Employee turnover statistics 2026.

The latest monthly numbers.

Source: BLS Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey, seasonally adjusted, released November 2026.

The full year 2025.

Source: BLS JOLTS annual 2025 figures. Quits made up 60.6% of all separations, layoffs 33.8% and other separations 5.6%.

What the trend tells employers.

The labor market cooled in 2025. Quits fell by 1.3 million while layoffs and discharges rose by 1.2 million, and job openings averaged 7.1 million, a rate of 4.3% against 4.6% in 2024 (BLS). Fewer people are changing jobs by choice.

That does not make retention easier. When quitting is harder, unhappy people often stay and disengage instead, and the people who do leave tend to be the ones with the strongest skills and options. Regretted turnover, the leavers you wanted to keep, becomes the number that matters most.

How to read these rates.

The BLS rates are monthly. A 3.3% monthly separation rate does not mean a third of staff leave each year, because some roles turn over several times. Compare your own rate with the same definition: leavers in a period divided by average headcount. Our turnover rate guide and the free retention and turnover calculator on that page show how.

How to benchmark your rate.

Use your own history as the main benchmark: compare each team with itself over several quarters. When you compare with the market, make sure the definitions match. BLS rates are monthly and cover all separations; most companies report an annual rate based on average headcount. Industry, role mix and location change rates a lot, so compare like with like.

The free Excel calculator on the turnover rate page works all four out from a few inputs.

Why people leave.

Quits fell in 2025 while layoffs rose, so fewer people are leaving by choice. That makes regretted leavers more costly: the people who still quit are often the ones with the best options. thrive research shows people with low engagement and capacity are far more likely to be looking for another job, 5 in 10 against 1 in 10 with high scores; see research on retention.

The most common reasons people leave.

Exit interviews and research point to the same handful of reasons: the manager relationship, workload and burnout, lack of growth, pay, and a job that does not match what was promised. Most people leave for more than one reason, and exhaustion often sits underneath the stated one.

Measuring engagement alone misses part of this. A committed employee who is running low on energy and recovery looks fine on an engagement survey until the resignation arrives. thrive research shows the Burning out group, high engagement and low capacity, loses three times the working days of thriving employees; see engaged but burning out. Use the free exit interview form on the employee turnover page to capture reasons consistently.

What turnover costs.

Each leaver brings exit, vacancy, recruiting, onboarding and ramp-up costs. Estimate yours with the free Excel calculator on the cost of employee turnover.

Spotting turnover before it happens.

Leading indicators show risk months before a resignation: falling engagement, falling capacity, rising overtime, unused vacation, and fewer contributions in meetings. Read them by team every quarter, and ask managers to hold stay conversations with the people they most want to keep. Our guide to employee retention strategies covers the playbook, with a free retention plan template.

More questions about turnover.

Is low turnover always good? No. Very low turnover can hide disengaged people who stay because they have no options. Look at regretted turnover and engagement together.

First-year turnover.

Many leavers go within their first year. Check in at 30, 90 and 180 days with a short survey; the free new joiner survey on the employee experience survey page covers all three. thrive research shows people six to twelve months into a job have the least capacity of any tenure group.

A note on the data.

BLS figures cover the US labor market. Rates in Europe are generally measured differently, so compare with care.

In short.

Fewer people quit in 2025 and more were laid off. Focus on regretted turnover, read it by team and act on the early signals.

What employers can do.

Steps in order of impact.

1. 1
   Track regretted turnover by team. The company average hides the teams that matter.
2. 2
   Measure engagement and capacity. Committed people running low are a hidden flight risk.
3. 3
   Hold stay conversations. Ask what keeps people and what would make them leave.
4. 4
   Fix the first year. Check in at 30, 90 and 180 days; new joiners have the least capacity.