HR teams are planning around a 2.7% US quits rate in 2023 and a 2.1% quits rate as of March 2024: July 2026, yet the pressures on retention and hiring are not easing for many organizations. From engagement tipping into 3.2x higher performance likelihood to global HR tech markets climbing toward $45.0 billion by 2028, these HR in the peo industry metrics connect day to day people decisions with the bigger labor and software shifts. Let’s look at the figures that explain why learning, flexibility, automation, and cost per job posting keep changing the way HR staffs, supports, and scales.
Key Takeaways
- In employee engagement studies, high-engagement teams are 3.2x more likely to be high-performing (Gallup meta-analysis cited by Gallup)
- Net Promoter Score (NPS) benchmarks: 64% of employees who feel supported by leadership are more likely to recommend their workplace (Workhuman/Employee Recognition report metric)
- 75% of organizations report that they track employee retention KPIs (percentage reporting KPI tracking in an HR metrics survey).
- 69% of employees report they would stay longer at an organization that offers better learning and development opportunities, per a 2023 LinkedIn Workplace Learning report
- The US job turnover rate (quits rate) was 2.7% in 2023, indicating ongoing mobility pressures affecting HR planning (BLS JOLTS)
- In the US, the workforce participation rate for ages 25-54 was 82.0% in April 2024 (BLS CPS)
- In the US, employment for “Human Resources Specialists” was about 472,000 in 2023 (BLS OEWS)
- The global HRMS software market is projected to reach $45.0 billion by 2028, from a reported 2023 baseline (MarketsandMarkets projection)
- The global HCM software market is forecast to grow to $31.7 billion by 2030 (Fortune Business Insights forecast)
- US HR technology spending is forecast to reach $39.6 billion in 2024 (Gartner press release forecast)
- In the US, the median cost of job posting ads (for HR hiring) was about $399 per posting in 2023 (ZipRecruiter employer benchmark)
- In the EU, employers must contribute social security (employer portion) on top of gross wages; for example Germany’s employer social contribution rates sum to roughly 20%+ (European Commission comparative data referenced via OECD/EC sources)
- 6.5% of workers in the US reported being injured at work in 2022 (percentage estimate from national injury/illness reporting used in workplace safety benchmarking).
- 55% of employees say they are more likely to stay with an organization that offers flexible work arrangements (percentage from Gallup State of the Global Workplace—flexibility retention link).
- 1.1 million people were employed in the US in 2023 as ‘Human Resources Specialists’ plus related HR roles (occupation employment totals from the US occupational employment data).
Investing in engagement, learning, and HR tech boosts retention and performance amid ongoing workforce mobility pressures.
Related reading
01 · Category
Performance Metrics3 stats
01
In employee engagement studies, high-engagement teams are 3.2x more likely to be high-performing (Gallup meta-analysis cited by Gallup)https://www.gallup.com/workplace/236927/employee-engagement-meta-analysis.aspx
02
Net Promoter Score (NPS) benchmarks: 64% of employees who feel supported by leadership are more likely to recommend their workplace (Workhuman/Employee Recognition report metric)https://www.workhuman.com/resources/recognition-report
03
75% of organizations report that they track employee retention KPIs (percentage reporting KPI tracking in an HR metrics survey).https://www.bamboohr.com/resources/hr-metrics
Interpretation
Performance Metrics Interpretation
For performance metrics in the HR people industry, the clearest trend is that teams with high engagement are 3.2 times more likely to be high performing, showing why organizations track retention KPIs and leadership support signals like NPS to drive measurable outcomes.
02 · Category
Industry Trends12 stats
01
69% of employees report they would stay longer at an organization that offers better learning and development opportunities, per a 2023 LinkedIn Workplace Learning reporthttps://www.linkedin.com/business/learning/blog/learning-trends/linkedin-workplace-learning-report-2023
02
The US job turnover rate (quits rate) was 2.7% in 2023, indicating ongoing mobility pressures affecting HR planning (BLS JOLTS)https://www.bls.gov/jlt/data.htm
03
In the US, the workforce participation rate for ages 25-54 was 82.0% in April 2024 (BLS CPS)https://data.bls.gov/timeseries/LNS11300060
04
In the US, the employment-population ratio for ages 25-54 was 81.4% in April 2024 (BLS CPS)https://data.bls.gov/timeseries/LNS14000060
05
In the US, the quits rate was 2.1% in March 2024 (BLS JOLTS monthly rate)https://data.bls.gov/timeseries/JTSQUR
06
In the US, the job openings rate was 3.9% in March 2024 (BLS JOLTS)https://data.bls.gov/timeseries/JOLTSJHIR
07
In the US, the hires rate was 3.5% in March 2024 (BLS JOLTS)https://data.bls.gov/timeseries/JTSHIR
08
In the US, union membership was 10.3% of wage and salary workers in 2023 (BLS CPSA)https://www.bls.gov/news.release/union2.t01.htm
09
In the US, women were 47.3% of the labor force in 2023 (BLS CPS)https://data.bls.gov/timeseries/LNS11000000
10
In the US, 4.0% was the official unemployment rate in April 2024 (BLS unemployment rate)https://data.bls.gov/timeseries/LNS14000000
11
In the US, the total civilian employment level was 162.9 million in April 2024 (BLS CPS)https://data.bls.gov/timeseries/CES00000003
12
In the US, 5.2% of workers experienced a work-related injury or illness in 2022 (BLS incidence rate measure)https://www.bls.gov/iif/oshcfoi1.htm
Interpretation
Industry Trends Interpretation
With 69% of employees saying they would stay longer when offered better learning and development, and US quits still running at 2.1% in March 2024 alongside a job openings rate of 3.9%, the industry trends clearly point to HR needing to retain talent through ongoing development as mobility pressures remain high.
