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What Is Employee Attrition?

Attrition is the reduction of the workforce through departures, often emphasising roles that are not backfilled.

An educational definition from the HR glossary. Explore related terms below, or jump into the resource center to go deeper.

Definition

Attrition is the reduction of the workforce through departures, often emphasising roles that are not backfilled.

Why it matters

Framed as un-backfilled departures, it connects directly to capacity erosion.

Examples

Illustrative example. If [5] departures within your attrition definition occur against average headcount [100], attrition is 5%.

For the practical detail behind this term, follow the related metric, template and resources below.

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For informational purposes only. This is an educational, plain-language definition — not legal, tax, financial or compliance advice and not an official definition. Terms and obligations vary by organisation and jurisdiction. Numeric examples are simple, placeholder-based illustrations, not data. Confirm specifics with qualified professionals.
Related concepts

Related glossary terms

Keep exploring the HR vocabulary.

Glossary

Employee Turnover

Employee turnover is the movement of people out of an organisation over a period — the rate at which employees leave and need replacing.

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Turnover Rate

Turnover rate expresses separations during a period as a percentage of average headcount for that period.

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Employee Retention

Employee retention is how well an organisation keeps the people it wants to keep over time.

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Measure it

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HR metric

Employee Attrition Rate

Employee attrition rate measures departures relative to the workforce, often with an emphasis on roles that are not backfilled.

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Related resources

The clusters that put this concept into practice.

Lifecycle

Employee lifecycle

The full employee journey, stage by stage.

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FAQ

Frequently asked questions

What is Employee Attrition?

Attrition is the reduction of the workforce through departures, often emphasising roles that are not backfilled.

Why does Employee Attrition matter?

Framed as un-backfilled departures, it connects directly to capacity erosion.

How is Employee Attrition measured?

It connects to the HR metric linked on this page, where you can find the formula and how to read it. This glossary entry is an educational definition, not a data source.