30 Employee Turnover Statistics Every HR Leader Should Know in 2026

Employee turnover is the rate at which employees leave an organization and must be replaced, expressed as a percentage of total headcount over a period. It includes voluntary turnover (resignations and quits) and involuntary turnover (layoffs and discharges). This page is a 2026 data reference for both.

The headline numbers: as of mid-2026, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 3.1 million U.S. employees quit their jobs every month. According to Gallup, replacing a single employee costs 50% to 200% of that employee's annual salary, and voluntary turnover costs U.S. businesses approximately $1 trillion per year.

Key facts about employee turnover in 2026:

• The U.S. monthly quits rate is 1.9% as of mid-2026, equal to 3.1 million quits per month (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, JOLTS).
• Replacing one employee costs 50%–200% of their annual salary (Gallup).
• Voluntary turnover costs U.S. businesses approximately $1 trillion per year (Gallup).
• Between 42% (Gallup) and 75% (Work Institute) of voluntary turnover is preventable.
• Employees in structured mentoring programs are retained at 72%, versus 49% for non-participants (Sun Microsystems/Gartner study).

Employee Turnover Statistics: Top 10 at a Glance

What Is the Employee Turnover Rate in 2026?

As of mid-2026, the U.S. employee quits rate is 1.9% per month, and the total separations rate is 3.2% per month, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The statistics below break down the current turnover landscape.

1. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics JOLTS data for May 2026, 3.1 million U.S. employees quit their jobs in a single month — a quits rate of 1.9%. (BLS JOLTS)

2. Total monthly separations in the U.S. — quits, layoffs, discharges, and other exits combined — stand at 5.1 million, or 3.2% of the workforce, per the same BLS release. (BLS JOLTS)

3. Annualized, BLS separations data means roughly one-third or more of the U.S. workforce changes employers every year.

4. The U.S. quit rate has cooled from its Great Resignation peak of 3.0% in late 2021 to 1.9% in mid-2026, per BLS historical data — but replacement costs have risen over the same period, so lower turnover has not meant lower turnover cost.

5. Employee turnover varies roughly 5x across industries, per BLS JOLTS: leisure and hospitality runs the highest monthly separations rate (around 8.5%, approaching 100% annualized), while government roles run the lowest (under 2% monthly).

6. According to Mercer's Turnover Survey, average U.S. voluntary turnover was 13.0% for 2024–2025, down from the 17.3% peak recorded in 2023.

How Much Does Employee Turnover Cost?

The short answer: replacing one employee costs 50%–200% of their annual salary, according to Gallup — and voluntary turnover collectively costs U.S. businesses about $1 trillion per year. The statistics below break down the cost of employee turnover.

7. According to Gallup, replacing a single employee costs between 50% and 200% of that employee's annual salary, depending on role and seniority. (Gallup)

8. Gallup estimates that voluntary turnover costs U.S. businesses approximately $1 trillion every year. (Gallup)

9. SHRM research puts the average direct cost-per-hire at roughly $4,700, and estimates total replacement cost at six to nine months of salary for many roles once lost productivity is counted.

10. The Work Institute's Retention Report estimates each departure costs roughly 33% of that employee's annual salary — about $15,000 for a worker earning the U.S. median wage.

11. By Gallup's math, a 100-person organization with a $50,000 average salary can expect $660,000 to $2.6 million per year in turnover and replacement costs. (Gallup)

12. According to Gallup's State of the Global Workplace report, low engagement — the leading indicator of turnover — costs the global economy an estimated $10 trillion in lost productivity annually. (Gallup)

Why Do Employees Leave? Turnover Cause Statistics

The single most consistent finding in turnover research: most voluntary turnover is preventable, and lack of career development — not pay — is the top preventable cause.

13. Between 42% and 75% of voluntary employee turnover is preventable: Gallup's recent estimate is 42%, while the Work Institute's exit-interview research puts it as high as 75%.

