10 Eye-Opening HR Workplace Statistics to Act On in 2025

The ever-expanding world of HR means people teams have been required to be aware of more and more. From DE&I, aligning business and people strategy, nurturing management into leaders, retaining talent, plugging skills gaps, storing sensitive data – the list goes on.

Below, we’ve highlighted ten top HR workplace statistics to know in 2025 and some suggestions as to how your people team can consider actioning on them. If you’re currently trying to make a business case to C-Suite, some may also prove useful in supporting you.

10 HR Workplace Statistics to Know in 2025

1. Only 16% of surveyed HR professionals think their company is well prepared to deal with the change (PwC).

Given the speed of change we are seeing technologically in the world, as well as the rapid cultural shifts that have been brought on in the workplace by the pandemic, Gen Z, and other factors, this statistic is concerning. An organisation’s ability to manage change rests on a few key pillars – including collaborative leadership, flexible technology, and a workforce who is engaged with upskilling.

You might be interested to read: A flexible HR solution is a need, not a want.

2. 74% of participants say that demographic shifts are a key factor for the future of work (PwC).

As retirement ages rise, companies will need to prepare the workplace for an increasingly elderly workforce. This can be positive as an opportunity for these more experienced workers to mentor junior employees to ensure knowledge isn’t lost when they eventually do retire. Work will also need to be done to make technological upskilling within this demographic accessible and effective.

3. Only 28% of HR leaders agree that the HR strategic planning process is fully integrated with the business planning process (Gartner).

As HR solidifies its role at the leadership table, one of the key objectives should be to ensure HR is not siloed from the rest of the organisation. Nurturing relationships with other departments and consider exploring how you could integrate your HR system with other business functions to enrich your people data and strategy.

4. Only 23% of HR leaders are confident there are rising leaders who can meet the future needs of the organisation (Gartner).

This statistic should prompt HR teams to look critically at every stage of their employee journey. From your business’ hiring practices, onboarding process, ability to retain top talent, and your performance processes. A holistic view, which can be provided by a robust reporting and analytics tool, of how your organisation may be lagging behind or overlooking potential leaders will be crucial.

5. The UK remains one of the least engaged workforces in Europe (People Management).

Research has indicated that the more engaged your people are, the more profitable your business is. HR needs to work with leadership and management to dig into why and where their workforce is un-engaged. Digging into cultural factors and norms may prove useful, as well as appreciating challenges the UK is facing, such as the cost-of-living crisis. While these can be out of an employer’s control, it can still help inform your team on where to focus your support for employee wellbeing and experience.

6. 79% of employees say an increase in recognition rewards would make them more loyal to their company (SHRM).

If your people team is working with a strict budget, it will be important that you gather in-depth data that allows you to strategically assess where you will get the best return for your investment. Other ways you can make your EVP more competitive include flexible working, increased holiday, and providing people with development opportunities. Employee recognition tools can also be hugely valuable in increasing visibility of your people’s achievements.

7. 53% of young women have experienced discrimination at work, a three-year high reports a survey of over 4000 participants. The situation is especially worrying for young women of ethnic minorities, with the percentage of those reporting discrimination increasing from 44% in 2022 to 61% in 2024 (Young Women’s Trust).

The British Psychological Society does an excellent job of unpacking why gender inequality seems to be a persistent problem in our workplaces, as well as many of the myths around it. HR must take the issue of discrimination as a priority, working in everyway possible to prevent it, staying up to date on new legislation and research, and taking any reports of discrimination in their organisation seriously.

8. 53% of Gen Z workers value learning for career growth, 16% higher than other generations (LinkedIn Workplace Learning Report).

This statistic presents a promising opportunity to address problems indicated by other statistics already covered. This means Gen Z are likely to be enthusiastic about being mentored by older members of your workforce to ensure knowledge transfer and address skills gaps, and that they have potential to be trained up to eventually fill vacant leadership positions.

9. Only 55% of workers at a typical UK workplace report a high state of wellbeing at work (Great Place to Work, UK).

Conducting an internal, anonymous survey can be incredibly useful for gathering data that is specific to how your people feel about their wellbeing and guide you towards actionable steps that are tailored to your organisation. Seeking methods of relieving HR burnout will also be valuable, such as by investigating how your can reduce your team’s workload with automation and HR technologies.

10. From 2019 to 2024 the feeling of work being transactional has increased from 36% to 47% (CIPD).

In this report, the CIPD goes on to explore the importance of employees feeling a sense of achievement from their work. With this in mind, people teams should work to offer tailored learning paths for employees so individuals can pursue what they uniquely desire from their careers, which will increase their sense of meaning at work. People teams should also work with managers to ensure performance appraisal processes are a positive and purposeful experience for employees, to encourage a sense of recognition and progress.

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2025 HR Strategy

Often, one of the greatest obstacles for people teams in the new year is getting leadership onboard with a refreshed HR strategy. For expert insight and research on how your team can overcome this obstacle, read our up-to-date download exploring how to gain C-Suite buy-in for HR strategy.