Boomerang Hiring Grows – A New Retention Strategy for HR

The 2025 job market seems calm on the surface. Unemployment is low, and quits are steady, but hiring is slowing beneath that stability.  

Take an even closer look and you’ll spot a quiet surge: a sharp rise in employees returning to former employers. 

ADP Data Shows Surge in Boomerang Hiring

How big is the boomerang employee trend? In March, 35% of all new hires were actually returning employees – up from 31% a year ago, according to new research from ADP.

The real question is, would they want to come back to you?

Since 2018, boomerang employees have only accounted for 2% of the total workforce, but they’ve consistently made up nearly one-third of new hires. In the information sector, the spike is even more dramatic: nearly two-thirds of new hires in March 2025 were returnees, double the rate from a year earlier.

What does this mean for HR leaders focused on retention? Simple: Your relationship with top talent shouldn’t end at the exit interview. 

Boomerangs represent more than a second chance – they’re evidence that your culture, growth pathways and employer brand have staying power. And if you’re not building systems to keep that door open, you’re missing a high-ROI opportunity to turn good leavers into great returners.

Understanding Boomerang Employees: A Guide for HR

Boomerang employees are former staff who return to the company after spending time elsewhere. While historically viewed as edge cases, today they’re showing up in nearly every hiring report and across sectors.

Why This Matters for Retention

If employees are willing to come back, it says something about the culture they left – and the reality of the alternatives they explored. It also signals an opportunity for HR to influence outcomes long after someone resigns. 

Boomerang hires challenge the idea that employee retention ends with offboarding. They invite us to think in terms of the relationship lifecycle, not just employment tenure.

Why Top Employees Leave and Return: Insights for HR 

Employees leave for reasons like relocation, family needs, burnout, management issues, or better opportunities. Many departures don’t reflect lost loyalty but a mismatch in timing or role fit.

For HR, this means exit data is critical. Understanding specific departure causes helps identify retention risks and informs rehire strategies.

Top talent who leave on neutral or positive terms are prime candidates for return. Designing systems to track and engage these individuals can boost workforce stability and reduce turnover costs.

Understanding Why Employees Return

Employees often return because external options fell short or your company’s changes now better fit their goals. Promotions, reorganizations, leadership shifts or expanded remote work can drive their decision.

For HR, these return triggers highlight opportunities to re-engage top talent. To measure success, focus on these KPIs:

• Percentage of rehires among total new hires
• Time elapsed between exit and rehire
• Employee satisfaction scores post-return
• Retention rate of boomerang employees compared with new hires

Strategic Advantages of Rehiring Former Employees

Bringing back the right alumni comes with outsized benefits. Unlike brand-new hires, boomerangs bring institutional knowledge, existing relationships and a clear-eyed view of what they’re walking into.

Faster Onboarding and Lower Cost

Boomerang employees require less hand-holding and ask more insightful questions. Their familiarity with your culture and systems shortens training time and accelerates productivity. 

Recruiting costs are lower, too, especially when you maintain an informal talent pipeline through alumni engagement, reducing reliance on costly external sourcing.

Cultural Alignment and Morale Boosts

Returning employees reinforce your company culture and validate leadership effectiveness. Their choice to come back sends a strong signal of confidence that can elevate overall morale. 

When boomerangs step into leadership roles or bring critical skills, they boost team performance and help retain institutional knowledge. This combination strengthens employee engagement and supports a positive cycle of talent attraction and retention.

To track the impact, focus on these KPIs:

• Employee engagement scores before and after boomerang hires
• Leadership retention rates in teams with returnees
• Team performance improvements following boomerang integration
• Internal promotion rates of returning employees
• Employee morale after boomerang hires

When Rehiring Former Employees Is Not the Right Choice

Not every returning employee is a win. Sometimes rehires reflect a weak hiring funnel or a short-sighted quick fix. Worse, they can bring old baggage that disrupts progress.

