What is my employee turnover rate?
Enter your headcount at the start and the end of a period and the number of employees who left to see your employee turnover rate. Split the leavers into quits, layoffs and other separations to see the rate of each.
- Turnover rate
- 10%
21 left out of an average headcount of 210: a turnover rate of 10%.
- Average headcount
- 210
- Employees who left
- 21
Turnover rate: 10%. 21 left out of an average headcount of 210: a turnover rate of 10%.
The results are estimates for information only. They are not financial, tax, or legal advice. Check the numbers with your lender or a qualified professional before you decide. Terms of use
How to calculate
Computes the employee turnover rate for a period: the employees who left ÷ the average headcount × 100, with the quit, layoff and other separation rates as BLS defines them.
Example with the default inputs (Employees at the start 200, Employees at the end 220, Count the leavers In total, Employees who left 21): 21 left out of an average headcount of 210: a turnover rate of 10%.
Method: Average headcount = (employees at the start + employees at the end) ÷ 2; turnover rate = employees who left ÷ average headcount × 100; by type, each rate = that type ÷ average headcount × 100.
- The leavers and the two headcounts cover the same period, and the rate covers that period.
- Employees who left count everyone who left the payroll for any reason (BLS separations).
- Arithmetic is exact on the typed counts; the rates show to 2 decimals.
Worked examples
Each example is checked against the calculator on every build.
- Employees at the start 200, Employees at the end 220, Count the leavers In total, Employees who left 21 gives Turnover rate 10%, Average headcount 210, Employees who left 21.Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, JOLTS technical note (the separations rate is separations ÷ employment × 100; the quits, layoffs and discharges, and other separations rates are computed the same way). https://www.bls.gov/news.release/jolts.tn.htm
- Employees at the start 200, Employees at the end 220, Count the leavers By type, Quits 14, Layoffs and discharges 5, Other separations 2 gives Turnover rate 10%, Employees who left 21, Quit rate 6.666667%, Layoffs and discharges rate 2.380952%, Other separations rate 0.952381%.Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, JOLTS Data Definitions (separations are quits, layoffs and discharges, and other separations). https://www.bls.gov/jlt/jltdef.htm; U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, JOLTS technical note (the separations rate is separations ÷ employment × 100; the quits, layoffs and discharges, and other separations rates are computed the same way). https://www.bls.gov/news.release/jolts.tn.htm
- Employees at the start 1,000, Employees at the end 1,000, Count the leavers In total, Employees who left 35 gives Turnover rate 3.5%, Average headcount 1,000.Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, JOLTS technical note (the separations rate is separations ÷ employment × 100; the quits, layoffs and discharges, and other separations rates are computed the same way). https://www.bls.gov/news.release/jolts.tn.htm
- Employees at the start 20, Employees at the end 30, Count the leavers In total, Employees who left 30 gives Turnover rate 120%, Average headcount 25.
How it works
With the employees at the start of the period S, the employees at the end E, and the employees who left during the period L:
- Average headcount A = (S + E) ÷ 2
- Turnover rate = L ÷ A × 100
The BLS computes its separations rate the same way, as separations ÷ employment × 100. It uses one employment count for the month. This page uses the average of the headcount at the start and at the end, so a headcount that grows or shrinks during the period counts fairly.
Choose By type to enter the leavers in the three BLS groups. Then L = quits + layoffs and discharges + other separations, and each group has its own rate:
- Quit rate = quits ÷ A × 100 (voluntary turnover)
- Layoffs and discharges rate = layoffs and discharges ÷ A × 100 (involuntary turnover)
- Other separations rate = other separations ÷ A × 100
The three rates add up to the turnover rate.
Rules:
- Each count is a whole number from 0 to 1 billion. The headcounts at the start and the end cannot both be 0, because the average would be 0.
- The rate can be more than 100%, when more employees leave than the average headcount.
- The arithmetic is exact on the counts you type. The rates show to 2 decimals and the average headcount to 1 decimal.
What counts as each type (BLS definitions)
- Quits: employees who left voluntarily. Retirements and transfers to other locations are other separations.
- Layoffs and discharges: involuntary separations the employer started, such as layoffs with no intent to rehire, positions cut, and firings for cause.
- Other separations: retirements, transfers to other locations, deaths, and separations due to disability.
Assumptions
- The leavers and the two headcounts cover the same period, and the rate covers that period: a month, a quarter or a year.
- The headcount counts everyone on the payroll, full time and part time.
Worked examples by hand
21 leavers in a year. A company starts the year with 200 employees and ends it with 220. A = (200 + 220) ÷ 2 = 210. 21 employees left, so the turnover rate is 21 ÷ 210 × 100 = 10%.
The same leavers by type. Of the 21, 14 quit, 5 were laid off or discharged and 2 retired. Quit rate = 14 ÷ 210 × 100 = 6.666…, shown as 6.67%. Layoffs and discharges rate = 5 ÷ 210 × 100 = 2.38%. Other separations rate = 2 ÷ 210 × 100 = 0.95%. The three add up to 10%.
One headcount, as in JOLTS. With 1,000 employees at the start and at the end, A = 1,000. 35 separations give 35 ÷ 1,000 × 100 = 3.5%.
A seasonal business. A shop has 20 staff at the start of the season and 30 at the end, and 30 people left during it. A = 25, so the rate is 30 ÷ 25 × 100 = 120%.
Other questions people ask
What is employee turnover?
Employee turnover is the share of your workforce that left during a period, such as a month or a year. It is usually written as a percent of the average number of employees in that period.
How do I calculate the employee turnover rate?
Add the headcount at the start and at the end of the period and divide by 2 to get the average headcount. Then divide the number of employees who left by that average and multiply by 100. With 200 employees at the start, 220 at the end and 21 leavers, the rate is 21 ÷ 210 × 100 = 10%.
What counts as an employee who left?
Every separation from the payroll, for any reason. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) splits separations into quits (employees who left by choice), layoffs and discharges (separations the employer started), and other separations (retirements, transfers to other locations, deaths and disability).
What is the difference between voluntary and involuntary turnover?
Voluntary turnover is employees who chose to leave: quits. Involuntary turnover is separations the employer started: layoffs and discharges. Choose "By type" to see the quit rate and the layoffs and discharges rate separately.
Can the turnover rate be more than 100%?
Yes. If more employees leave in the period than the average headcount, the rate is above 100%. This happens in businesses with many short or seasonal jobs, where one position can turn over several times.
How do I work out a yearly turnover rate?
Enter the headcount at the start and at the end of the year and every employee who left during the year. The rate then covers the whole year. For a monthly rate, enter the counts for one month.
How does the BLS measure turnover?
In its Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS), the BLS divides the separations in a month by employment and multiplies by 100. Employment is everyone on the payroll in the pay period that includes the 12th of the month.