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Recruitment Glossary

Attrition

Attrition is a reduction in workforce size when employees leave and some or all of the resulting positions are not replaced. The term is also used loosely for employee departures, so the organisation should state its definition.

Recruiter Focus

Recruiters need to distinguish attrition from turnover when interpreting hiring forecasts. A vacancy may be a replacement hire, a deliberately unfilled role, a redesigned position, or evidence that a team is losing critical capability.

Why Attrition Matters

Misreading attrition can inflate requisition plans or conceal workforce risk. A falling headcount may be intentional, while repeated departures from one role may require retention, job-design, pay, management, or labour-market action.

Terms Recruiters Commonly Compare

Employee turnover

Turnover measures employees leaving and being replaced or cycled through the workforce. Attrition commonly implies that at least some vacated positions remain unfilled, although usage varies.

Recruitment Example

A support team loses eight employees during the year but receives approval to replace only five because three positions are removed after automation. Recruitment records five replacement vacancies; workforce planning records the other three departures as net attrition.

Implementation Playbook

  • Agree whether the organisation uses attrition for all departures or only departures without replacement.
  • Separate voluntary and involuntary exits, replacement decisions, internal moves, and eliminated positions.
  • Connect approved replacement demand to workforce plans rather than automatically reopening every vacated role.

Common Mistakes

  • Using attrition and employee turnover interchangeably in reports with different formulas.
  • Assuming lower headcount always represents a successful cost reduction.
  • Ignoring which skills, locations, managers, or shifts are repeatedly affected.

Metrics to Track

Net headcount change Replacement rate Voluntary exit rate

Questions Recruiters Ask

Is attrition always voluntary?

No. The definition varies and may include resignation, retirement, redundancy, dismissal, death, or another departure. Reports should state which reasons are included.

Does every attrition event create a vacancy?

No. The organisation may remove, redesign, automate, redistribute, or defer the position rather than approve a replacement hire.

Sources and Review

ATZ CRM Recruitment Editorial Review · Reviewed 2026-08-05

CIPD: Employee turnover and retention

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