HR Statistics, Facts & Trends

We've gathered some of the most searched HR statistics, facts, data, and trends that are impacting the HR industry. Here are some highlights:

• By 2025, millennials will make up 75% of the workforce. Brookings Institution.
• Companies that have higher racial and ethnic diversity are 35% more likely to perform better. McKinsey&Company.
• Companies with higher gender diversity are 15% more likely to perform better. McKinsey&Company.
• Diverse teams are more likely to make better decisions. Cloverpop.

According to SHRM’s 20th anniversary edition, Employee Benefits research report from June 20, 2016:

• Over the past year, the percentage of organizations offering health savings accounts increased from 43% to 50%.
• Compared with five years ago, more organizations are offering monetary bonus benefits such as employee referral bonuses, spot/bonus awards, sign-on bonuses for executives and non-executives, as well as retention bonuses for non-executives.
• Larger finance operations are nearly 2x likely to offer paid maternity leave and more than 2x as likely to offer paid paternity leave.
• New parents are better off in high-tech, finance and government jobs for paid maternity and paternity leave
• Larger finance organizations are more likely to offer telecommuting
• Larger government organizations are likely to offer general wellness programs

According to statistics from Payscale’s research report

• 61% of top performing companies are willing to pay above the 50th percentile for competitive jobs.
• 40% of employers reported having transparent, open communication around compensation.
• 82% of employees would feel satisfied with below-market pay, as long as their employer was transparent about the reasons.
• More than 50% of average companies will not change compensation strategies to accommodate millennials.

According to statistics from NSBA’s 2015 Year-End Economic Report eBook:

• 57% of small firms increased employee compensation over the last 12 months, and 60% said they plan to increase wages in the coming 12 months.

According to SHRM’s 20th anniversary edition, Employee Benefits research report from June 20, 2016:

• Since 1996, there’s been a 21% increase in employee benefits for professional memberships offered by companies
• Since 1996, there’s been a 18% increase in employee benefits for wellness resources and information offered by companies
• Since 1996, there’s been a 40% increase in employee benefits for telecommuting offered by companies
• Since 1996, there’s been a 15% decrease in employee benefits for healthcare premium flexible spending accounts offered by companies
• Since 1996, there’s only been a 2% increase in employee benefits for weight loss programs offered by companies

According to statistics from Bersin, KPMG, Edelman, Gallup, and Glassdoor research reports:

• Companies with employee engagement programs achieve 26% greater year-over-year increase in annual company revenue, compared those who do not have formal programs. (Aberdeen, October 2015)
• 87% of organizations cite culture and engagement as one of their top challenges, and 50% call the problem "very important." (Global Human Capital Trends 2015, Deloitte, February 2015)
• While 90% of executives understand the importance of employee engagement, fewer than 50% understand how to address this issue. (Conference Board, cited by Deloitte University Press, January 2015)
• 72% of employees with socially encouraging employers are significantly more likely to help boost sales, compared to only 48% of employees whose employers aren't socially encouraging. (Weber Shandwick research study, April 2014)
• Increasing employee engagement investments by 10% can increase profits by $2,400 per employee, per year. (Workplace Research Foundation)
• American respondents estimate their own personal productivity to be a whopping 11 percentage points higher than their estimate of the average American worker’s productivity.
• Greeks score themselves low for productivity in terms of the number of hours worked, though Italians rank themselves the least productive. It’s likely no coincidence that Greeks and Italians also report they spend the most time on personal social media use at work each day.
• Germans, meanwhile, report the highest levels of personal productivity, and they, along with the Swedish, place the most importance on punctuality.
• There are currently over 220 employee engagement software apps and tools. (G2 Crowd)
• 56% of employees have stated that additional paid time off would increase their loyalty to a company. (Fierce, Inc, June 2017)
• 89% of leading HR professionals agreed in a survey that ongoing feedback from peers and check-ins have a positive impact on their companies. (SHRM, January 2018)

According to statistics from Aberdeen’s Employee Engagement 2015 research report:

• Employee engagement programs help companies enjoy 26% greater annual increase in revenue.

According to statistics from Deloitte's Culture & Engagement 2015 research report:

• 87% of organizations cite culture and engagement as one of their top challenges, and 50% call the problem “very important.”

According to statistics from APA's Center for Organizational Excellence 2014 research report:

• Only about 52% of employees say their organizations make them feel valued.

