People&OrganizationalPerformancePractice

2025

Monitor

HR

AcomprehensivebenchmarksurveyofworkforceandHRtrendsacrossEuropedeliverscriticalinsightsfortoday’sHRleaders.

June2025

HRMonitor2025

June2025

ThisreportisacollaborativeeffortbyJulianKirchherrandVincentBérubé,withCharlotteSeiler,KiraRupietta,KristinaSt?rk,MarleneSenst,andSimonGallotLavallée,representingviewsfromMcKinsey’sPeople&OrganizationalPerformancePractice.

Contents

3Preface

INTRODUCTION

4

RethinkingHR:Aligningpeople,strategy,andtechnologyinatimeofchange

CHAPTER1

6

Strategicworkforceplanning:Whyit’smorecriticalthanever

CHAPTER2

11

Rethinkingtalentacquisition:Adaptinghiringstrategiestoachanginglabormarket

CHAPTER3

16

Employeedevelopment:

Fromafragmentedapproachtoanintegratedstrategy

CHAPTER4

22

Enhancingemployeeexperience:

Astrategicpriorityforengagementandretention

CHAPTER5

27

TransformingHRservices:

HowSSCandgenAIarereshapingHRoperatingmodels

32Abouttheauthors

Preface

HRleadersoftenknowtheinsandoutsoftheirworkforceintimately.Butthefieldlacksrelevant,comparablebenchmarksforbestpracticesandmetricsthattrackHRchangesovertime,thereactionofdepartments

acrosscompaniestobusinesschanges,andtheevolvingexpectationsandneedsofemployees.

TohelpHRleaderscomparetheirfunctionswithothers’andbenchmarktheirprogressaccordingly,we’ve

repeatedandexpandedourHRMonitorreport.Lastyear’sreportcoveredGermany’sHRlandscape.Thisyear,tocreatearobustsetofmeaningfulindicatorsacrosstheHRtopicsmostrelevanttoEuropeanorganizations,wegathereddatafrom1,925companiesandinsightsfrommorethan4,000employeesacrossEuropeand,

forcomparisonpurposes,theUnitedStates.Thesurveydatawasgatheredattheendof2024,spansmultiplesectors,andhasbeenenrichedbymorethan50interviewswithHRprofessionalsandinsightsfromexpertsinMcKinsey’sPeople&OrganizationalPerformancePractice.ThisdatasetformsthebasisfordetailedHR

benchmarking,includingcountry-andindustry-specificcomparisons.

Thisyear’sreporthighlightsdevelopmentsinbothwhatHRdelivers—suchasstrategicworkforceplanning,

talentacquisition,andemployeedevelopment—andhowitoperates,includingtheuseoftechnologiessuchasgenAI.Italsoshedslightonemployeetrends,especiallythoserelatedtoemployeeexperienceandthefactorsthatinfluenceattractionandretention.TheHRMonitoraimstosupportHRprofessionalswithup-to-date

metricstoenablemoredata-drivendecisionsandstrengthenthemanagementofHRfunctions.

ThankyouforyourinterestintheHRMonitor.Westrivetoimproveandexpandthiseffortintheyearsahead.

JulianKirchherrPartner,Berlin

VincentBérubé

SeniorPartner,Montréal

KristinaSt?rk

AssociatePartner,Munich

HRMonitor20253

HRMonitor20254

Introduction

RethinkingHR:Aligning

people,strategy,andtechnologyinatimeofchange

Thegapiswideningbetweenwhatisneededfromanefficient,effectiveHRfunctionandwhatmost

organizationscurrentlyoffer.EnhancingemployeeexperienceiswidelyseenasacornerstonedutyofHR,butabout36percentofemployeesacrossEuropeandtheUnitedStatesarenotsatisfiedwiththeircurrentemployer.AndmostHRdepartmentsarestillfarfrommakingfulluseofthetoolsandpracticesavailabletothem,includinggenAI,whichhasbeenappliedatscaletoonlyasmallnumberofHRdepartments.

