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GRI 401: Employment·Disclosure GRI 401-1

New employee hires and employee turnover

Practical guidance for preparing this disclosure. Use this card to identify the information to prepare, verify claims and organise supporting evidence. For exact requirements, always refer to the official Global Reporting Initiative source.

Legal status

GRI 401: Employment 2016 remains the currently published applicable standard. GRI is revising its employment-related requirements, and a draft GRI 104: Employment 2027 was submitted to the GSSB for approval in July 2026. Until the final standard, effective date and transition provisions are officially published, organizations should continue to use GRI 401: Employment 2016.

RK Published passportReviewed by Dr Ross Kurinko Strategic ESG Advisor · IFRS S1 & S2 / GRI / ESRS Current as at
GRI and ISSB-IFRS S1 & S2 Certified Global Trainer · PhD, University of Cambridge · ESG-AI expert 15+ years on FTSE 100 & Fortune Global 500 disclosures Canary Wharf, London LRA educational guidance · Not issued or endorsed by Global Reporting Initiative LinkedIn

Standard

GRI 401: Employment

Disclosure GRI 401-1 · 2016

Effective

2018-07-01

Official source: Open ↗

Last reviewed

2026-08-03

LRA educational guidance · Not issued or endorsed by Global Reporting Initiative

Disclosure focus

Disclosure 401-1 requires an organization to report the total number and rate of new employee hires during the reporting period, broken down by age group, gender and region. It also requires the total number and rate of employee turnover during the reporting period, broken down by the same three characteristics.

Overall organization-wide totals and rates can be reported as additional summary information, but they do not replace the required counts and rates for each age, gender and regional category.

The disclosure applies to employees, defined as individuals in an employment relationship with the organization under national law or practice. Employee turnover includes employees who leave voluntarily or due to dismissal, retirement or death in service. Non-employee workers should not be combined with employee data unless they meet the applicable definition of an employee.

GRI does not prescribe a mandatory denominator for calculating new-hire or turnover rates. The organization should select an appropriate and consistently applied methodology, report the absolute numbers and explain the denominator, measurement basis and calculation formula. Employee data reported under Disclosure 2-7 can be used as a reference for the reporting population.

GRI recommends the age groups under 30, 30–50 and over 50. If the organization uses different age ranges, it should define them clearly and apply them consistently.

If a required breakdown cannot be disclosed because of a legitimate confidentiality, privacy or legal restriction, the organization should apply the relevant reason for omission in the GRI content index rather than presenting aggregated information as full compliance.

GRI 401: Employment 2016 remains the currently published applicable standard. A draft GRI 104: Employment 2027 has been submitted through the GRI approval process, but it should not be treated as effective until the final standard and transition provisions are officially published.

This LRA educational guidance supports disclosure preparation. For the exact requirements, always refer to the official Global Reporting Initiative source.

Before you start

Before you start

A quick mental checklist before you prepare this disclosure — tick each as you settle it.

Preparation

Key information to prepare

Preparation field What to capture Evidence hint Owner
Working table 1: Age group Prepare and reconcile these columns: Age group; New employee hires, number; Employee population used as denominator; New employee hire rate, %. Approved source records, calculation files and review evidence supporting working table 1: age group. People / HR / Sustainability Reporting
Working table 2: Gender Prepare and reconcile these columns: Gender; New employee hires, number; Employee population used as denominator; New employee hire rate, %. Approved source records, calculation files and review evidence supporting working table 2: gender. People / HR / Sustainability Reporting
Working table 3: Region Prepare and reconcile these columns: Region; New employee hires, number; Employee population used as denominator; New employee hire rate, %. Approved source records, calculation files and review evidence supporting working table 3: region. People / HR / Sustainability Reporting
Working table 4: Age group Prepare and reconcile these columns: Age group; Employees who left, number; Employee population used as denominator; Employee turnover rate, %. Approved source records, calculation files and review evidence supporting working table 4: age group. People / HR / Sustainability Reporting
Working table 5: Gender Prepare and reconcile these columns: Gender; Employees who left, number; Employee population used as denominator; Employee turnover rate, %. Approved source records, calculation files and review evidence supporting working table 5: gender. People / HR / Sustainability Reporting
Working table 6: Region Prepare and reconcile these columns: Region; Employees who left, number; Employee population used as denominator; Employee turnover rate, %. Approved source records, calculation files and review evidence supporting working table 6: region. People / HR / Sustainability Reporting
+ Show GRI 401-1 sub-elements (LRA working checklist)

How to prepare it

Disclosure 401-1 requires an organization to report the total number and rate of new employee hires during the reporting period, broken down by age group, gender and region. It also requires the total number and rate of employee turnover during the reporting period, broken down by the same three characteristics.
Collect and reconcile the records for: Working table 1: Age group; Working table 2: Gender; Working table 3: Region; Working table 4: Age group; Working table 5: Gender; Working table 6: Region.
Apply Disclosure 401-1 when the related topic is material and the disclosure is applicable under the relevant GRI Standard.
Draft the response using the defined terms shown in the disclosure focus; do not substitute broader internal labels.
Review the final wording against every requirement and the supporting governance or data records before sign-off.

