Study: More Than Half of Companies Have Been Affected by a Bad Hire

More than half of employers in each of the 10 largest global economies said that a bad hire has negatively impacted business, according to a new study.

Chicago — May 8

A new study from CareerBuilder shows that hiring the wrong person can have serious implications for companies.

More than half of employers in each of the 10 largest global economies said that a bad hire — someone who turned out not to be a good fit for the job or did not perform it well — has negatively impacted their business, pointing to a significant loss in revenue or productivity, or challenges with employee morale and client relations.

For example, among those reporting having had a bad hire, 27 percent of U.S. employers reported a single bad hire cost more than $50,000. In the Eurozone, bad hires were most expensive in Germany, with 29 percent reporting costs of 50,000 euros ($65,231) or more.

In the U.K., 27 percent of companies say bad hire costs more than 50,000 British pounds. About 30 percent of Indian employers reported the average bad hire cost more than 2 million Indian rupees ($37,150), and nearly half of surveyed employers in China (48 percent) reported costs exceeding 300,000 CNY ($48,734).

The global survey, conducted online by Harris Interactive from Nov. 1 to 30 of last year, included more than 6,000 hiring managers and human resource professionals in countries with the largest gross domestic product.

Source: CareerBuilder