ThisreporthighlightsfivetrendsthatHRleadersinEuropemustrecognizeandactontoclosethegapsamongbusinessexpectations,employeeneeds,andHRdelivery.

1.Workforceplanningisnotapproachedstrategicallyenough.Asorganizationstrytokeepupwith

rapidchangesdrivenbygenAIandshiftingskillneeds,workforceplanningmustmovebeyondshort-

termstaffingforecaststoincludealonger-termviewandfuture-scenarioplanning.While73percent

ofsurveyedorganizationsconductfulloperationalworkforceplanning,onlyasmallsharelinktheir

strategiestofutureskillneeds.Forexample,intheUnitedStates,only12percentofHRleaderssaytheydostrategicworkforceplanningwithatleastathree-yearfocus.

HRMonitor20255

2.Talentacquisitionisbecomingmorecomplex.Theincreaseinlayoffsacrosssectorsandrising

unemploymentratessuggestthatthelabormarketiseasinginmanyregions,buthiringremainsa

challenge.TheresultsofMcKinseys2025HRMonitorSurveyshowthatofferacceptanceratesarelow(56percentinthecountriesstudied),18percentofnewhiresleaveduringtheirprobationaryperiod,andoverallhiringsuccessstandsatjust46percentinEurope.Thesedifficultiescallforamorestrategicandcoordinatedapproachtoattractingandhiringtalent.

3.Employeedevelopmentcontinuestobehighlyfragmented.Employeedevelopmentisimperativefor

organizationalsuccess,butmanyorganizationsstillsegmentitintosilos.SurveyedHRprofessionalsandemployeesreportclearareasforimprovement:26percentofemployeessaytheyreceivednofeedbackinthepastyear,someemployeesspentasfewassixdaysontraining,andonlyaboutone-thirdofcriticalrolesarebackedbysuccessionplans.Topreparetheworkforceforfuturechallenges,organizationsmustconnectperformancemanagement,learninganddevelopment,andtalentdevelopmentinonecohesivestrategy.

4.Employeeexperienceisessential—andunderdeveloped.Nearly20percentofsurveyedemployeesreportdissatisfactionwiththeiremployer,yetonly7percenthaveclearplanstoleavetheirjobs.Thisgapsuggestsagrowingriskofquietquitting.Foremployees,jobsecurityhasbecomethetopreasonforstayinginajob(39percent),followedbyworklifebalance(34percent)andrelationshipswithcolleagues(33percent).

Despitethis,manyHRdepartmentscontinuetofocusprimarilyonoptimizingcompensationandworkinghours,onlypartiallyaddressingwhatmattersmosttoemployees.Amoretailored,data-drivenapproachtotheemployeeexperienceisneededtobuildmotivationandlong-termcommitmenttoemployers.

5.GenAIandshared-servicescenterscouldboostefficiencyandeffectiveness.Amidrisingcost

pressures,13percentofsurveyedorganizationsplantoreduceHRheadcountbyanaverageof22

percent.Shared-servicescenters(SSCs)canhelpHRdepartmentsrunmoreefficientlywithfewer

people,butonly18percentofsurveyedorganizationswithmorethan1,000employeescurrentlyuse

specializedSSCsinHR.WhilemanyorganizationsareexploringgenAI,only19percentofcoreHR

processesinEuropeareenhancedwithgenAI,andfor32percentofHRprocesses,HRdepartments

arestillinpilotphases.ThissignalsthatmostorganizationsarefarfromrealizinggenAIsfullpotential.Tomeetfuturebusinessneeds,HRdepartmentsmustmodernizetheiroperatingmodelsbyexpandingSSCadoptionandusingautomationandgenAItoincreasespeed,scalability,andstrategicimpact.

OnlybyaddressingthesefiveareasinanintegratedwaycanHRteamsevolveintostrategicpartnersfor

theirorganizationsproactivelyshapingworkforcestrategy,employeeengagement,and,ultimately,long-termorganizationalperformance.ThefollowingchaptersdiscusseachofthesefiveareasindetailandofferrecommendationsonhowHRleaderscanimprovetheireffortsineach.

