HR Statistics & Trends in 2024

Explore the major HR statistics for 2024! The world of human resources is always changing. As technology advances and workplace needs shift, HR practices are evolving to keep pace. Use these insights to help your company grow, optimize retention strategies, and stay ahead in a competitive market.

Hiring and Recruitment Statistics

73% of potential candidates are passive job seekers

According to a Zippia report, 73% of potential candidates are passive job seekers, and 87% of them are open to new job opportunities through active recruitment.

(Zippia, 2023)

Only half of employers use an ATS

Among the 50% of employers who use ATS (Applicant Tracking Software), at least 78% find it makes hiring candidates “easier than ever.”

(Zippia, 2023)

Nearly 90% of companies report that their best hires are referrals

• In 2023, the main hiring challenge for most recruitment industry professionals worldwide was tight talent pools. (Statista, 2023)

• Candidates are 46% more likely to accept InMails if they come as referrals from current employees. Recruiting through employees’ networks helps companies access a talent pool up to 10 times larger. (Zippia, 2023)

Nearly all recruitment and talent acquisition teams use social media

• 98% of teams used social media in 2023. (Content Stadium, 2023)

• 77% of small businesses use social media to find job candidates. 80% of companies screen candidates through social media before hiring. (Score, 2024)

49% of job seekers have considered leaving their jobs in the past 12 months

49% of job seekers have considered leaving their jobs in the past 12 months, with dissatisfaction with current pay being the top reason. (CareerPlug, 2024)

9 in 10 companies have either already expanded internationally or have plans to within the next year

• Most companies have already expanded internationally or plan to in the next year, according to Rippling’s survey.

• The top compliance challenges include payroll taxes, mandatory employee benefits, and employment contracts. For startups, the leading compliance issue is navigating working hours laws.

• More than half of HR professionals using an Employer of Record (EOR) software strongly agree they feel confident to expand internationally without encountering major obstacles.

(Rippling, 2024)

Employee Onboarding Statistics

The most common onboarding amount of time is 1 week

In 2023, the most frequent onboarding period for new employees was one week, as reported by just over a quarter of respondents. Only 11% of respondents experienced onboarding that lasted several months.

(Statista, 2023)

Nearly half of new hires regret their decision within a week of starting

44% of employees experience regrets or second thoughts about accepting their job offer in the first week. Besides, starting a new job can be so disheartening that 23% of employees admit they’ve cried during their first week.

(BambooHR, 2023)

Employees who have positive experiences in their first 90 days are 10 times more likely to stay

• The key to successful onboarding is giving employees a great experience during their first 90 days. Employees with a positive onboarding experience are ten times more likely to stay with the company long-term than those with a bad experience in this period. (strongdm, 2024)

• Just 23% of employees were thriving at work, while 59% were quietly quitting and 18% were actively disengaged. (Gallup, 2024)

HR Software for Your Business

Employee Development Statistics

89% of HR leaders believe career paths are unclear for many employees

89% of HR leaders think career paths at their organizations are unclear for many employees. Less than a third of employees know how to advance their careers over the next five years, and only one in four feels confident about their future at the company.

66% of HR leaders agree that career paths are not appealing to many employees.

(Gartner, 2024)

Learning opportunities are the top retention strategy

• With 90% of organizations worried about employee retention, offering learning opportunities is the most effective approach.

• 89% of L&D professionals believe that actively developing employee skills will help navigate the future of work.

• Eight out of ten people believe that learning gives their work more purpose.

• Employees who set career goals engage with learning four times more than those who don’t.

(LinkedIn Learning, 2024)

Employees want to learn more about how to use Al in their profession

67% of employees want training on using new AI tools, and 71% seek to understand AI’s impact on their roles. However, only 51% of employees feel their company keeps them up-to-date on how AI might impact their roles.

(TalentLMS, 2024)

Employee Recognition & Engagement Statistics

Employees want to feel valued at their work

• 82% of employees believe it’s important for their organization to see them as a person, not just an employee, but only 45% feel this is the case.

• Negative views on pay equity can lead to a 15% decrease in the likelihood of staying with the company, a 13% increase in job searching, and a 13% drop in engagement.

(Gartner, 2023)

$8.9 trillion is lost in global GDP due to low engagement

• Engaged employees drive positive outcomes for organizations. Gallup estimates that low engagement costs the global economy $8.9 trillion, or 9% of global GDP.

• While not all mental health issues are work-related, work influences life evaluations and daily emotions. Employees who dislike their jobs experience higher daily stress.

• In 2023, only one-third of US employees are currently engaged at work.

(Gallup, 2024)

77.9% of employees would be more productive with more frequent recognition

• 3 in 4 workers would be more productive with more frequent recognition. 4 in 5 of the workers agree that recognition affects their engagement.

• While 98% of employees who receive daily recognition feel valued, only 37% of those with yearly recognition do. Weekly or monthly shoutouts can also be impactful, with 94% and 88% of employees feeling valued by weekly or monthly feedback, respectively.

• Manager recognition has the largest impact on employees.

(Nectar HR, 2024)

• Non-financial recognition drives more than half of employee engagement. (Workday, 2024)

Diversity and Inclusion Statistics

Women are more likely to experience workplace bias

As of 2023, the gender pay gap persists, with median weekly earnings for full-time working women at 83.6% of those earned by full-time working men.