14. According to Gallup exit research, 52% of employees who quit say their manager or organization could have done something to keep them.

15. Gallup also finds that 51% of departing employees say no manager or leader spoke with them about their job satisfaction or future in their final three months of employment.

16. According to the Work Institute's Retention Report, lack of career development is consistently the #1 preventable reason employees quit — ranking ahead of pay in exit-interview data.

17. According to Gallup's State of the Global Workplace 2026 report, only 20% of employees worldwide were engaged at work in 2025; the U.S. and Canada, the most engaged region, sits at just 31%. (Gallup)

18. Gallup finds that 51% of U.S. employees are watching for or actively seeking a new job at any given time. (Gallup)

19. According to Gallup, 70% of the variance in team engagement is attributable to the manager — making manager quality the single biggest lever on turnover.

20. 54% of employees say they would consider leaving their company if it didn't offer professional development opportunities, per industry survey data.

New Hire and First-Year Turnover Statistics

The first year of employment is the highest-risk retention window: first-year turnover averages 25%–35% across industries.

21. 22% of new hires leave within their first 90 days of employment, according to onboarding research.

22. According to the Work Institute, first-year turnover averages 25%–35% across industries — making the first twelve months the single riskiest retention window.

23. Brandon Hall Group research shows organizations with strong onboarding improve new hire retention by 82% and productivity by more than 70%.

24. According to a CNBC/SurveyMonkey survey, more than 4 in 10 workers without a mentor have considered quitting in the past three months, versus 25% of those with mentors. (CNBC/SurveyMonkey)

What Reduces Employee Turnover? Retention Strategy Statistics

The interventions with the strongest measured effect on turnover are career development, structured mentoring, onboarding, and manager support.

25. According to LinkedIn's Workplace Learning Report, 94% of employees say they would stay at a company longer if it invested in their learning and career development. (LinkedIn Learning)

26. The landmark Sun Microsystems/Gartner study found that employees in structured mentoring programs are retained at 72% (mentees) and 69% (mentors), versus 49% for non-participants — the most cited retention intervention in workplace research. (via Wharton)

27. According to ASTD/ATD research, 77% of companies report that mentoring programs were effective in increasing retention.

28. According to Deloitte's Millennial Survey, millennials planning to stay with their employer for more than five years are twice as likely to have a mentor (68%) than not (32%).

29. Gallup longitudinal research finds well-recognized, well-supported employees are 45% less likely to leave after two years.

30. According to McKinsey, companies investing in targeted retention programs see an average ROI of 3:1 within 18 months — a fraction of the cost of reactive rehiring cycles.

For the full research on mentoring's retention impact, see our companion reference: 40 Mentoring Statistics That Prove ROI for Employee Retention.

How to Calculate the Cost of Employee Turnover

The cost of employee turnover is calculated as:

number of departures × average salary × replacement cost multiplier (0.5 to 2.0, per Gallup).

Worked example for a 1,000-person enterprise with 15% annual turnover and a $70,000 average salary:

• Annual departures: 150
• Replacement cost at a conservative 50% of salary: $35,000 per departure
• Annual turnover cost: $5.25 million

Applying the preventability research: according to Qooper's analysis of Gallup and Work Institute data, a 1,000-person enterprise with 15% turnover and $70,000 average salaries has $2.2 million to $3.9 million per year in recoverable turnover cost — the 42%–75% of departures research shows are preventable through career development, onboarding, and manager support. That recoverable figure — not the turnover rate itself — is the number that moves a CFO.

Employee Turnover Definitions

• Voluntary turnover: separations initiated by the employee — resignations and quits. Measured by the BLS quits rate.

• Involuntary turnover: separations initiated by the employer — layoffs and discharges.

• Total separations: all exits combined, including retirements and transfers. The BLS total separations rate was 3.2% monthly as of mid-2026.