1

Strategicworkforceplanning:Whyit’smorecriticalthanever

HRMonitor20257

Advancesintechnologyandrapidlyevolvingbusinessmodelshavemeaningfullyshiftedtheskillslandscapefororganizations,anddemandfornewandemergingskillsisaccelerating.Amidagrowingtalentshortage,manyorganizationsarestrugglingtokeepup.AccordingtoMcKinsey’s2025HRMonitorSurveyHR

professionalsareincreasinglyreportingthatemployees—bothcurrentandnewlyhired—lacktheskillsrequiredtomeetbusinessdemands.

AccordingtotheHRprofessionalsinoursurvey,32percentofemployeesdonothavealltheskillstheyneedtoperformintheircurrentrole.Thelargestreportedgap(39percent)isinItaly,andthesmallest(25percent)isinPoland.Theskillsgapisnotjustafutureconcern;itisagrowingrealitythatalreadythreatensbusinessagilityandinnovation.Butmanyorganizationsstillfailtoseehowdamagingthisgapcouldbe.

Asitstands,criticalskillsforthefutureareinhighdemandbutshortsupply.Forexample,35percentofHRprofessionalsinEuropeciteproblem-solvingasatopfivefutureskill,and30percentputdataanalyticsandAIinthetopfive.Atthesametime,otherskillsarebecomingobsoletewiththeriseofautomationandAI.By2030,genAIcouldautomateupto27percentofworkhoursinEurope,1includingtaskssuchasbasicdataprocessingandstandardcustomercommunication.

Theglobalshortageofskilledworkersisprojectedtoreachmorethan85millionby2030.2Asdemandrises,organizationswillhavetorethinkhowtheyidentify,hire,develop,andretaintheseworkers.Today,workforceplanninggenerallytakesoneofthreeforms:

—Operationalworkforceplanningfocusesonshort-termstaffingneeds,forecastingayearintothefuture.

—Strategicworkforceplanning(SWP)forecastsstaffingrequirementsoverthenextthreetofiveyearsbasedonbusinessstrategyandscenarioplanning.

—Skills-basedSWPcentersonidentifying,developing,anddeployingcriticalskillsacrossvaryingtimeframesratherthanfocusingsolelyonheadcountandjobroles.

Whileoperationalworkforceplanningismostcommon,SWPisthebestmethodforHRdepartmentsto

usetoaddressskillsgaps.Anevenmoreeffectiveapproach,however,isaskills-basedSWPapproachthatforecastsstaffingrequirementsbasedontheskillsacompanymayneedinboththeshortandlongterm.

Whileonemightexpectorganizationstotakeastructuredskills-basedSWPapproach,ourHRMonitor

researchrevealsasignificantgapinadoption.Whilemanyorganizationsengageinworkforceplanning,

suchplanningremainslargelyoperational,lacksstrategicforesight,andisoftennotlinkedtoskillsor

technology.Toaddressshiftingworkforceneeds,organizationsmustproactivelyidentifytheskillsandrolestheywillneedinthecomingyearsandenhancetheirapproachtoworkforceplanning.

Bolsteroperationalworkforceplanningwithstrategicplanning

Onaverage,73percentofsurveyedHRprofessionalsinoursurveypoolindicatethattheirorganizationsconductsystematicoperationalworkforceplanningthroughouttheentireorganization,and23percentapplyittoatleastpartoftheworkforce.Thisportionvariesacrossregions(Exhibit1).

Althoughorganizationsinmostregionsindicatedthattheyconductoperationalworkforceplanning,onlyasmallpercentagetakeastrategicapproachwithathree-tofive-yeartimehorizon.Forexample,12percentofUSorganizationsengageinlong-termSWP.

Bothoperationalandstrategicworkforceplanningareessential.WhileHRleadersshouldcontinuetoplanonashort-term,operationalbasis,theymustalsoensureastructured,long-termstrategicapproachalignedwithfuturebusinessneeds.Organizationscanstartsmall—buttheyshouldactnow.TheycanpilotSWP

amongcritical,company-specificjobfamiliesandskillsetsbeforescalingtheapproachcompany-wide.

