Top 50 Human Resources statistics [2024]

Everything in a business must be done for a reason, and the justification for any action must be typically supported by facts and data. The need to use HR statistics 2024 to make business decisions is evident and expanding. By taking a look at where things stand, HR professionals may anticipate their employees' wants and requirements and stay ahead of the curve.
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HR statistics and reports are a great place to start when it comes to enhancing HR procedures. What we’ve listed below will also provide some HR statistics 2024 to help HR managers make the case for choosing an HR software in 2024.‍

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Top 50 HR Statistics in 2024

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Hiring & recruitment statistics

1. In 2023, 68% of candidates reported quitting a job application process midway because of its length and complexity.
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2. Attractive perks and benefits (like gym memberships, paid time off, etc.) are still highly valued by U.S. employees and job seekers, with 48% considering them most important when finding a job. A convenient commute is a close second, valued by 47% of respondents. High compensation is important for 46%, a good work-life balance for 43%, and the ability to work from home for 41%​.

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3. Recruiters willing to do away with CVs in their hiring process in 2023: Recruiters in US were the most receptive to the idea of deleting CVs from the hiring process in 2023. Europe, on the other hand, was one of the regions that was most adamant about not using CVs when hiring.

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4. One of the most significant obstacles in recruitment, according to 30% of respondents, is sourcing. This statistic depicts the global share of staffing firms' perspectives on the recruitment challenges. 

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5. Mobile-friendly application experiences attract applicants: Companies that adopt a mobile-friendly hiring process can see a 58% use of mobile platforms for job searches, and Glassdoor reports an 11.5% increase in applicants when a mobile hiring site is promoted​.

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6. Attitudes toward artificial intelligence in recruitment and job search: More than half respondents were optimistic about receiving suggestions for resume content from artificial intelligence or having it auto-complete resumes. However, more than 31 percent of respondents were negative about AI making hiring decisions. HRs strongly oppose AI use in making final hiring decisions (71% against) and tracking employees' movements. However, 47% think AI would do better than humans in evaluating job applicants equally, and 53% believe AI use could reduce racial and ethnic bias in hiring.

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Sources: Statista Research Department, Glassdoor for Employers: Salary Benefits Survey

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2. Employee retention statistics

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1. 52% of quitting employees believe their manager or company could have done more to keep them from quitting. But only 1 out of three former employees claimed they talked to their boss about leaving before quitting.

2. Majority of workers who quit a job in 2023 cite low income (50%), insufficient possibilities for development (70%), and feeling disrespected at work (57%) as reasons for leaving. At least a third say each of these was a major factor in their decision to leave. (Pewresearch)

3. Employees also rated three aspects of the employee experience as the equally important reasons for leaving a job: lack of trust in their managers (45%), having sustainable work expectations (35%). (McKinsey’s most recent Great Attrition research)

4. “Praise and commendation from an immediate boss" was the most effective retention lever, outperforming performance-based cash bonuses and base salary increase, as per a McKinsey poll of over 1,400 integration executives,

5. 44% of employees named compensation and/or pay as a factor that might lead them to stay at their current organization. This statistic shows the share of U.S. employees who would stay at their current organization if they were satisfied with select factors.

Sources: Pewresearch, Gallup, McKinsey 

3. Employee engagement statistics

1. Highly engaged teams show 21% greater profitability. Those teams who score in the top 20% in engagement realize a 41% reduction in absenteeism, and 59% less turnover. This finding punctuates the fact that employee engagement consists of concrete behavior, not an abstract feeling.

2. 30% of American workers say their job is “just to get them by.” While globally, only 20% of employees are engaged at work. The saying “happy employees are productive employees” is not just a corporate cliché. It’s important to create an environment where your employees feel engaged and motivated in their roles.

3. The manager is solely responsible for 70% of the variation in team engagement. Managers are responsible for informing employees about their responsibilities, supporting and advocating for them as needed, and explaining how their work contributes to corporate success.

4. Actively disengaged employees cost the U.S. $550 billion in lost productivity per year. Employers who increase their employees’ engagement by 10% can boost profits by $2,400 per employee a year. Simply put, unhappy employees will cost you. An engaged workforce can actually make (and save) money, as shown with these employee engagement statistics ROI.

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5. 64% of HR leaders say an always-on feedback tool is essential to an engagement listening program, but only 20% have this kind of tool in place. [Watch out for these benefits of an employee engagement software]

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Sources: Achievers, Gallup

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4. Employee onboarding statistics‍

1. Reskilling/upskilling employees with AI during onboarding: Automated and AI-driven onboarding programs (in order to reskill or upskill employees with new skills) were deemed absolutely essential by almost 40 percent of human resources (HR) departments of U.S American organizations.

2. 41 percent of employees stated they are somewhat likely to refer a friend based on the onboarding program. This statistic depicts the share of employees in the United States who would refer a friend based on their employee onboarding experience over the first 60 days.

3. 47 percent of HR decision makers said their onboarding programs begin when the candidate accepts the job.

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4. 43 percent of HR decision-makers said the greatest challenge that organizations face when enhancing their company's onboarding programs is the engagement of front-line leaders and supervisors. 

5. Only 28% of HR decision makers said their current onboarding program was excellent.This statistic illustrates the rating of onboarding programs in organizations in the United States. 

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See Onboarding: why new starters need a 'travel guide'

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5. Remote work statistics

1. 97% of employees don’t want to return to the office full-time. Only 3% of employees and entrepreneurs surveyed said they want to work full time at a physical office when workplaces are able to safely reopen after Covid-19. The remaining 97% prefer some degree of flexibility between working remotely and working in an office.

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2. 17% would consider quitting their job if they were required to return to the office 5 days per week (regardless of vaccinations).

