Staff turnover rates by industry, and what they leave out

Published staff turnover rates by industry give hospitality, construction and professional services firms a benchmark to compare against. Those figures cover broad groups of employers, and this year’s quieter job market is another reason to read them with care.

What the figures show

CIPD’s analysis of ONS survey data puts average UK churn at 34% in 2022–23. Accommodation and food services has the highest rate, at 52.2%, and construction sits at 35.1%. Professional, scientific and technical activities, which include legal and accountancy firms, are at 29.5%, financial and insurance at 26.9%, and information and communication, which includes IT, at 35.2%.

A broad group, counted one way

Each figure covers a whole industry section, so a law firm is benchmarked against architects and laboratories, and a hotel against takeaways. CIPD counts anyone who had moved employer or stopped working a year later, which is not how most firms calculate their own rate. In October, ONS reported construction vacancies down 20.5% on the quarter and professional, scientific and technical vacancies down 11.6% on the year.

What a turnover rate cannot tell you

A low turnover rate shows who has stayed. It does not show whether they want to, and a quieter market can keep people in place without any change in how work feels. EHS asks “How do you feel about working at [your company]?” each Cycle, with department views, so you can see whether one team, site or office differs. EHS does not calculate turnover or predict who will leave.

One useful next step

When you compare your turnover with a benchmark, check which industry group it covers, how leavers are counted and how busy the jobs market was that year. Then read your next EHS Cycle alongside that rate, so you know how work feels for the people still there.

Continue reading

• What is a normal staff turnover rate in the UK?
• Why good employees leave, and how to hear it sooner
  
• Retention and earlier understanding
  

Product details follow the EHS Method. Reviewed November 2026.

Data sources: CIPD, Benchmarking employee turnover (ONS Annual Population Survey, 2022–23). ONS, Vacancies and jobs in the UK, October 2026.