1“ThecriticalroleofstrategicworkforceplanningintheageofAI,”McKinsey,February26,2025.

2MichaelFranzino,“The$8.5trilliontalentshortage,”KornFerry,May9,2018.

HRMonitor20258

Exhibit1

Mostsurveyedcompaniesconductoperationalworkforceplanning,butonlyafewtakeastrategic,long-termapproach.

Engagementinworkforceplanning,1%ofHRrespondents

Yes,infullthroughouttheentirecompany(includingdemandandsupplyside;regularlyupdateddata)

Yes,butnotexhaustively(notallrolesaretracked;dataisnotalwaysuptodate)No,notatall

6

Howfarinadvancedoesyourcompanytypicallyforecast

59

Poland

France

Italy

Germany

Spain

UK

US

Average

35

workforceneeds?

61

5

5

5

34

13

<6months

65

49

31

72

24

26

6to<12months

1

76

23

9

1to<3years

3to<5years

l3

1

13

85

5+years

88

12

Strategicworkforceplanningwitha3-to5-yearscope

3

73

23

Note:Figuresmaynotsumto100%,becauseofrounding.

1Question:Doesyourcompanycarryoutworkforceplanning?

Source:McKinseyHRMonitorSurvey,Dec2024,n=4,069employeesand1,925HRprofessionalsinFrance,Germany,Italy,Poland,Spain,UK,andUS

McKinsey&Company

SkillstrackingshouldbelinkedtoSWP

McKinseyanalysisfindsthat,onaverage,93percentofsurveyedHRprofessionalsreportthatemployees’

skillsaredocumentedinHRsystems(suchashumancapitalmanagementsoftwareorsimilarHRtools).

AmongorganizationsinEurope,67percentreporthavingbothworkforceplanningthroughouttheentire

company—primarilyoperational—andcomprehensiveskillsdocumentation.InPolandandFrance,only

abouthalfoforganizationsreporthavingbothworkforceplanningthroughouttheentirecompanyandskillsdocumentation(47and54percentrespectively).Incontrast,80percentofUSorganizationsreporthaving

bothinplace.However,acrossregions,workforceplanningandskillsdocumentationoftenruninparallel

ratherthanbeingsystematicallylinked—companiesarenotproactivelyassessingtheskillstheyhaveorlack,andtheyarenothiringanddevelopingemployeesbasedontheSWPfindings.Accordingtoourinterviews

withEuropeanHRprofessionals,onlyabout30percentoforganizationsthatareemployingbothworkforceplanningandskillstaxonomiessaytheyintegrateskillsdataintoSWP.

HRprofessionalscanremedythismisalignmentbyshiftingfromheadcountplanningtoaskills-based

strategythatfocusesontheskillsneededtomeetfuturetalentneeds—notjustjobtitlesandfunctions.

Theycanlinkexistingskillsdocumentationwithworkforceplanningtoproactivelyaddressgapsandguide

upskilling,recruiting,andemployeetransitionsintootherroles.Forexample,theycansharpenrecruiting

strategiesbydefininghiringneedsintermsofskillsratherthanrigidjobtitles,leadingtobroadercandidatepoolsandbetterlong-termfits.Theycanalsotailorlearninganddevelopmentprogramsbasedonthe

identifiedfutureskillsgaps,whichfocusestrainingbudgetsonareaswiththemostbusinessvalue.Andthey

HRMonitor20259

canenableinternalmobilitybyidentifyingemployeeswithadjacentskillswhocantransitionintoemergingroles,whichcouldreducehiringcostsandimproveretention.

Skillstaxonomiesarewidelyused—butcouldbestreamlined

Skillstaxonomiesprovideastructuredframeworkthatenablesorganizationstoidentify,assess,and

strategicallydeveloptheskillstheyneedtoaligntalentwithcurrentandfuturebusinessobjectives.Accordingtooursurvey,theseframeworksarewidelyadoptedbutnotyetcommonpracticeacrossallorganizations.