(McKinsey & Company, 2023)

91% of workers report experiencing workplace discrimination

Monster’s recent Workplace Discrimination Poll surveyed over 3,000 employees and underscored the ongoing issue of workplace discrimination. Up to 91% of workers report experiencing workplace discrimination.

(CNBC, 2023)

The importance of DEI increases

A Workday survey of 2,600 global business leaders shows that 78% believe the importance of DEI has grown over the past year. 85% report having a budget for DEI initiatives, an 11% increase from last year.

For most organizations, the commitment to DEI is driven by internal factors, with 66% of respondents citing internal pressure as the main motivator, and 42% indicating that both business leaders and employees equally drive DEI efforts.

(Workday, 2024)

Employee Burnout Statistics

44% of US employees feel burned out at work

Among 1,405 surveyed U.S. employees, 44% feel burned out at work, 45% feel emotionally drained, and 51% feel used up by the end of the workday.

(SHRM, 2024)

Burned-out employees are more likely to leave their companies

• Workers experiencing burnout are nearly three times more likely to be actively job hunting— 45% compared to 16% of those not reporting burnout.

• Burned-out employees are significantly less likely to exceed expectations at work, with 40% going above and beyond compared to 56% of their non-burned-out counterparts.

(SHRM, 2024)

Remote Working Statistics

• By 2025, 36.2 million Americans are projected to work remotely, an increase of 16.8 million from pre-pandemic rates. (Upwork, 2020)

• Over half of surveyed professionals know someone who has quit or plans to quit due to return-to-office mandates, with 35% of them knowing more than one person planning to leave. 63% of professionals are willing to take a pay cut to work remotely. (Flexjobs, 2024)

• Forty-three percent of workers have noted that their employers monitor their online activities during work hours, highlighting a growing concern about workplace privacy in the modern era. (Forbes, 2024)

• 59% of respondents voted for better work-life balance as the top benefit of remote work. The biggest drawback of remote work is feeling isolated from the team. (USA Today, 2024)

HR Technology Statistics

45.1% of HR leaders report their teams spend over half their time on administrative tasks

Rippling research showed that 45.1% of HR leaders say their teams spend over half their time on administrative tasks, with recruiting taking up the most time.

(Rippling, 2024)

Most leaders agree that HR technology has greatly impacted their company over the past two years

• Up to 96.9% of leaders believe HR technology has significantly impacted their company in the past two years. Talent acquisition and retention are the top areas of tech impact.

• Now, 9 in 10 HR teams use more than three tools to hire, pay, and manage their global workforce.

(Rippling, 2024)

Only 24% of HR employees report their organization is fully leveraging HR technology

In a February 2024 Gartner survey of 85 HR leaders, just 35% are confident that their current HR technology strategy is helping to achieve business objectives.

(Gartner, 2024)

Most leaders report facing significant challenges with technology

In Ripping’s recent survey, 91% of respondents reported technology challenges. The biggest challenge is re-entering employee information across systems.

(Rippling, 2024)

AI in HR Statistics

Talent acquisition is the top area for AI adoption

• Among organizations using AI (artificial intelligence) for HR, talent acquisition is the top focus (64%), followed by learning and development (43%) and performance management (25%).

• In the recruitment process, 65% of HR professionals use AI to generate job descriptions, 42% to customize job postings, and about 33% to review resumes, communicate with job applicants, or automate candidate searches.

(SHRM, 2024)

68% of recruiters think AI will remove unconscious bias from the hiring process

48% of hiring managers admit to having bias, which can negatively impact interviews. 68% of recruiters believe artificial intelligence can reduce unconscious bias and enhance workplace diversity and equity.

(Zippia, 2023)

Chatbots help many HR departments save 12,000+ work hours each year

Chatbots can help reduce time and save money by automating tasks and reducing the need for additional HR personnel. According to Tidio’s report, chatbots help many HR departments save over 12,000 work hours/year.

(Tidio, 2024)

Younger workers are more likely to believe AI will affect them

• While 21% of workers aged 55 and older are unsure about AI’s impact on them, only 3% of workers aged 18 to 24 are unaware of the technology. This younger group is also the most likely to believe AI will affect their jobs.

• 20% of workers 55 and older think AI will not impact their jobs, compared to just 5% of the youngest workers.

• Remote workers are more likely to believe that AI will replace at least some of their current tasks.

(ADP, 2024)

Generative AI is more likely to augment rather than replace employee roles

In IBM’s survey, executives estimate that 40% of their workforce will need reskilling due to AI and automation over the next three years. 87% of respondents believe employee roles are more likely to be augmented than replaced by generative AI, with impacts varying by job function.

(IBM, 2023)

“Advancements in AI can help optimize your business processes, but don’t let them make you forget your roots. “Human” is, after all, a critical part of human resource management

(Laura Fuentes, operator of the DISH Network provider) 

Conclusion

The latest human resources statistics and trends show that the market is changing quickly due to technological advancement, shifting employee needs, and updated rules. By staying on top of these changes, you can improve your HR strategies and make your organization stand out as a modern and attractive place to work. Being informed and flexible will help you create a better work environment and keep the best talent on your team.