According to statistics from Bersin, KPMG, Edelman, Gallup, and Glassdoor research reports:

• 69% are likely to apply to a job if the employer actively manages its employer brand (e.g., responds to reviews, updates their profile, shares updates on the culture and work environment). (Glassdoor U.S. Site Survey, January 2016; *Updated from 94%, Glassdoor survey, October 2014)
• 76% want details on what makes the company an attractive place to work. (Glassdoor survey, October 2014)
• Top five pieces of information job seekers want employers to provide as they research where to work: 1) Salary/compensation, 2) Benefits, 3) Basic company information, 4) What makes it an attractive place to work, 5) Company mission, vision, values. (Glassdoor U.S. Site Survey, January 2016)
• 69% would not take a job with a company that had a bad reputation, even if they were unemployed! (Corporate Responsibility Magazine / Allegis Group Services Study, August 2012)
• 84% would consider leaving their current jobs if offered another role with a company that had an excellent corporate reputation. And most in $75-100K salary range would only require a 1-10% salary increase to consider such a move (Corporate Responsibility Magazine / Allegis Group Services Study, August 2012)
• 84% of companies believe a clearly defined strategy is key to achieving employer branding objectives (Employer Brand International Global Research Study)

According to statistics from Bersin, KPMG, Edelman, Gallup, and Glassdoor research reports:

• 84% of organizations anticipate a shortfall in the minimum number of qualified leaders over the next five years. (State of Leadership Development 2015, Brandon Hall, August 2015)
• Managers who are not engaged or who are actively disengaged cost the U.S. economy $319 billion to $398 billion annually. (State of the American Manager, Gallup, April 2015)
• One in two employees have left their job to get away from their manager at some point in their career. (State of the American Manager, Gallup, April 2015)
• 35% of managers are engaged, 51% are not engaged and 14% are actively disengaged. (State of the American Manager, Gallup, April 2015)
• Only 18% of current managers have the high talent (that unique combination of talents needed to help a team achieve excellence in a way that significantly improves a company's performance) required of their role. (State of the American Manager, Gallup, April 2015)
• Employees who are supervised by highly engaged managers are 59% more likely to be engaged than those supervised by actively disengaged managers. (State of the American Manager, Gallup, April 2015)
• High-performing companies spend 1.5 to 2 times more on leadership than other companies, and reap results that are triple or quadruple the levels of their competitors. (Global Human Capital Trends 2015, Deloitte, February 2015)
• 86% of global HR and business leaders cite leadership as a top issue for 2016. (Global Human Capital Trends 2015, Deloitte, February 2015)
• More than two-thirds of Millennials believe it's management's job to provide accelerated development opportunities to encourage them to stay. (Becoming Irresistible, Deloitte, February 2015)
• Only 26% of employees agree "my employer listens and responds well to me." (Employees Rising, Weber Shandwick, April 2014)
• Only 17% of employees highly rate communications from their company's top leader and senior leadership. (Employees Rising, Weber Shandwick, April 2014)

According to statistics from Bersin, KPMG, Edelman, Gallup, Glassdoor, and BambooHR research reports:

