Philippines records highest attrition rate in Southeast Asia as one in five employees leave jobs

Study highlights rising workforce turnover as companies turn to verified data and data-driven hiring to improve workforce stability.

One in five employees leaving jobs puts the Philippines at the highest attrition rate in Southeast Asia. That level of turnover means businesses are repeatedly losing a sizable part of their workforce and entering continuous replacement cycles just to keep operations steady. It places ongoing pressure on hiring pipelines, team stability, and productivity as roles open and close faster than expected.

This finding comes from Aon’s 2025 Salary Increase and Turnover Study, which places the Philippines at the top of Southeast Asia in terms of employee attrition. The concern goes beyond employees resigning, pointing instead to how difficult it has become for companies to maintain workforce continuity over time amid increasing job mobility and shifting employee expectations.

The cycle of instability

A major contributor is how hiring decisions are still largely anchored on CVs and interviews, which offer limited visibility on readiness, behavior, and alignment with the role. When expectations do not match day-to-day realities, early exits become more likely, adding to repeated rehiring cycles and additional cost pressures for employers.

To address this, more companies are now using verified data in hiring decisions, including identity checks, employment history validation, education confirmation, and risk screening, with providers such as CIBI Information Inc. supporting this process to help employers build a clearer picture of applicants before extending offers. This includes consolidating multiple verification points into a more complete profile that goes beyond self-reported information.