Recruitment Retention Turnover Survey

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The 2009 Recruitment, Retention and Turnover survey report contains valuable information on current and emerging trends in people resourcing practice. This annual benchmarking survey is based on 755 respondent organisations from the UK and relates to the period 1 January to 31 December 2008. Resourcing in turbulent times, insourcing or outsourcing, and welfare-to-work initiatives are the three new sections we have included this year because of their topical relevance.

- Fifty-eight per cent of survey participants report having a formal resourcing strategy.
- Seventy-six per cent of respondents cite attracting and recruiting key staff to the organisation as the main objective of their resourcing activities. Enabling the achievement of the organisation's strategic goals (63%) and meeting future skills requirements of the organisation (48%) are the second and third most important resourcing objectives according to survey participants.
Recruitment difficulties
- Although there was a dramatic decrease in the number of vacancies organisations tried to fill in 2008 compared with 2007, a high proportion of these organisations still experienced recruitment difficulties (81%).
- The key reason for recruitment difficulties is reported to be a lack of necessary specialist skills (73%).
- Appointing people who have the potential to grow but who currently don't have all that's required for the job role is the most frequently used initiative to overcome recruitment difficulties (74%).
- The most effective recruitment initiative was deemed to be providing additional training to allow internal staff to fill posts (75%).

- By far the most commonly used methods for attracting candidates are through the organisation's own corporate website (78%), recruitment agencies (76%) and local newspaper advertisements (70%).
- Competency-based interviews (69%) and interviews following contents of a CV/application form (68%) are the most frequently used selection methods.
- The average recruitment cost of filling a vacancy per employee is £4,000, increasing to £6,125 when organisations are also calculating the associated labour turnover costs.
Resourcing in turbulent times
- Half of the organisations surveyed say the recession is having a negative impact on next year's resourcing budget and activities.
- Fifty-six per cent of organisations are focusing more on retaining than recruiting talent.
- Four out of ten organisations say they will be recruiting fewer people in 2009 than in 2008.
- Seventy-two per cent of respondents think employers will use the downturn as an opportunity to get rid of poor performers and bring about culture change.