10 essential HR indicators to track

In recent years, companies have been faced with a complex equation: attracting the right profiles and retaining them, while adapting to rapid changes in the world of work – digitalisation, the search for meaning, new employee aspirations, diversity, work-life balance, etc.

In this changing environment, HR plays a strategic guiding role. But you still need to know where to look.

Certain data, often overlooked, is nevertheless essential for steering your HR policy with greater accuracy, foresight and impact.

Why are these indicators so important?

Because they do more than just describe a situation. They allow you to take a step back, anticipate changes and, above all, steer HR actions in line with the company’s challenges.

In a context where talent is becoming a competitive advantage, the right HR indicators help answer key questions:
– Where are we losing our talent?
– Where are we struggling to recruit, and why?
– Which skills are becoming critical?
– How is the engagement of our teams evolving?

In other words, they inform strategic decisions, facilitate budgetary trade-offs and strengthen dialogue between HR and management. They are real levers for performance and transformation, provided they are well chosen, well monitored and, above all, well interpreted.

But be careful: not all indicators are created equal. It’s not about piling up data or tracking what everyone else is measuring.
What matters is choosing the indicators that make sense for your organisation, in line with your strategic priorities, human challenges and growth ambitions.

So, what should you focus on in 2025?
👉 Here are the HR indicators to keep a close eye on to gain clarity, agility and impact.

Overall Turnover Rate: The thermometer of your organisation

The overall turnover rate (number of departures over a period / average headcount over the period × 100) remains a fundamental indicator of the stability of your workforce.

A high rate can signal problems with culture, management, compensation or development. It is essential to monitor its evolution and compare it to benchmarks in your sector.

Why 2025?

The war for talent continues, and the ability to retain employees is a major competitive advantage. Controlled turnover is synonymous with continuity, knowledge transfer and reduced recruitment costs.

Voluntary turnover rate: warning signs that should not be ignored

More revealing than overall turnover, the voluntary turnover rate (number of employee-initiated departures / average headcount over the period × 100) highlights departures that you could potentially have avoided.

An increase in this rate should prompt you to investigate the reasons for departure (exit surveys, engagement data analysis).

Relevance in 2025?

In a market where opportunities abound, understanding why your talent chooses to leave you is essential to improving your employer value proposition and retaining your teams.

Employee Net Promoter Score (eNPS): The voice of your ambassadors (or detractors)

The Employee Net Promoter Score (eNPS) is a simple but powerful indicator of your employees’ engagement.

Based on the question “How likely are you to recommend our company as a good place to work?”, it gives you a clear idea of your teams’ level of satisfaction and enthusiasm.

Importance in 2025?

Engagement is directly linked to productivity, quality of work and retention. A high eNPS means more motivated employees and potentially better ambassadors for your employer brand.

Average Recruitment Time: The agility of your talent acquisition

The average time between posting a job and the candidate accepting the offer is a key indicator of the effectiveness of your recruitment process.

Too long a delay can result in the loss of quality candidates and impact the productivity of teams waiting for reinforcements.

The challenge in 2025?

Speed is a key factor in attracting talent, especially for profiles in short supply. Optimising your recruitment time gives you a significant competitive advantage.

Cost per hire: Controlling your recruitment budget

Calculating the total cost of your recruitment (advertising costs, agency fees, internal team time, etc.) divided by the number of hires allows you to measure the efficiency of your recruitment function and justify your investments.

A necessity in 2025?

With budgets sometimes tight, optimising the cost per hire is essential to maximise the return on investment of your recruitment efforts.

1-year retention rate (and beyond): Measuring your ability to retain new talent

This data measures the percentage of new recruits who are still with the company after one year (or more).

A low short-term retention rate may indicate integration issues, a gap between expectations and the reality of the job, or cultural issues.

Priority in 2025?

The successful integration of new recruits is important for their long-term commitment and for the overall performance of the company. A good 1-year retention rate is a testament to the effectiveness of your onboarding process and your welcoming culture.

Diversity and Inclusion Index: A reflection of your commitment to equity

This is not a single indicator, but rather a set of indicators that measure the representation of different groups (gender, disability, etc.) within your workforce, pay gaps, and your employees’ perceived sense of inclusion through surveys.

Essential in 2025?

DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion) is no longer an option, but an ethical imperative and a performance factor. Tracking these indicators allows you to measure your progress, identify areas for improvement and build a truly inclusive culture.

Absenteeism rate: The indicator of well-being and engagement (macro level)

The absenteeism rate (number of days absent / total number of theoretical days worked × 100) can reveal problems with well-being at work, stress, or a general lack of engagement.

A significant increase should alert you and prompt you to investigate the causes.

In 2025?

With increasing attention being paid to quality of life at work, monitoring absenteeism is essential to prevent psychosocial risks and promote a healthy and productive working environment.

Return on Investment in Training: Proving the value of your development initiatives

Although complex to measure accurately, Return on Investment in Training attempts to quantify the financial impact of your training programmes on business performance (increased turnover, improved quality, reduced errors, etc.).

The challenge in 2025?

To justify training budgets and demonstrate their contribution to the company’s strategy, it is essential to strive to measure their impact, even indirectly.

Internal Mobility Rate: The barometer of your talent development and succession planning

This indicator measures how often employees move within the company, whether through promotion, transfer or change of role.

A high internal mobility rate indicates a culture that promotes skills development and offers career opportunities, which contributes to retention.

Strategic in 2025?

Faced with the challenges of skills transformation and succession planning, encouraging internal mobility helps retain talent, value internal experience and reduce external recruitment costs.

For effective use of these indicators…

Remember that simply collecting this data is not enough. To derive real value from it, it is essential to:

• Define clear objectives for each indicator.
• Track their progress over time and compare them to your past performance and industry benchmarks.
• Segment the data by department, staff category, etc., to identify specific trends.
• Cross-reference these indicators to gain a more holistic view of your HR challenges. For example, low engagement combined with high voluntary turnover is a major red flag.
• Implement concrete actions based on the insights gained from this data.

By integrating these 10 key indicators into your HR dashboard and analysing them proactively, you will be able to steer your human resources strategy with greater precision, anticipate challenges and maximise your teams’ contribution to the success of your business in 2025 and beyond.

Please do not hesitate to contact me if you would like to learn more about any of these indicators or discuss how best to integrate them into your specific context. I am here to support you!

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