While77percentofHRprofessionalsreportthattheirorganizationhasaskillstaxonomyfortheentire

organization,only41percenthavedevelopedaskillstaxonomythathasbeentailoredtotheneedsoftheir

business;36percentareworkingwithastandardizedskillstaxonomy.Adoptionlevelsofskillstaxonomies

varyacrossregions.Forexample,90percentofUKorganizationsand87percentofUSorganizationsinour

sampleuseeitherastandardizedortailoredskillstaxonomy.Incontrast,adoptionismuchlowerinFranceandGermany,with39and31percentoforganizations,respectively,lackinganoverarchingskillstaxonomy.

Skillstaxonomiesarecrucialfortheentirescopeoftalentmanagement—fromrecruitingtolearninganddevelopmenttoperformancemanagement—butoverdocumentingskillsacrossjobfamiliescreates

complexityandinefficiency.Forexample,37percentofFrenchorganizationstrackatleast21skillsper

employee,creatinganadministrativeburdenthatreducesthepracticalityandeffectivenessofskills

management.Further,23percentoforganizationsinourentiresamplehaveatleast21skillsintheirskillstaxonomy,16percenthave11to20,and61percenthaveonetoten(Exhibit2).

Exhibit2

Ofthesurveyedcompanies,77percenthavedevelopedorpurchasedacomprehensiveskillstaxonomy.

Company’suseofcomprehensiveskillstaxonomy,%ofHRrespondents

Yes,purchasedNooverarching

ordevelopedskillstaxonomy

61

39

France

69

72

31

Germany

28

Poland

78

81

22

Italy

19

Spain

87

90

13

US

10

23

Average

77

UK

Skillstaxonomiesbynumberofskillsincluded,%ofHRrespondents1

1–10skills11–20skills21andmoreskills

70

64

65

63

61

51

43

37

29

26

23

21

20

1819

19

20

17

16

14

4

Germany

Spain

Italy

Poland

UK

France

Overall

1QuestionwasnotincludedinUSsurvey.

Source:McKinseyHRMonitorSurvey,Dec2024,n=4,069employeesand1,925HRprofessionalsinFrance,Germany,Italy,Poland,Spain,UK,andUS

McKinsey&Company

HRMonitor202510

Theskillsgapisnotjustafutureconcern;itisagrowingreality

thatalreadythreatensbusinessagilityandinnovation.

Tostaycompetitive,organizationsmustadoptastructured,skills-based,andtech-enabledapproachto

SWP.SWPshouldbeskills-enabledandembeddedacrosscoreHRprocessestoenableaforward-looking,cohesiveworkforcestrategy.

—Keepitmanageable.Designskillstaxonomiesthatareactionableandeasytomaintain,typicallycovering20to30coreskillsacrossamaximumoftento15jobfamilies.

—Buildadynamic,AI-drivenskillstaxonomy.Continuallyupdateskillprofilesbasedonbusinessneeds,markettrends,andemergingtechnologies.

—Gainreal-timeworkforceinsights.UseAItotrackemployeeskillsdynamically,combiningautomatedanalysiswithemployeeinputtohighlightskillsgapsanddevelopmentneeds.

—ScaleSWPwithAI-drivenscenarioplanningandautomation.AIcansimulateworkforcescenarios,predictimbalances,andautomateinsights,reducingmanualeffortandloweringbarrierstoadoption.

2

Rethinkingtalentacquisition:Adaptinghiringstrategiestoachanginglabormarket

HRMonitor202512

ThejobmarketinEuropeisslowlytransitioningfromanemployee-drivenmarkettoonethatisledby

employers,asevidencedbyrecentdata.Forexample,thenumberofrestructuringefforts,whichresultin

layoffs,morethandoubledinEurope—from251casesin2022to609in2024,accordingtotheEuropean

RestructuringMonitor.3Moreover,insomemarkets,unemploymentisincreasing,whichischangingthejobmarketfaster.InGermany,forexample,unemploymentrosefrom5.0percentinApril2022to6.3percentinApril2025,4furthersignalingasofteninglabormarket.

