51 HR Statistics and Trends for 2024

The human resources industry has had its hands full over the past few years. First navigating the COVID-19 pandemic, which ushered in the remote work era. Then figuring out how to combat increasingly high levels of employee burnout and a new normal that often includes hybrid work models and flexible schedules. Changes continue to occur across the HR field and HR leaders and managers need to know what’s coming to best support employees and businesses.

HR operations will be a major focus in 2024, with leaders working to hone their processes around recruitment and onboarding. The continued implementation of HR technology helps HR managers streamline processes and create a more positive experience for applicants and current employees. HR software and AI, in particular, will be a help here, making it easier for HR managers to quickly narrow down candidate pools, see how job marketing efforts perform and reduce the time spent on repetitive tasks.

Employee satisfaction has long been a key HR metric, but the Great Resignation of 2021, spurred on by the COVID-19 pandemic, meant that HR leaders had to pay more attention to how they support employee well-being — and this continues in 2024. Some organizations have addressed this with an increase in remote and hybrid opportunities or flex work schedules that promote better work-life balance. Others have implemented benefits changes to allow for more mental health days, paid volunteer days and other perks aimed at improving employee satisfaction and reducing burnout.

Diversity and inclusion will also be at the forefront of 2024 HR trends, as leaders are finding out that employees often feel that companies are lacking in this area and that they want to work for a business that reflects their values. However, this area is still seeing rapid changes as court decisions are made and the industry continues to adapt, so this is likely to be a major HR challenge this year.

HR leaders who want to continue to create positive change in their organizations and make data-informed decisions need to be aware of the current trends in the industry. Let’s take a look at key HR statistics heading into 2024.

11 Key HR Statistics & Trends

In 2024, HR is focused on tech integration, especially generative AI, and meeting job seekers’ and employees’ growing expectations. A positive, inclusive company culture has evolved from a reach goal to a must-have. Companies that aren’t focusing on diversity, work-life balance and employee well-being are going to struggle to both attract and keep top talent.

Here are the most important HR stats and trends of 2024:

• 79% of the workforce supports pay transparency for job listings. (1)
• 73% of businesses are already using generative AI in some form, and this is expected to increase across all industries, including HR. (2)
• 88% of job seekers indicate that the culture of a company is one of the most important factors in its success.
• Remote and hybrid positions are still popular among job seekers, with 20% of the workforce expected to be remote within the next year.
• 75% of workers are worried that AI could replace entire roles, prompting a focus on reskilling and upskilling. (5)
• 44% of employees believe that current DEI policies and procedures aren’t working. (6)
• Only 43% of employees support organizational changes. (7)
• In-office employees have the least amount of trust in their companies. (7)
• 20% of companies are planning to increase spending on HR tech in 2024. (8)
• 48% of employees are planning on relocating overseas — or have already done so — while staying at the same job.
• Salaries are stalling out, with 33% of employees seeing no change to the salaries in the past year and 5% taking a pay cut.

It’s easy to see that transparency and trust are becoming increasingly important to employees and job seekers in the modern workplace, and companies need to take it seriously if their employees are voicing concerns about constant organizational changes or impossible workloads. Asking your employees what your company is doing well and where there’s room for improvement can help you narrow your focus and have the greatest impact.

10 Human Resources Recruiting & Hiring Statistics

While the job market is turning back toward employers in 2024, many HR leaders are still struggling to recruit top talent, and your company’s success is likely to depend heavily on the skills of human resource management personnel. Online and mobile application processes mean more people can apply, but these solutions also create an avalanche of resumes that can be impossible for recruiters to manage effectively. HR tech is poised to help with this struggle, but 2024 is likely to see HR managers facing continued challenges with implementation.

These human resources statistics illustrate what recruiting and hiring looks like today:

• 36% of HR leaders report that they don’t have effective strategies when it comes to recruiting. (10)
• 86% of job seekers look at a company’s reviews and ratings online.
• 70% of job applications are completed on a mobile device. (12)
• 92% of job seekers don’t actually finish online applications. (13)
• The number one way job seekers find out about open positions is through referrals. (14)
• 75% of resumes are rejected by applicant tracking systems.
• More than half of companies have moved a candidate to the reject pile based on their social media postings.
• One-way video interviews have an 80% higher conversion rate than telephone interviews. (16)
• 83% of job seekers want to see a clear timeline of what the hiring process looks like. (17)
• 86% of companies use video interviews as part of their recruiting process. (18)

These statistics show that while job seekers do prefer to use online and mobile applications, they may not be getting the experience they need. It can be helpful for HR leaders to go through their recruitment and application process as a mock candidate to get a better idea of the challenges and frustrations potential employees are facing.

10 Current Trends in Employee Onboarding and Retention 

​Employees consistently report that the better a company’s onboarding process, the more prepared and engaged they feel in their jobs. Developing and tweaking formal onboarding processes will continue to be a main focus for HR leaders in 2024, as most companies are still struggling to find effective systems.

AI will continue to impact operations, and reducing burnout is a key focus for HR managers who want to improve retention and productivity rates.

Take a look at these HR statistics that show what challenges 2024 brings when it comes to onboarding and retention.

• Career opportunity is the number one reason employees leave their positions. (14)
• A positive onboarding process can increase employee productivity by 70%.
• 88% of organizations don’t have an onboarding process that actually prepares employees for their roles.
• Organizations with formal onboarding training see retention rates of around 50%.
• The average training cost for a new employee is $702. (20)
• The average turnover rate in the United States is 3.5%.
• HR has the highest turnover rate at 15%. (22)
• Employees who use AI in their jobs are 90% more likely to have high productivity rates. (23)
• 27% of employees who work desk jobs would prefer productivity to be based on how well they achieve goals and KPIs. (23)
• 70% of employees report they would be more productive if they had fewer meetings and received fewer emails. (23)

It’s clear that most companies’ onboarding programs aren’t working as they are intended or having the desired effect for the new employee. This can lead to increased employee frustration, lower productivity levels and higher turnover rates, as some employees may decide to go to another company rather than continue after a poor onboarding experience. HR leaders can affect positive change in this area by taking advantage of new technology that streamlines these processes and assigning new employees veteran mentors to ease the transition.

8 Diversity & Inclusion in the Workplace Statistics

Visual Planning is available on premise or in the cloud. Find out more about all Visual Planning features here, or read our case studies to understand how we are helping many companies to leverage their inner strengths.