> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.getnovaplan.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Global Hiring Calculator

> Compare the fully loaded cost of hiring or relocating a role across countries.

The Global Hiring Calculator models a role across candidate countries and compares fully loaded annualized cost side by side, in local and base currency, with the most efficient option highlighted and the non-cost employment trade-offs shown alongside.

## What It Answers

* Where is this role cheapest to hire or relocate, fully loaded?
* What does the head-to-head variance look like between two locations?
* What are the non-cost employment factors (notice period, severance, dismissal protection, employer mandates, overall risk) for each country?

## How It Works

<Steps>
  <Step title="Define the role">
    Enter the base package, the department, and the candidate countries to compare.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Review the comparison">
    Each country shows fully loaded cost (base plus fringe, merit, bonus, commission, and headcount fees), converted to base currency, ranked cheapest first with the winner highlighted.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Read the trade-offs">
    A researched employment-factor overlay shows the non-cost considerations per country, so the cheapest option is also an informed one.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## What Each Country Shows

| Field                     | What it means                                                                                 |
| ------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Fully loaded cost (base)  | Total annual cost in base currency: base plus fringe, merit, bonus, commission, and fees      |
| Fully loaded cost (local) | The same total in the country's local currency                                                |
| Variance vs base location | The head-to-head difference against the location you are comparing from                       |
| Employment factors        | Notice period, statutory severance, dismissal protection, employer mandates, and overall risk |
| Monthly trajectory        | The cost path month by month, reflecting FX drift over the year                               |

<Note>
  The cost math mirrors the headcount forecast engine on an annualized steady-state basis, so the numbers stay consistent with how you plan headcount everywhere else.
</Note>

## Common Questions

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Is this a steady-state or a ramped cost?">
    It is annualized steady-state: no tenure-based merit ramp, no annual-raise compounding, and no severance booked into a termination month. Monthly FX drift is reflected in the trajectory.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Why does the local-currency figure not exactly match the base figure divided by today's rate?">
    Surcharges (fringe, merit, bonus) are applied after converting to base currency, matching the engine, and the trajectory reflects FX month by month, so small rounding differences from a single spot rate are expected.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="How is the most efficient country chosen?">
    By fully loaded annualized cost in base currency, ranked cheapest first. The winner is the lowest total cost, but the employment-factor overlay is there so cost is not the only input.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Does a higher local salary always mean higher cost?">
    Not necessarily. A higher base can be offset by lower employer mandates or a favorable exchange rate, which is exactly what the side-by-side comparison surfaces.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## If the Numbers Look Off

* If a country shows no employment factors, the researched overlay for that country may not be populated yet; the cost math is still valid.
* If the cheapest option looks surprising, check the local currency and the employer-mandate factors, since those often drive the result more than base salary.

<Tip>
  This calculator operates at country level, because employment law, social cost, and currency are national. For the people events behind your existing team, see [Headcount Changes](/reporting/headcount-changes).
</Tip>