15 reasons why HR professionals want to leave their jobs
New research by HR software provider Ciphr suggests that two-thirds (65%) of people working in HR may change employers within the coming year.
Some of the reasons cited by those (65%) who are considering alternate employment, include wanting to gain new skills, be better paid, or feel more fulfilled at work.
How many HR professionals are considering leaving their jobs?
What makes HR employees want to leave their jobs?
The top 15 reasons why HR professionals (who are actively job hunting now or planning to in the next year) are considering leaving their jobs:
To gain new knowledge and skills: 33%
They want a higher salary (they feel underpaid): 24%
They want a more rewarding / fulfilling job: 20%
To improve their work-life balance: 19%
They want a better choice of / more employee benefits: 16%
They want a less stressful job or more manageable workload: 15%
They want more job security: 15%
To reduce their working hours: 14%
It’s just time to move on: 13%
Lack of good / effective leadership at their current organisation: 13%
They feel like they are coasting or unengaged at work: 12%
They want to change their number of working days or condense their hours: 12%
Lack of job growth: they want more career progression, management responsibilities or promotion opportunities than their current employer offers: 12%
Lack of recognition: they are feeling undervalued in their current job: 12%
Lack of communication or transparency at their current job: 12%
Here's the full results ↓↓↓
The most common reasons why HR employees are considering leaving their jobs (by age)
Notes
Ciphr commissioned OnePoll to conduct an independent survey of 300 HR decision makers (employed at UK organisations). The survey ran between 22-28 July 2025.
Over half (55%) of respondents are employed at SMEs in the UK with less than 250 employees (of those, 8% work at organisations with less than 50 employees). Two-fifths (45%) are at large organisations with over 250 employees (of those, 10% work at enterprises with 1,500+ employees).
