Full-time equivalent (FTE): Standardised key figure for work capacity and personnel planning

July 30, 2024

The full-time equivalent (FTE) is a key figure used to compare the work performance of part-time and full-time employees. An FTE of 1.0 corresponds to a full-time employee who works the full hours of a full working week. For example, a person who only works 20 hours per week would be counted as 0.5 FTE if the full working week is 40 hours.

The full-time equivalent is often used to calculate the total working capacity of an organisation, to plan and analyse personnel requirements or to evaluate labour costs. It enables a standardised comparison of work performance and capacity across different working time models.

Calculation: FTE is calculated by dividing the total number of working hours of an employee by the standard working hours of a full-time position.