• One in three employers are concerned voluntary exits will increase. (Harris Poll for Glassdoor, February 2015)
• $4,000 is the average amount U.S. companies spend to fill an open position. (Talent Acquisition Factbook 2015, Bersin by Deloitte, April 2015)
• It takes an average of 52 days to fill an open position, up from 48 days in 2011. (Talent Acquisition Factbook 2015, Bersin by Deloitte, April 2015)
• 48% of small businesses report there are few or no qualified applicants for the positions they are trying to fill. (NFIB, November 2015)
• 51% of employees are considering a new job. (Workforce Panel, Gallup, November 2015)
• The top two obstacles to increasing headcount are a shortage of candidates (31%) and lengthy hiring practices (27%). (Recruiter Sentiment Study 2015 2nd Half, MRI Network, December 2015)
• 47% of declined offers in the second half of 2015 were due to candidates accepting other jobs, up 10 points from the first half of 2015. (Recruiter Sentiment Study 2015 2nd Half, MRI Network, December 2015)
• 90% of recruiters say the market is candidate-driven in 2015, up from 54% in the second half of 2011. (Recruiter Sentiment Study 2015 2nd Half, MRI Network, 2015)
• Companies that invest in strong candidate experiences improve the overall quality of new hires by 70% (Glassdoor, 2017)
• Top 5 pieces biggest considerations job seekers take into account before accepting a job offer: Salary and compensation, Career growth opportunities, Work-life balance, Location/commute, Company culture and values. (Glassdoor survey, October 2014)
• 78% of sales professionals said they would accept less money to work at a company selling something compelling. (Glassdoor survey, June 2014)
• 94% of sales professionals say that base salary is the most important element of the compensation plan, while 62% say that commission is. (Glassdoor survey, June 2014)
• 66% of healthcare professionals are likely to accept less money to work at a company with a great culture. (Glassdoor survey, April 2014)
• 78% of software engineers say the top reason they would leave their job is salary and compensation. (Glassdoor survey, January 2014)
• 48% of female software engineers are likely to apply to a company a friend recommended. (Glassdoor survey, January 2014)
• More than half (52%) of hiring decision makers say passive candidate sourcing has been less effective for their company. (Harris Poll for Glassdoor, 2014)
• More than two-thirds (67%) of employers believe retention rates would be higher if candidates had a clearer picture of what to expect about working at the company before taking the job. (Harris Interactive Survey for Glassdoor, 2014)
• 83% of potential recruits stated that a negative interview experience could change their mind regarding a specific role or company they previously liked, and 87% stated that a positive experience changed their mind about a company they previously disliked. (LinkedIn, 2015)
• On average, each corporate job opening attracts 250 resumes. Of these candidates, four to six will be called for an interview and only one will be offered the job. (ERE Survey, 2013)
• 89 percent of American employees would consider a lateral career move with no financial incentive.
• 60% of job seekers gave up on filling out an application as a result of its complexity or length (SHRM, March 2016)
• 83% of employers believe that attracting and retaining talent is a challenge that continues to grow. (HR Dive)
• 72% of hiring managers have stated that they provide clear job descriptions, but only 36% of candidates stated the same. (HR Dive, July 2016)
• 76% of HR leaders have stated that employee onboarding practices are underutilized in their companies. (Business Wire)

According to statistics from Bersin, KPMG, Edelman, Gallup, and Glassdoor research reports:

• 67% of active and passive job seekers say that when they're evaluating companies and job offers, it is important to them that the company has a diverse workforce. (Glassdoor survey, July 2014)
• More than half (57%) of people think their company should be doing more to increase diversity among its workforce. (Glassdoor survey, July 2014)
• 41% surveyed do not think their company has a diverse executive team. (Glassdoor survey, July 2014)
• 48% of employees are not aware of initiatives to increase diversity within the company they work for. (Glassdoor survey, July 2014)
• When we asked who at their company was in the best position to increase diversity, the top three answers were: Hiring managers (45 percent), the CEO (42 percent), HR (40 percent). (Glassdoor survey, July 2014)
• Inclusive organizations experience a 2.3x higher cash flow per employee within a three-year period. (Josh Bersin, May 2016)
• Diverse organizations have a 70% greater chance of reporting that the company captured a new market. (Harvard Business Review, December 2013)
• Organizations in the top quartile for gender diversity have a 15% greater chance of having financial returns above their industry’s national median. (EY, 2017)
• Organizations in the top quartile for ethnic and racial diversity have a 35% greater chance of having financial returns over their industry’s national median. (EY, 2017)

According to statistics from Bersin, KPMG, Edelman, Gallup, and Glassdoor research reports:

• 45% of job seekers say they use their mobile device specifically to search for jobs at least once a day. (Glassdoor survey, April 2014)
• 54% read company reviews from employees. (Glassdoor survey, April 2014)
• 52% research salary information. (Glassdoor survey, April 2014)
• 89% believe a mobile device is an important tool for job searching (Glassdoor survey, April 2014)
• 48% think mobile devices will be the most common way to search for jobs in two years or less. (Glassdoor survey, April 2014)
• 59% say it is important to be able to save a job from their mobile device and later apply to the job on a desktop (Glassdoor survey, April 2014)
• 90% of the Fortune 500 company career sites do not support a mobile apply solution. (iMomentous, Corporate Mobile Readiness Report, 3rd Edition, 2013)

According to statistics from Aruba Network’s research report:

• 64% of people said that their mobile devices make them more productive at work, and 29.2% see mobile devices as a workplace necessity.

