The Hidden Burn Rate of Employee Turnover

Not interested in hearing from Lean Leverage or Go Carpathian?
Unsubscribe at the bottom of this email.

Imagine losing your head of sales with only a two-week notice. Gone to a competitor for a raise.

The real pain isn’t just losing a part of your team.

It’s the recruiting fees, the lost time onboarding someone new, the lost productivity, and the ripple effect on the rest of the team.

Most founders accept churn as “normal” because they hire from job boards that are full of people already looking for their next job.

Go Carpathian’s model is different.

Instead of relying on job boards, we actively source and recruit candidates who are a strong match for each role.

Because our placements are vetted for alignment, motivation, and staying power (and backed by our satisfaction guarantee), you get a team built to last.

The U.S. churn problem

Turnover has cooled since the peak of 2022, but the costs haven’t gone away.

A study by Achievers shows replacing someone can cost half to four times their yearly pay, once you factor in recruiting, training, and lost momentum.

And churn is still brutal:

• Tech: roughly 1 in 3 employees change jobs every two years.

• Professional services and agencies: account managers and media buyers turn over at 25–30% annually.

• Finance and operations teams in growth‑stage companies face similar retention challenges, averaging 20% churn each year.

And according to CustomerGaige, professional services through the consulting industry hit 27% and telecommunications were at a churn rate of 31%.

That’s a revolving door of employees.

Why international hires often stay longer

Let’s line up the numbers.

In the U.S., roles in tech, marketing, and operations often see 20–30% annual churn. That means if you have 10 employees, you’re replacing 2–3 every year.

According to Eurostat, Eastern Europe’s average turnover is in a steady decline (-2.3% YoY), with surveys finding Slovakia’s turnover rate at 14–16%, and Poland’s rate at 17-18%.

For professional hires like project managers, designers, or developers, tenure can double what you’d see in the U.S.

According to Oxford Academic, Latin America’s formal jobs with international companies last about 4.5 years on average, versus roughly 2 years for many U.S. hires in similar positions.

So when we talk about “loyalty,” we’re not guessing.

The math says overseas professionals stay longer, ramp faster, and deliver higher ROI.

And because Go Carpathian headhunts every candidate (not just job‑board seekers), you get another layer of retention built in.

The result is fewer replacements, steadier output, and a team that sticks around to compound value.

The balanced approach

It’s not about choosing U.S. or international. It’s about the right mix.

• Some teams move so fast that speed matters more than cost. In those cases, having a few in‑person U.S. hires makes sense.

• Other roles thrive when built internationally, where loyalty, lower overhead, and longer tenure drive compounding returns.

The smartest founders aren’t betting on one market.

They build blended teams that last longer and cost less.

How Go Carpathian helps

We recruit across the U.S., Eastern Europe, South Africa, and Latin America.

That means we can help you fill the roles that need to be domestic while showing you where international talent can give you a loyalty advantage.

Half of our clients hire the very first candidate we introduce. And you don’t pay a dime until your new hire starts.

Book a free 30-minute discovery call with a recruiting specialist and see qualified candidates this week.
→ Click here to schedule your call

Until next time,
Nathan