Full-time equivalent: a way to express working time as a proportion of a defined full-time workload.
FTE converts working hours into units of a defined full-time workload. Divide the hours being measured by the full-time hours for the same period. If full time is 40 hours a week, a person working 20 hours represents 0.5 FTE, and two such people together represent 1.0 FTE. Headcount would still record two people. This distinction makes FTE useful when comparing staffing capacity across teams with different working patterns. The full-time baseline must be stated or understood before interpreting a figure, because the abbreviation alone does not specify weekly hours.
In job listings
Moët Hennessy’s Senior Business Controller posting in London required submission, reporting and analysis of FTE and headcount data, working closely with HR on accurate workforce cost planning. Naming both measures makes the distinction practical: the role needed information about staffing capacity as well as the number of people employed. Search local jobs for “human resources”.