According to statistics from Bersin, KPMG, Edelman, Gallup, Glassdoor, and Bamboo research reports:

• Most Baby Boomers (41%) said workers should stay with an employer at least five years before looking for a new job—only 13% of Millennials agreed. (PayScale & Millennial Branding Third Annual Study, November 2014)
• 76% of Millennials say that retirement benefits offered by a prospective employer are a major factor in their decision to accept a job offer. (Transamerica Center, July 2014)
• Nearly 80% of Millennials look for people and culture fit with employers, followed by career potential. (Collegefeed, March 2014)
• Around 70% of Millennials say they hear about companies through friends and job boards. (Collegefeed, March 2014)
• 64% of Millennials would rather make $40K a year at a job they love, than $100K a year at a job they think is boring. (The Columbus Dispatch, Study Conducted by the Intelligence Group, 2014)
• 65% of Millennials said that they are more skeptical of claims made by employers now than they were in 2011. (CEB Survey, 2014)
• 60% of Millennials consider the most attractive perk to be growth opportunities (Glassdoor survey, March 2013)
• 46% of Millennials left their last job due to lack of career growth. (Glassdoor survey, March 2013)
• 98% of companies still believe on-campus fairs are still the best way to brand themselves with students. (NACE Survey, 2013)
• 86 percent of millennials are willing to relocate for work.

According to statistics from Bersin, KPMG, Edelman, Gallup, and Glassdoor research reports:

• The majority of job seekers read at least six reviews before forming an opinion of a company. (Glassdoor U.S. Site Survey, January 2016)
• Top five pieces of information job seekers want employers to provide as they research where to work: (Glassdoor U.S. Site Survey, January 2016): 1) Details on compensation packages, 2) Details on benefits packages, 3) Basic company information, 4) Details on what makes the company an attractive place to work, 5) Company mission, vision and values
• 80% of shoppers conduct research online before making a purchase over $500. (Fourth Annual Major Purchase Consumer Study, Synchrony Financial, November 2015)
• Seven in 10 Americans seek out advice and opinions before making purchases. (American Lifestyles 2015, Mintel, June 2015)

• Three-quarters of U.S. respondents believe that companies whose C-Suite executives and leadership team use social media to communicate about core mission, brand values and purpose are more trustworthy. (The Global Social CEO Survey 2014, Brandfog)
• 39% of employees have shared praise or positive comments online about their employer. (Employees Rising, Weber Shandwick, April 2014)
• 61% of U.S. respondents and 50% of U.K. respondents are more likely to purchase from a company whose values and leadership are clearly communicated through executive leadership participation on social media. (The Global Social CEO Survey 2014, Brandfog)
• There is a 50% increase in employees recommending company's products or services when the employer encourages social sharing. (Weber Shandwick, Employees Rising, 2014)
• Only 33% of employers encourage employees to use social media to share news and information about their work or employer. (Weber Shandwick, Employees Rising, 2014)
• 79% are likely to use social media in their job search. (Glassdoor survey, March 2013)
• 86% of people in the first 10 years of their career are likely to use social media in their job search. (Glassdoor survey, March 2013)
• Nearly 2 in 3 say their employer does not (or know how to) use social media to promote job openings. (Glassdoor survey, March 2013)
• Nearly 3 in 4 say their employer does not (or know how to) promote their employment brand on social media. (Glassdoor survey, March 2013)
• 2 of the top 3 channels most used for employer brand promotion are their website (92%) and social media (80%) (Universum, 2013)

• 90% of job seekers say that it's important to work for a company that embraces transparency. (Glassdoor U.S. Site Survey, January 2016; *Updated from 96%, Glassdoor survey, October 2014)
• Most job seekers read at least six reviews before forming an opinion of a company. (Glassdoor U.S. Site Survey, January 2016; *Updated from four to seven reviews, Glassdoor survey, October 2014)
• 32% of senior executives say building trust is one of their biggest challenges, second only to expansion and top line growth over the next one to two years. (KPMG Global Consumer Executive Top of Mind Survey, June 2015)
• Nearly two-thirds (63%) of consumers refuse to buy products and services from a company they do not trust, while 58% will criticize that organization to a friend or colleague. (Edelman 2015 Trust Barometer, January 2015)
• 80% of consumers choose to buy products from companies they trust, and 68% will recommend those companies to a friend. (Edelman 2015 Trust Barometer, January 2015)
• Although content provided by friends and family is still the most trusted (72%), content provided by employees is trusted by 52%. (Edelman 2015 Trust Barometer, January 2015)
• Employees rank as the most trusted influencers when communicating about their company's engagement and integrity. (Edelman 2015 Trust Barometer, January 2015)
• Nearly 75% of executives believe "our consumers demand transparency." (Global Consumer Executive Top of Mind Survey, June 2015)
• 90% of job seekers find the employer perspective useful when learning about jobs and companies. (Glassdoor U.S. Site Survey, January 2015)
• 78% of job seekers say that ratings and reviews from those on the inside are influential when deciding where to work. (Glassdoor survey, September 2014)
• 61% of employees say new job realities differ from expectations set during the interview process. (Glassdoor survey, May 2013)
• 68% of consumers trust reviews more when they see both good and bad reviews. (Revoo Insight research, 2013)
• 95% suspect censorship or faked reviews when they don't see bad scores. (Revoo Insight research, 2013)