Butemployersinsomeindustriesstillexperiencetalentshortages.Forexample,inGermany,thelabordemandfordataanalyticsandAIprofessionalsisprojectedtoincreasefrom53percentin2021to75

percentin2026,andthedemandforITarchitectureprofessionalsisexpectedtogrowfrom69percentto84percentinthesametimeframe.5Additionally,skilledtrades,includingwelding,baking,andplumbing,

remaininhighdemand,withashortageofnewtalententeringthesefields.Therefore,anincreasein

effectivenessandefficiencyintalentacquisitionisgreatlyneededeventhoughthejobmarketisrelaxinginsomeareasforsomeroles.Findingtherighttalentcanmakearealdifferenceinanorganization’ssuccess,especiallyintoday’shigh-knowledge,high-innovationbusinessenvironment.

Jobpositionsmustbefilledmorethoughtfully,usinginternalandexternalsources

Oursurveyindicatesthat11percentofopenpositionsinEuropecouldnotbefilledinthepastyear.

Yetascompaniesseektofillthesepositions,HRprofessionalsmaybeoverlookingopportunitiesto

upskillorpromoteexistingemployees.SurveyedHRprofessionalsinEuropestatethattwo-thirdsof

filledpositionsarehiredexternallythroughtheirownrecruitment(37percent),headhunters(14percent),andexternalserviceproviders(12percent).InGermany,forexample,externalhiringincreasedfrom

48percentin2023to67percentin2024.Internalmobility,whichaccountsfortheremainingone-thirdoffilledpositions,remainsunderused.

Tohiremoreeffectively,somesuccessfulHRorganizationshavestartedcreating“talentwinrooms,”a

cross-functionalapproachthatenablesorganizationstofillcriticalrolesfasterbycoordinatingallrelevantstakeholdersanddecisionsinoneplace,streamliningprocesses,andleveragingtechnology.6Talent

winroomsenabledata-drivendecision-makingbydefiningKPIsandtargets(suchastimetohire,offer

acceptancerates,andinternalmobilityrates).TheyalsovisualizeprogressfortheseKPIsondashboardsavailabletoallrelevantstakeholders,includingthechiefHRofficer,toremovebottlenecksinhiring.

GenAIisacoreenablerofthetalentwinroom:Itcanautomatetasks,suchascreatingjobposts,screeningCVs,andschedulinginterviews.McKinseyresearchshowsthatgenAIcanenhancetalentacquisitiontasks,whichaccountfor20percentoftheHRfunction’svaluepotential.Forexample,itcouldcutthecostof

creatingjobdescriptionsbyupto70percent.7

Butorganizationsshouldalsomakethemostofothersourcingchannels,suchasinternalmobility,toensurethattheyhaveaccesstothebesttalent.Internalhirestendtohavelowerattritionduringonboarding,makingstrengthenedinternalmobilityeffortsanespeciallyeffectivewaytoincreasehiringsuccess.Organizationsshouldestablishorexpandinternaltalentplatformstomakeopenrolesmorevisibleandaccessibleto

currentemployees.Internaljobmarketplatformscanhelpfillpositionsfaster,increaseofferacceptancerates,reduceattrition,andcutcosts.

3RestructuringEventsDatabase,EuropeanRestructuringMonitor,Eurofound,2025.

4“ArbeitslosenquoteDeutschland”[UnemploymentrateinGermany],GermanFederalStatisticalOffice,2025.

5FutureSkills2021,StifterverbandandMcKinsey,November2021.

6“Increasingyourreturnontalent:Themovesandmetricsthatmatter,”McKinsey,April15,2024.

7People&OrganizationBlog,“FourwaystostartusinggenerativeAIinHR,”blogentrybyJulianKirchherr,DanaMaor,KiraRupietta,andKirstenWeerda,McKinsey,March4,2024.