Request the data

Request the disclosure evidence

Translate the disclosure into an internal business question — then adapt it to your organisation's own language.

Provide the reporting-period records and reconciliations for Disclosure 401-1: Working table 1: Age group; Working table 2: Gender; Working table 3: Region; Working table 4: Age group; Working table 5: Gender; Working table 6: Region. Include scope, definitions, methods, assumptions, limitations, owners and approvals.

Use the organisation's own role and document names, but preserve the defined GRI terms and the scope described above.

Better request

Provide the reporting-period records and reconciliations for Disclosure 401-1: Working table 1: Age group; Working table 2: Gender; Working table 3: Region; Working table 4: Age group; Working table 5: Gender; Working table 6: Region. Include scope, definitions, methods, assumptions, limitations, owners and approvals.

Draft your disclosure

Notes that turn data into a disclosure

LRA training templates — adapt them to your organisation, and check the official source before sign-off.

Method note

GRI 401: Employment 2016 remains the currently published applicable standard. A draft GRI 104: Employment 2027 has been submitted through the GRI approval process, but it should not be treated as effective until the final standard and transition provisions are officially published.

Context note

Keep mandatory GRI Requirements, GRI recommendations and additional LRA preparation controls clearly distinguished. Apply a GRI 1 reason for omission where required information cannot be reported.

Download Centre

Preparation tools & forms

Professional preparation tools for GRI 401-1 — free with verified email access. Enter the code we send you once and use downloads, report links and the Knowledge Hub AI Assistant for 24 hours.

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Assurance readiness

For each claim, check the evidence

Claim Risk Evidence to check
Working table 1: Age group is reported accurately and completely.The response omits, misclassifies or overstates working table 1: age group.Approved source records, calculation files and review evidence supporting working table 1: age group.
Working table 2: Gender is reported accurately and completely.The response omits, misclassifies or overstates working table 2: gender.Approved source records, calculation files and review evidence supporting working table 2: gender.
Working table 3: Region is reported accurately and completely.The response omits, misclassifies or overstates working table 3: region.Approved source records, calculation files and review evidence supporting working table 3: region.
Working table 4: Age group is reported accurately and completely.The response omits, misclassifies or overstates working table 4: age group.Approved source records, calculation files and review evidence supporting working table 4: age group.
Working table 5: Gender is reported accurately and completely.The response omits, misclassifies or overstates working table 5: gender.Approved source records, calculation files and review evidence supporting working table 5: gender.
Working table 6: Region is reported accurately and completely.The response omits, misclassifies or overstates working table 6: region.Approved source records, calculation files and review evidence supporting working table 6: region.

Evidence pack to prepare

Common reporting gaps

Using internal or approximate wording in place of the defined GRI terms.
Changing the required reporting population or denominator without explanation.
Treating GRI recommendations or LRA preparation controls as mandatory disclosure requirements.
Leaving a reported field unsupported by traceable source evidence and review records.

Company reports

How companies report GRI 401-1 in practice

Examples of full and partial reporting practice. These are evidence-led reviews, not exact disclosure templates to copy.

Real published reports
Compal Electronics, Inc.
Technology Hardware and Equipment · Taiwan · 2025 · p.209 ↗
Compare side by side →
Compal Electronics’ 2025 ESG Report provides detailed data on workforce demographics, including gender split (p.125) and age bands with turnover rates (p.128-129), showing new joiner and leaver counts and rates by age and gender. Geographic distribution of personnel across plants is also reported (p.114), alongside new joiner counts by region (p.169). However, the report does not clearly present comprehensive turnover reasons or detailed analysis of retention beyond basic rates, and some data such as exact age group breakdowns or voluntary versus involuntary turnover distinctions remain unclear.
Yuanta Financial Holding Co., Ltd.
Banks / Diverse Financials / Insurance · Taiwan · 2024 · p.167 ↗
Compare side by side →
Yuanta Financial Holding Co., Ltd.'s 2024 ESG Report provides detailed data on workforce demographics and turnover, including gender distribution by region (p.159) and employee turnover rates by age and contract type in Taiwan (p.158). The report also covers new joiner counts by region (p.157) and new joiner rates by gender (p.144), alongside initiatives for middle-aged and senior workers such as the "work adaptability management plan" and "Healthy Aging" seminars with six sessions organized (p.141). However, the report does not include specific data on geographic employee splits or leaver counts, which remain unaddressed.
ASE Technology Holding Co., Ltd.
Semiconductors · Taiwan · 2024 · p.262 ↗
Compare side by side →
ASE Technology Holding Co., Ltd.'s 2024 CSR Report provides detailed data on workforce demographics and turnover, including gender split percentages on page 249 and new joiner counts by gender on page 250. The report also covers employee turnover rates, with a leaver rate of 11.4% noted on pages 163 and 168, and parental leave eligibility percentages by gender on page 251. However, the report does not include information on geographic employee distribution, which remains unaddressed.

Compare side by side →

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Framework references

Relevant GRI requirements and related disclosures

Available framework references and nearby disclosures relevant to preparing this requirement.

GRI

GRI 401-1

within GRI 401: Employment

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Go deeper · GRI 401-1

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