• 66% of millennials expect to leave their company by 2020. (Glassdoor, 2017)
• 78% of employees said they stay with their company longer if they saw a feasible career path within the company. (Mercer, August 2015)
• Among HR professionals who have expressed difficulty in retaining older employees, 47% cite the inflexibility of their work location as the biggest challenge to overcome, followed by a 45% inflexibility of career, and 44% of work hour inflexibility. (SHRM, January 2015)
• The top employer attributes that jobseekers look for most are employee benefits and salary, along with long-term job security and a pleasant work atmosphere. (Randstad)
• 87% of employees expect employers to support them in balancing their work and life, including personal commitments. (Glassdoor)

• 70 percent of employees feel like they are receiving meaningful recognition for their work vs. 54 percent in 2006. (Want to improve employee job satisfaction in 2017? Reward and recognition may be the answer).
• In 2016, two out of three employees said they would choose their current job over a similar job elsewhere, while less than half of employees surveyed a decade ago (48 percent) felt the same way.
• In 2006, 55 percent of employers said they monitored employee e-mails. In 2016, that number was cut in half, with only 26 percent of HR and management reportingthat they keep an eye on employee emails.
• In 2006, employers thought that it was important to regulate e-mail usage—76 percent said their organizations had e-mail usage and content policies. Ten years later, that number decreased by more than half, with only 34 percent of companies reporting they have such policies.
• A decade ago, 65 percent of companies used technology to block connections to banned websites. Ten years later, fewer than one out of three (30 percent) HR professionals and members of management told us they do this.
• Far fewer employees in 2016 (just one in ten) experienced persistent stress or excessive anxiety in their daily lives than they did before (four in ten).
• 53 percent of employees say the daily stress they experience interferes with their lives at least moderately, while almost three-fourths of employees who experienced frequent stress in 2006 felt like it interfered with their daily lives.

• 92 percent of executives rate organizational redesign as a critical priority.
• More than 80 percent of respondents report that they are either currently restructuring their organization or have recently completed the process. Only 7 percent say they have no plans to restructure.
• 28 percent of respondents reported weak or very weak leadership pipelines.
• Only 28 percent of survey respondents believe they understand their culture well, while only 19 percent believe they have the “right culture.”
• Despite the emergence of many tools for frequently evaluating employee sentiment, 64 percent of organizations still only measure employee engagement annually.

• Only 5 percent of organizations feel they are effective at tracking and using talent analytics.
• 89 percent of organizations have or are considering the ability of HR business partners to self-serve HR metrics and information.
• Only 12 percent of HR organizations currently use predictive analytics for talent decision making. 49 percent of organizations plan to do so in the near future.
• 58 percent of heads of HR chose high-potential and future leader identification as most in need of improved HR analytics.
• Only 4 percent of HR leaders feel they are effective at accurately assessing employee performance.
• HR leaders believe simplification is the solution.
• 85 percent have or will simplify performance management processes
• 49 percent have or will eliminate performance ratings
• 38 percent have or will eliminate annual performance goal setting
• 66 percent of organizations have or are considering reducing the number of job titles.
• Only 5 percent of organizations have talent management processes that are effective at helping employees adapt to change.
• Only 9 percent of organizations provide unlimited maternity and paternity leave.
• Only 9 percent of organizations allow employees to take unlimited vacation days.
• Only 21 percent of organizations are able to initiate change as soon as the need arises.
• 83 percent of HR leaders report they are influential in shaping decisions.
• The most important skills heads of HR need to develop in 2017 to succeed: business acumen, communication effectiveness, analytics, and negotiation skills
• 71 percent of heads of HR are spending more time on business issues not related to HR or talent.
• 70 percent of heads of HR are spending more time participating in business projects in a leadership capacity.

• By 2017, 25% of enterprises will have an enterprise app store for managing corporate-sanctioned apps on PCs and mobile devices.

• 91% of the population is now covered by some form of health insurance according to the CDC
• 81% of companies were already in compliance with the eligibility requirements prior to 2015. And among those employers who did extend coverage to more employees, many found that few of the newly eligible chose to enroll.
• Most companies (57%) say the administrative burden posed by the healthcare reform law is their biggest issue

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