It takes an average of 30 working days for a firm to replace an employee who leaves the company, new research shows.
According to the Adecco PayCheck Survey 2008, it takes around six weeks to fill a vacant position, rising to almost seven for skilled managers.
It also reveals that the cost of bringing in a new employee can cost an extra 37 per cent on top of their annual salary.
This means that a staff member who will earn £32,000 could cost a firm £44,000 in their first year of employment.
However, the average tenure of employment in the UK is 5.6 years, indicating that staff turnover is not an issue for many firms.
Recently, a report by the Recruitment and Employment Confederation found that 78 per cent of recruitment firms have been asked not to pass on applications made by women of child bearing age.
According to the group, such discriminatory practices mean that firms are missing out on "a massive pool of talent".