Red Flags When Rehiring Former Employees

If the person left under poor circumstances, was resistant to feedback or clashed with leadership, don’t sugarcoat the past. Rehiring won’t fix performance issues or deeper misalignment. 

Consider team dynamics carefully. Their return could unsettle current employees, reopen old conflicts or complicate reporting structures. 

For HR, weighing these risks upfront is critical to avoid disruption and protect overall team effectiveness.

If you have concerns, ask these key questions before rehiring: 

• What were the specific reasons for the employee’s departure?
• Were there unresolved performance or behavioral issues?
• How did the employee interact with leadership and peers?
• Has anything changed since their departure to address past concerns?
• How will their return impact current team dynamics and morale?
• Are reporting lines or roles affected by their re-entry?
• Is there a plan to support their successful reintegration?

Building a Boomerang Employee Pipeline: Best Practices for HR

You can’t control whether someone returns – but you can control whether they want to. That starts with rethinking how you offboard and track alumni.

Make Offboarding Part of Your Retention Strategy

Offboarding is more than just saying goodbye. Use exit interviews to gather honest feedback and spot retention issues. Keep contact details current and let employees know the door stays open.

Leverage HR technology to help you track candidates for rehire. For example, use your ATS or HRIS to tag high-potential leavers, track the roles they leave and where they go next. This data helps you engage alumni strategically and speeds up rehiring when the time is right.

Strategic HR means turning offboarding into a retention tool and viewing departures as opportunities to build your talent pipeline.

Create Low-Maintenance Alumni Engagement

You don’t need a complex alumni program to stay connected. Simple, consistent actions like newsletters or LinkedIn messages can maintain relationships with former employees. Invitations to company events or training sessions provide additional touchpoints without requiring heavy resources.

Keeping former employees engaged this way helps maintain goodwill and keeps your brand visible. The key is regular, relevant communication that reminds your previous team members why your organization matters.

What Boomerang Employees Teach Us About Retention 

Boomerang hiring highlights the need for retention strategies that include welcoming back former employees who bring valuable skills and insights. 

The reality is, people may leave and still have long-term value. Smart HR leaders account for that in workforce planning, culture strategy and employer branding.

What Return Data Tells You

Boomerang hires provide clear signals about where your organization excels and where it needs work. 

For example, teams or managers who consistently bring back former employees demonstrate strong leadership. They create a supportive culture and provide meaningful career growth.

On the other hand, if few or no employees return from certain departments, it could indicate deeper issues, such as culture gaps. This might also include weak culture fit, limited career paths or poor communication during and after offboarding. Such patterns demand a close audit of your retention strategies in those areas.

Suggested Metrics to Track Boomerang Hiring Impact

Tracking return rates by team and role helps HR pinpoint strengths to replicate and weaknesses to address. Use this data to inform targeted interventions like leadership development, improved career progression frameworks, or enhanced alumni engagement programs.

• Return Rate by Team or Manager: Percentage of former employees who rejoin specific departments or under certain leaders.
• Time to Rehire Boomerangs: How quickly returning employees are rehired compared to external hires.
• Ramp-Up Time: How quickly boomerang hires become fully productive. 
• Retention Rate of Boomerang Employees: How long returning employees stay compared to new hires.
• Exit Reasons of Boomerangs: Common factors that led to departure before return.
• Engagement Levels Post-Return: Employee satisfaction and engagement scores after rehiring.
• Impact on Team Morale: Qualitative feedback or pulse survey results related to team dynamics after rehires.

Why Retention Strategies Must Include Former Employees

The rise in boomerang hires shows that retention is about more than just keeping people from leaving. It’s about nurturing relationships that last beyond an employee’s time on the payroll. Former employees often return with new skills, fresh perspectives and greater commitment.

To build a resilient workforce, focus not only on who stays but also on who might come back. Create conditions that make returning an attractive and viable option.