• Regrettable turnover: voluntary departures of employees the organization wanted to keep — the metric most correlated with business impact.

• Preventable turnover: voluntary departures traceable to fixable causes (career stagnation, manager relationships, onboarding gaps). Estimated at 42% (Gallup) to 75% (Work Institute) of all voluntary turnover.

Turn Turnover Data Into Retention Results With Qooper

The statistics point to one conclusion: employee turnover is driven mostly by preventable causes — stalled career development, weak onboarding, and lack of connection — and the interventions that fix them are measurable.

Qooper is an enterprise mentoring software platform that targets exactly those causes: AI-powered mentor matching connects employees to career guidance, structured onboarding and leadership development program templates close the first-year risk window, and built-in analytics report the retention lift, participation, and career mobility numbers leadership teams ask for. Qooper is trusted by 300+ enterprise organizations, including Fortune 500 clients like Google, VF Corporation, and Tommy Bahama, across 500+ mentoring programs.

The results mirror the research: Public Consulting Group (PCG) achieved a 98% retention rate among its 160 mentoring participants using Qooper, with 33% experiencing career mobility — and grew from one mentoring program to five on the strength of those numbers.

Book a demo to see how Qooper turns preventable turnover into measurable retention, or explore Qooper's mentoring platform.

Related Articles

• Employee Retention Strategies
• 40 Mentoring Statistics That Prove ROI for Employee Retention (2026)
• 8 Tools That Help Reduce Employee Turnover: A Guide for HR Leaders
• How to Build Mentoring Program That Reduces Employee Turnover
• Cost of Employee Turnover: What Losing An Employee Actually Costs an Enterprise
• 9 Causes of Employee Turnover, Warning Signs, and Where Mentoring Helps
• Top 10 HR Tools to Improve Employee Retention in 2026
• 12 Employee Retention Metrics Every HR Leader Should Track in 2026
• Why Mentoring Is Becoming an Enterprise Employee Retention Strategy
• How to Improve Employee Retention With Mentoring
• What Is Employee Retention? Strategies and Challenges for 2026
• How to Reduce Employee Turnover?

Frequently Asked Questions About Employee Turnover Statistics

What is the average employee turnover rate in 2026?

As of mid-2026, the U.S. quits rate is 1.9% per month — about 3.1 million quits monthly — and total separations run 3.2% per month, according to BLS JOLTS data. Annualized, roughly a third or more of the workforce changes employers each year. Mercer reports average voluntary turnover of 13.0% for 2024–2025.

How much does employee turnover cost?

According to Gallup, replacing one employee costs 50%–200% of their annual salary, and voluntary turnover costs U.S. businesses about $1 trillion per year. SHRM puts average direct cost-per-hire at roughly $4,700, with total replacement cost reaching six to nine months of salary for many roles.

What is a good employee turnover rate?

It depends on industry: government and finance run under 2% monthly separations, while hospitality can approach 100% annualized turnover, per BLS data. As a general benchmark, annual voluntary turnover of 10% or less is considered healthy for most professional and enterprise environments — but regrettable turnover among high performers is the more useful metric.

What is the main cause of employee turnover?

Lack of career development is consistently the top preventable reason employees quit, ranking ahead of compensation in most exit-interview research, according to the Work Institute. Gallup finds 52% of leavers say their organization could have done something to keep them.

How much employee turnover is preventable?

Between 42% (Gallup) and 75% (Work Institute) of voluntary turnover is preventable, depending on methodology. Both datasets agree the biggest levers are career development, manager relationships, and early-tenure support.

How do mentoring programs affect employee turnover?

Significantly: the Sun Microsystems/Gartner study found employees in structured mentoring programs are retained at 72% (mentees) and 69% (mentors) versus 49% for non-participants, and ATD research shows 77% of companies report mentoring effectively increased retention. Enterprises typically run these programs on enterprise mentoring software like Qooper to automate matching and measure retention impact.