---
title: "Should we automate or hire another person?"
description: "Automate the repetitive part first, then decide whether you still need the hire. A new colleague costs recruitment, three months of training and a salary every "
canonical: https://aiautomatizaciocegeknek.hu/en/answers/ai-automation-or-hiring-a-new-employee
language: en
publisher: AI Automatizáció
updated: 2026-09-22
---

# Should we automate or hire another person?

Automate the repetitive part first, then decide whether you still need the hire. A new colleague costs recruitment, three months of training and a salary every month; an automation takes over 2–15 hours a week of routine within weeks. In most cases the answer is both: automate the routine, hire for judgement.

## Split the job description in two

Write down what the new person would do, then mark each line as either routine or judgement. Data entry, sorting enquiries, sending confirmations and chasing quotes are routine. Negotiating, handling an upset customer and deciding an exception are judgement. If two thirds of the list is routine, you are about to hire someone to do work that does not need a person.

## What each option really gives you

A person brings judgement, relationships and the ability to handle something nobody anticipated. An automation brings availability, consistency and volume: it works 0–24, handles a hundred cases the same way as one, and does not resign in March. Neither replaces the other, and comparing them on cost alone misses what you are buying.

## The sequence that works

Automate first, for two reasons. You find out what the actual workload is once the routine is gone, which usually turns a full-time vacancy into a part-time one. And the new person joins a company where the boring part is already handled, which makes the role easier to fill and easier to keep filled.

## Asked next

**We cannot find people anyway. Does that change things?**

It makes automation more urgent, not less. If the vacancy has been open for months, the work is currently being absorbed by people who already have jobs.

**Can an automation cover a maternity leave?**

It can cover the repeatable part, which is often enough to avoid a temporary hire. The judgement part still needs a person, usually with less time than a full replacement.

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