HRMonitor202513

Hiregreatemployeesandmakethemwanttostay

Despiteindicationsofacoolingjobmarket,theaverageofferacceptanceratein2024,accordingto

surveyedHRprofessionals,remainslow(56percent)andvariesacrossregions(Exhibit3).Inaddition,18

percentofnewhiresinEuropeleaveduringtheirprobationaryperiod—and60percentofthosecases

areinitiatedbyemployers,suggestingthathiringdecisionsareincreasinglydrivenbyculturefitand

performanceexpectations.Surprisingly,whileorganizationsinItalynotedonlya53percentacceptance

rate,theylose26percentofthat53percentduringtheprobationaryperiod.Thispatternsuggestsashift.Iftalentscarcitywerestilldominant,employerswouldbelesslikelytoendcontractsduringprobation.

Thecombinedeffectoflowofferacceptanceratesandhighprobationaryattritionresultsinlimited

successinhiring.8InEurope,onaverage,onlyabout46percentofcandidateswhoacceptanofferarestillwiththeorganizationaftersixmonths.Italyhasthelowestreportedsuccessrate,withonly40percent

ofcandidatesremainingwiththeorganizationaftersixmonths.France,incontrast,exhibitedparticularlystrongratesforbothofferacceptanceandretention(seesidebar“France’shiringandretentionsuccess:AbenchmarkforEurope”).

8Hiringsuccessrateisdefinedasthenumberofemployeeswhowereissuedanofferversusthenumberofemployeeswhoacceptedtheofferandarestillwiththecompanysixmonthsaftertheirstartingdate.

Exhibit3

Lowratesofjoboferacceptanceandhighattritionduringprobationaryperiodscreatealowoverallhiringsuccessrate.

BestratedLowestrated

AverageoferacceptancerateJobofersacceptedby

candidates,%

Probationaryterminationrate

Averageterminationrateof

contractsinprobationaryperiod,1%

Hiringsuccessrate

Hireswhoreceiveanoferandarestillwiththecompanyafter6months,1%

France

65

10

59

UK

61

21

48

Germany

56

14

48

Poland

50

13

44

Spain

51

15

43

Italy

53

26

40

US

56

N/A

N/A

Average

56

18

46

56%

–(18%of56%)=

46%

1QuestionwasnotincludedinUSsurvey.

Source:McKinseyHRMonitorSurvey,Dec2024,n=4,069employeesand1,925HRprofessionalsinFrance,Germany,Italy,Poland,Spain,UK,andUS

McKinsey&Company

HRMonitor202514

France’shiringandretentionsuccess:AbenchmarkforEurope

Onaverage,Europeneedssignificant

improvementtoincreaseitshiringand

retentionsuccess,yetFranceshows

comparativelystrongresultsacrossthreeimportantindicators:

—higherofferacceptancerate:

65percent(versus56percentaverageforEurope)

—lowerterminationrateduring

probation:10percent(versus

Europe’s18percentaverage)

—stronghiringsuccessrate:

59percentremainingaftersix

months—approximatelyone-thirdhigherthantheEuropeanaverage

TheseresultsmaybelinkedtoFrance’s

strongfocusoninternalmobilityand

structuredonboardingprocesses,bothofwhichsupportbettercandidatefit,earlyengagement,andlong-termretention.

AcontributingfactortolimitedhiringsuccessmaybeagrowingdisconnectbetweenHRmeasuresandcandidatepreferencesandneeds.HRMonitorresultsshowthetopfivereasonswhyemployeeschangejobs(Exhibit4).

—Remunerationandadditionalbenefits.Thirty-eightpercentofsurveyedemployeesacrossEurope

citedcompensationandadditionalbenefitsasthemainreasonforjobchanges,makingthisthetop

factor,particularlyinGermany(42percent)andSpain(41percent).TheUnitedKingdomplacesaloweremphasis(25percent)onthisfactor.

—Furthertraininganddevelopmentopportunities.Traininganddevelopmentopportunitiesare

consistentlyvaluedacrossregions,withanaverageof28percent.ThehighestscoresareinSpain(33percent)andItalyandPoland(both30percent).ThisfactorhasthelowestimportanceintheUnited

Kingdom(22percent)andFrance(24percent).

—Flexibility.Twenty-sevenpercentofemployeescitedflexibility,includingflexibleworkinghoursand

remoteorhybridworkin