost output, and vacancy overtime.
Calculating the Cost per Quit
For example, recruiting and onboarding spend per hire might include job ads, agency fees, and HR hours.
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The scrap, rework, and output differential in the first 90 days can be determined by comparing shifts staffed with new hires against those run by experienced crews. Overtime accrued by the remaining crew during the vacancy can be calculated by counting only the premium, since straight time would be paid to the new hire anyway.
Using these figures, plant managers can calculate the total cost per quit and multiply it by their quit rate to get the annual figure. For instance, a plant with 200 frontline workers and 19% turnover would lose 38 people a year, resulting in an annual cost of around $408,000.
This cost not only affects the plant’s budget but also puts a cap on growth, as the plant must hire 38 people just to maintain its current headcount before it can staff a new shift or take on a co-manufacturing contract.
Using Data to Support Retention Initiatives
By calculating the cost per quit, plant managers can make a stronger case for retention initiatives. For example, if a plant is considering a $60,000 onboarding overhaul, it can divide the annual cost by the cost per quit to determine how many quits the initiative needs to prevent to pay for itself.
In this case, the overhaul would break even if it prevents six of the 38 quits, a 16% reduction. This allows for a more productive conversation with finance about the potential return on investment.
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Early tenure is also significant, as 32% of frontline departures come in a new hire’s first 30 days, according to UKG’s survey. These exits carry the full recruiting cost and most of the training cost, with very little production in return.
Plant managers can use AI-assisted analysis tools to pull the line item most plants can’t produce by hand, such as the first-90-days differential. This involves combining data from separate systems, including hire dates, crew assignments, and scrap and output records.
This can be done for one role on one line, and if the model works well, it can be extended to the rest of the plant.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics tracks quit rates through its Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey, but it doesn’t track the price of a quit. The seasonally adjusted quit rate in nondurable goods manufacturing increased to 2.0% from 1.5% in July, according to preliminary data.
Paid training hours can be calculated by counting the trainee’s hours and the trainer’s hours, then multiplying by a loaded labor rate, such as the $24.60 to $24.80 average hourly earnings for production and nonsupervisory employees in food manufacturing.
