Practical use cases
- Measuring how well new hires are retained through their first 90 days or first year.
- Comparing early retention across teams, roles or hiring sources on a consistent basis.
- Sense-checking whether onboarding or hiring quality needs attention.
Calculator
Works entirely in your browser — nothing is sent, saved or tracked. Results update as you type.
How it works
The formula is:
(New hires still employed after the milestone ÷ new hires in the period) × 100
Pick one milestone (such as 90 days or one year) and one cohort of new hires, and apply both consistently so periods are comparable.
Worked example: If 25 people were hired in the period and 21 are still employed at the milestone, new-hire retention is (21 ÷ 25) × 100 = 84%, with 4 having left.
For the full background — what it measures, why it matters and how to read it — see the new-hire retention guide.
How to read the result
Early retention is a sensitive signal of hiring fit and onboarding quality. A drop concentrated in a particular role, source or team is more informative than the overall number.
Read it alongside overall retention and turnover: losing people early is especially costly because they rarely reached full productivity.
Common mistakes
- Changing the milestone (90 days vs one year) between periods.
- Counting a different cohort than the one the milestone applies to.
- Reading the overall rate without segmenting by source or team.
- Treating one early departure as a trend.
Free, printable planning resources
Plan and onboard consistently alongside the numbers. No signup, no gating.