03 · Category
Market Size8 stats
01
In the US, employment for “Human Resources Specialists” was about 472,000 in 2023 (BLS OEWS)https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes131011.htm
02
The global HRMS software market is projected to reach $45.0 billion by 2028, from a reported 2023 baseline (MarketsandMarkets projection)https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/hrms-market-624.html
03
The global HCM software market is forecast to grow to $31.7 billion by 2030 (Fortune Business Insights forecast)https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/human-capital-management-hcm-software-market-101635
04
The ATS market is projected to reach about $3.7 billion by 2032 (IMARC projection)https://www.imarcgroup.com/applicant-tracking-system-ats-market
05
$12.3 billion was the estimated global HR software market revenue in 2022 (market size estimate from industry market sizing for HR software/HR tech).https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/hr-software-market
06
$5.6 billion global market size for talent management software in 2023 (market sizing estimate reported for talent management segment).https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/talent-management-software-market-103054
07
$3.1 billion global HR analytics software market size in 2023 (market size estimate reported in market research).https://www.precedenceresearch.com/hr-analytics-software-market
08
$8.9 billion was the global market for learning management systems (LMS) in 2022 (market sizing estimate for LMS).https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/learning-management-system-lms-market-1096.html
Interpretation
Market Size Interpretation
For the market size angle, the HR tech space is scaling quickly with forecasts like the global HRMS market reaching $45.0 billion by 2028 and the talent management software market hitting $5.6 billion in 2023, showing strong demand across both broader HR platforms and specialized recruiting and talent tools.
More related reading
04 · Category
Cost Analysis3 stats
01
US HR technology spending is forecast to reach $39.6 billion in 2024 (Gartner press release forecast)https://www.gartner.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/2024-03-19-gartner-says-us-hr-technology-spending
02
In the US, the median cost of job posting ads (for HR hiring) was about $399per posting in 2023 (ZipRecruiter employer benchmark)https://www.ziprecruiter.com/blog/cost-of-hiring
03
In the EU, employers must contribute social security (employer portion) on top of gross wages; for example Germany’s employer social contribution rates sum to roughly 20%+ (European Commission comparative data referenced via OECD/EC sources)https://ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?catId=738&langId=en&intPageId=4783
Interpretation
Cost Analysis Interpretation
From a cost analysis perspective, US HR technology spending is set to hit $39.6 billion in 2024 while job posting ads in 2023 averaged about $399 per posting, showing that staffing costs are being pressured from both technology and ongoing recruitment spend simultaneously.
05 · Category
Workplace Conditions5 stats
01
6.5% of workers in the US reported being injured at work in 2022 (percentage estimate from national injury/illness reporting used in workplace safety benchmarking).https://www.bls.gov/iif/summary-tables/summary-tables-2022.htm
02
55% of employees say they are more likely to stay with an organization that offers flexible work arrangements (percentage from Gallup State of the Global Workplace—flexibility retention link).https://www.gallup.com/workplace/349484/flexible-work-arrangements.aspx
03
1.1 million people were employed in the US in 2023 as ‘Human Resources Specialists’ plus related HR roles (occupation employment totals from the US occupational employment data).https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-occupational-employment-and-wage-estimates.htm
04
14% of employees in the US reported experiencing burnout in the most recent survey cycle (percentage from a national workforce wellbeing survey).https://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/2023/03/workplace-well-being
05
63% of employers say they have increased their use of temporary and contract workers in response to labor shortages in 2024 (percentage from a staffing trends survey).https://www.amanet.org/research/job-openings-temporary-workforce-survey
Interpretation
Workplace Conditions Interpretation
Workplace conditions in the US are being shaped by both strain and flexibility, with 14% of employees reporting burnout and 6.5% injured at work, yet 55% saying they are more likely to stay when employers offer flexible work arrangements.
06 · Category
User Adoption1 stats
01
47% of HR teams use automated screening tools for resume triage (adoption/usage percentage reported in a recruiting technology survey).https://www.devonway.com/blog/ai-in-recruiting-2024-survey
Interpretation
User Adoption Interpretation
In the User Adoption category, 47% of HR teams are already using automated screening tools for resume triage, showing that a significant share of recruiting workflows have moved from manual review to automation.
report visual · Key figures
HR & People Metrics That Signal Engagement, Retention, and Market Demand
People-focused HR practices and HR tech adoption correlate with higher performance and employee staying power, while HR software markets keep expanding.
3.2
In employee engagement studies, high-engagement teams are 3.2x more likely to be high-performing (Gallup meta-analysis c
69%
69% of employees report they would stay longer at an organization that offers better learning and development opportunit
55%
55% of employees say they are more likely to stay with an organization that offers flexible work arrangements (percentag
$45.0 billion
The global HRMS software market is projected to reach $45.0 billion by 2028, from a reported 2023 baseline (MarketsandMa
$39.6 billion
US HR technology spending is forecast to reach $39.6 billion in 2024 (Gartner press release forecast)
source-verifiedgallup.com · linkedin.com · marketsandmarkets.com · gartner.com2028
Reference
Cite This Report
This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.
APA
Samuel Norberg. (2026, February 13). HR In The Peo Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/hr-in-the-peo-industry-statistics
MLA
Samuel Norberg. "HR In The Peo Industry Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/hr-in-the-peo-industry-statistics.
Chicago
Samuel Norberg. 2026. "HR In The Peo Industry Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/hr-in-the-peo-industry-statistics.
Sources & references
32 datasets cited across this report
+15 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)