In the year to June 2026, 8.6% of people in work in the UK changed employer: about 2.8 million moves (ONS Labour Force Survey flows estimates). Of employees who have changed employer, 29% say they did so for better pay and benefits (CIPD Good Work Index 2026). Together that is about 25 people a year in every 1,000 employees who leave for a better package.
In short
- 8.6% is the Office for National Statistics' job-to-job rate, added over the four quarters to April to June 2026.
- About 830,000 of those moves followed a resignation. About 224,000 followed a dismissal or redundancy.
- The top reasons employees give for changing job are better pay and benefits (29%), better work-life balance (23%) and unhappiness with leadership or senior management (19%).
- 18% of employees say they are likely to quit in the next 12 months; 63% say they are unlikely to.
- Employers' own records give a lower figure: a median labour turnover of 4.1% for 2025, from a sample weighted towards very small organisations.
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How many people change employer in a year?
8.6% of people in work, or about 2.8 million moves, in the year to June 2026 [1].
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) counts a job-to-job move when someone is employed in two successive quarters and, in the second, has been with their employer for under three months. Its seasonally adjusted rate for each of the last four quarters was:
| Quarter | Job-to-job moves | Rate |
|---|---|---|
| July to September 2025 | 694,000 | 2.14% |
| October to December 2025 | 704,000 | 2.17% |
| January to March 2026 | 656,000 | 2.02% |
| April to June 2026 | 756,000 | 2.31% |
| The four quarters | 2.81 million | 8.64% |
The figures cover people aged 16 to 69. A person who moved twice in the year is counted twice. The ONS notes that its flows estimates for this period rest on a smaller dataset than usual, so they are less accurate and more volatile.
Why do people move?
The ONS records what ended the previous job. Its figures by reason are not seasonally adjusted, so the total differs slightly: 2.82 million moves in the same four quarters [1].
| What ended the previous job | Moves | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Resignation | 830,000 | 29.5% |
| Dismissal or redundancy | 224,000 | 7.9% |
| Chose to leave for family or personal reasons | 72,000 | 2.6% |
| Other reasons, including a temporary job ending, and no reason given | 1.69 million | 60.1% |
So fewer than a third of job-to-job moves are recorded as resignations. The largest group is "other reasons", which includes temporary jobs coming to an end and people who gave no reason.
How many leave for better pay and benefits?
29% of employees who have changed employer say they did so for better pay and benefits [2].
The CIPD Good Work Index 2026 asked employees who had worked for a different organisation before their current job (61% of all employees) why they changed. The top reasons were:
| Reason for changing job | Share |
|---|---|
| Better pay and benefits | 29% |
| Better work-life balance | 23% |
| Unhappiness with leadership or senior management | 19% |
The survey covered 5,074 UK employees between December 2025 and February 2026 [2].
Two cautions. Pay and benefits are one answer, so the 29% includes people who moved for base pay alone. And this 29% is not the ONS's 29.5%: one is why people say they moved, the other is how the last job ended.
How many are thinking of leaving?
18% of employees say they are likely to quit their job in the next 12 months, and 63% say they are unlikely to [2].
The CIPD notes that the likelihood of quitting is not the same as quitting. It finds the measure has been stable across the nine years of the survey, apart from a dip in 2021.
Why is employers' own turnover figure lower?
Employers responding to the CIPD's Resourcing and talent planning survey reported a median labour turnover of 4.1% for 2025, down from 5.4% for 2023 [3].
That is about half the ONS rate. The CIPD gives the reason itself: only 310 respondents gave complete figures, and a disproportionate number were from very small organisations with no or very low turnover. It advises caution in reading the figure.
The two also measure different things. The ONS counts people who are with a new employer. An employer's turnover rate counts everyone who left, including those who retired or stopped working.
What does it mean for an employer of your size?
Multiply headcount by 8.64% and then by 29%.
| Employees | Change employer in a year | Of whom, for better pay and benefits |
|---|---|---|
| 100 | 9 | 3 |
| 250 | 22 | 6 |
| 1,000 | 86 | 25 |
| 5,000 | 432 | 125 |
| 10,000 | 864 | 251 |
These are what the national rates give for a typical employer. They are not a forecast for yours. The calculator does the sum for any headcount from 50 to 10,000, adds what those leavers cost to replace, and gives the result as a PDF or a spreadsheet.
What do the figures not show?
- Which benefit. No source here links one benefit to one leaver.
- Sector. The ONS file gives no job-to-job rate by industry, so one national rate is used.
- Your own leavers. Exit data, where you have it, is better evidence than a national share. See how to calculate the cost of staff turnover.
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FAQ
What is the UK job-to-job move rate? 8.6% in the year to June 2026, on the ONS Labour Force Survey flows estimates: the seasonally adjusted quarterly rates of 2.14%, 2.17%, 2.02% and 2.31% added together [1].
How many people change jobs in the UK each year? About 2.8 million moves from one employer to another in the year to June 2026, according to the ONS [1]. Someone who moved twice is counted twice.
Why do employees leave their jobs? The top reasons employees give for changing job are better pay and benefits (29%), better work-life balance (23%) and unhappiness with leadership or senior management (19%), in the CIPD Good Work Index 2026 [2].
What is the average staff turnover rate in the UK? It depends on the measure. The ONS job-to-job rate was 8.6% in the year to June 2026 [1]. Employers in the CIPD's 2026 survey reported a median labour turnover of 4.1% for 2025, from a sample weighted towards very small organisations [3].
How many employees leave for better pay and benefits? About 25 a year in every 1,000: 8.64% who change employer (ONS) [1], multiplied by the 29% who say they changed for better pay and benefits (CIPD) [2].
Sources
- Office for National Statistics, Labour Force Survey flows estimates (X02), August 2026 edition: "Labour market flows SA" (job-to-job levels and rates, people aged 16 to 69) and "Reason for job moves" (not seasonally adjusted). https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/employmentandemployeetypes/datasets/labourforcesurveyflowsestimatesx02
- CIPD, Good Work Index 2026 (CIPD/YouGov UK Working Lives survey; 5,074 UK employees, December 2025 to February 2026): "Job security and likelihood to quit". https://prod.cipd.org/globalassets/media/comms/news/2026/good-work-index-2026.pdf
- CIPD, Resourcing and talent planning report 2026 (YouGov online survey, 2 April to 2 May 2026; 1,014 UK HR and people professionals): "Labour turnover remains low". https://www.cipd.org/globalassets/media/knowledge/knowledge-hub/reports/2026-pdfs/9218-resource-and-talent-planning-2026-report-web.pdf
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David Whitfield, How many UK employees change jobs each year? lumi, evidence as at 12 November 2026. https://lumihr.co.uk/guides/how-many-employees-change-jobs-ukLast reviewed 12 November 2026 · This guide states published evidence at the date shown, with its sources listed. It is general information, not advice.