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3. Over 50% of employers indicate increased productivity as the main benefit of remote work. 18 % of them chose increased time zone coverage as the biggest benefit. 

4. 68% of hiring managers say remote work is working better than when they first started working remotely in early 2020 (only 5% said it is worse than before). Of the respondents who said remote working is better than before, reasons included reduced non-essential meetings (70%), and increased schedule flexibility (60%).

5. 73% of those who work remotely said flexible working improved their personal wellness and capacity to integrate work with outside activities. 60% said it helped them advance professionally. 

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Sources: Upwork: Economist Report of Future Workforce, Glassdoor: COVID-19: Return-to-Work Survey

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6. HR tech statistics

1. 57% of surveyed organization stated that an inability to generate analytics with their old system was a top reason that they were seeking new HR technology.

2. Of companies that do not use an applicant tracking system, 57 percent cited cost as the main reason.

3. 80% of HR professionals believe that incorporating  HR technologies into their processes improved employee attitude toward the company

4. Over one-fifth (21%) of HR leaders cited concerns over the security of critical HR data stored on the cloud as a top technology challenges.

5. More than a third (36%) say it’s somewhat or very likely that they’ll switch vendors at the end of the subscription term. Only 20% call it very unlikely. Some of this tendency may come from the desire to minimize the number of vendors overall, but the question remains, why change the cloud vendor? See How peopleHum helped o9 solutions grow 3x in 2 years

Sources: PWC, Deloiite, Northeastern Edu. 

7. Diversity & inclusion statistics

1. 76% of employees and job seekers say having a diverse staff is vital when judging companies and job offers. 37% of job seekers would not apply to a job at a company where there are disparities in employee satisfaction among different ethnic/racial groups.

2. If employees could anonymously share their experiences and thoughts on diversity and inclusion at their workplace, 71% would do so.

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3. When it comes to understanding what diversity and inclusion genuinely looks like at the firm, employees and job seekers trust fellow employees the most, much more than senior leaders (19%), the company's website (9%), and recruiters (6 percent ).

4. Again, about one out of three employees (32%) would not apply for a job at a company with a lack of diversity in its workforce. This is much higher for Black job seekers and employees (41%), compared to white job seekers and employees (30%), and for LGBTQ job seekers and employees (41%). 

5. Nearly half of Black (47%) and Hispanic (49%) job searchers and employees have quit a job after witnessing or experiencing workplace prejudice, compared to white (38%) job seekers and employees. 

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Sources: Glassdoor for Employers: 40+ Stats For Companies to Keep In Mind

8. Training & development statistics

1. A survey at Glassdoor found that people who engage in peer coaching are 65% more likely to feel fulfilled. 67% were more likely to report being a top performer. 

2. 73% more likely to report feeling a sense of belonging when training and coaching are an integral part of a job position.

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3. 50% of employees more likely to expect to stay in their job for more than 5 years if learning and development is prioritised in a workplace culture. 

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4. A striking 87% of millennials rate "professional or career growth and development opportunities" as important to them in a job. Similarly, 44% of Gen Xers and 41% of baby boomers say the same about these types of opportunities.

4. 44% of employees stated that they measure success of their company's learning and development (L&D) strategy via qualitative employee surveys. 33 percent of respondents stated that they measure the impact of L&D using feedback from employees.This statistic shows the methods used to measure the impact of learning and development (L&D) management on staff.

Sources: Statista, Glassdoor, Gallup

9. Employee well-being Statistics

1. Employees are working three hours longer per day than they were prior to the pandemic. Workplace burnout is affecting 41% of workers, while emotional exhaustion affects 45%. 

2. 89% of workers at companies that support well-being initiatives are more likely to recommend their company as a good place to work. In organizations where employees do not view leadership as committed to their well-being, only 17% would recommend the company as a good place to work.

3. 61% of employees agree that they have made healthier lifestyle choices because of their company’s wellness program

4. Opinion on how well business prioritized people during coronavirus: 38% of participants said they thought businesses in the United States were putting people before profits during the coronavirus pandemic. Additionally, 37% said that businesses were protecting their employee's financial wellbeing.

5. Around 58 percent of respondents ranked a wellness platform as the most critical program for a company to have in their well-being strategy. In comparison, only 21 percent of respondents chose behavioral health programs as the most critical.

Sources: Statista Research Department, Glassdoor 

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10. Fun & interesting statistics

1. Only 76% of workers in the US have access to paid vacations

2. 48% of job applicants cited employers leaving them in the dark about where they stand in the recruitment caused the leading frustrations when looking for a job

3. Workers who quit a job last year and are now employed somewhere else see their current work situation as an improvement over their most recent job. At least half of these workers say that compared with their last job, they are now earning more money (56%), have more opportunities for advancement (53%), have an easier time balancing work and family responsibilities (53%) and have more flexibility to choose when they put in their work hours (50%).

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4. Length of time employees in the U.S. will spend filling out a job application: 31 percent of respondents stated they are willing to spend 20 minutes or more filling out an application form. Companies that are able to streamline their processes and make it easier for applicants to share their information digitally have the potential to reduce this metric substantially.

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5. The most demanded tech skill by recruiters in 2023 was web development. It was followed by DevOps and artificial intelligence or machine learning skills. At the same time, over 16 percent of recruiters were looking to hire people with cyber security skills.

Sources: US Bureau of Labor Statistics

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Conclusion

The field of human resources is rich with diverse statistics that evolve over time. These statistics, along with advancements in HR software for 2024, are invaluable tools for managers. They aid in effectively assessing, motivating, and retaining employees. Enhanced onboarding strategies, the integration of modern technology, and a genuine human approach in the workplace are key contributors to achieving these objectives.