Top 998 Human Resources Keywords: Search Volume, CPC and Trends (October 2026)

HR keywords run from the department's own vocabulary (onboarding, payroll, performance review, policies) to software and outsourcing terms. Volume concentrates on definitions and templates; the CPC concentrates on HR software and PEO services.

The list holds 998 keywords with a combined 35,664,790 searches a month. The most searched are intranet (2,740,000), intranets (2,740,000), performance improvement plans (2,740,000), generation z (2,240,000), freelancers (1,830,000), high potentials (1,830,000), candidate relationship management (1,220,000), town halls (1,220,000), benefits (1,000,000) and development (1,000,000).

Advertisers pay most for absenteeism ($29.08 a click), employer liability ($13.71 a click), outplacement services ($11.00 a click), employee engagement software ($9.10 a click) and pet insurance ($8.87 a click). 53% of the keywords in the list cost $1 or more a click, which marks the commercial end of the niche.

Demand is steady through the year: across the list, the busiest and quietest months are within 1.3x of each other. The trend column shows each keyword's own twelve months.

Volumes are global monthly averages from Google; CPC is the top-of-page bid in US dollars; competition runs from 0 (few advertisers) to 1 (many). Last refreshed October 2026. For any other keyword, the free search volume checker gives the same numbers, and the Keywords Everywhere extension shows them inside Google as you search.

Showing 300 of 998

No	Keyword	Search volume	CPC	Competition
1	intranet	2,740,000	$0.93	0.03
2	intranets	2,740,000	$0.93	0.03
3	performance improvement plans	2,740,000	$0.34	0.01
4	generation z	2,240,000	$0.02	0.02
5	freelancers	1,830,000	$0.04	0.23
6	high potentials	1,830,000	$0.16	0.03
7	candidate relationship management	1,220,000	$1.22	0.31
8	town halls	1,220,000	$1.05	0.02
9	benefits	1,000,000	$0.14	0.21
10	development	1,000,000	$0.39	0.01
11	bonuses	823,000	$0.32	0.02
12	generation x	823,000	$0.01	0.01
13	alternative dispute resolution	673,000	$0.39	0.02
14	pet insurance	450,000	$8.87	0.40
15	cost of living adjustments	368,000	$0.18	0.25
16	payroll	368,000	$1.36	0.27
17	smart goals	368,000	$0.07	0.09
18	layoffs	301,000	$0.13	0.01
19	orientation	301,000	$0.23	0.00
20	sabbaticals	301,000	$0.02	0.01
21	employee assistance programs eap	246,000	$2.03	0.19
22	erecruitment	246,000	$0.27	0.01
23	compensation	201,000	$4.76	0.02
24	dental insurance	201,000	$2.38	0.60
25	disability insurance	201,000	$3.35	0.03
26	downsizing	201,000	$0.05	0.00
27	employee portals	201,000	$1.91	0.01
28	personas	201,000	$0.05	0.00
29	salary negotiations	201,000	$0.01	0.00
30	bereavement leave	165,000	$0.04	0.01
31	hr portals	165,000	$0.47	0.05
32	human capital management	165,000	$1.40	0.06
33	maternity leave	165,000	$0.32	0.01
34	repatriation	165,000	$0.29	0.03
35	sick leave	165,000	$2.31	0.02
36	whistleblowing	165,000	$0.56	0.07
37	aptitude tests	135,000	$0.26	0.20
38	career paths	135,000	$0.57	0.06
39	flu shots	135,000	$0.80	0.23
40	organizational charts	135,000	$1.73	0.12
41	paternity leave	135,000	$0.20	0.01
42	termination	135,000	$0.49	0.00
43	employee resource groups	110,000	$0.30	0.01
44	everify	110,000	$1.69	0.02
45	hr management	110,000	$0.43	0.17
46	immigration law	110,000	$1.60	0.20
47	job description	110,000	$0.25	0.01
48	job descriptions	110,000	$0.25	0.01
49	remote workforce	110,000	$0.12	0.29
50	safety culture	110,000	$1.40	0.15
51	absenteeism	90,500	$29.08	0.00
52	affirmative action	90,500	$0.02	0.00
53	credit checks	90,500	$1.41	0.67
54	crosstraining	90,500	$0.27	0.23
55	employee of the month	90,500	$0.39	0.01
56	journey mapping	90,500	$3.21	0.02
57	negotiation strategies	90,500	$0.51	0.05
58	neurodiversity	90,500	$0.15	0.06
59	shrm	90,500	$0.73	0.35
60	skill assessments	90,500	$0.32	0.13
61	skills assessment	90,500	$0.32	0.13
62	staffing	90,500	$0.62	0.11
63	workforce engagement	90,500	$1.60	0.10
64	employee value proposition	74,000	$1.16	0.05
65	employer value proposition	74,000	$1.16	0.05
66	job fairs	74,000	$0.23	0.10
67	job posting	74,000	$0.38	0.21
68	job postings	74,000	$0.38	0.21
69	offer letters	74,000	$1.61	0.05
70	psychometric testing	74,000	$0.10	0.26
71	severance packages	74,000	$0.07	0.02
72	action planning	60,500	$0.03	0.09
73	centralization	60,500	$0.51	0.01
74	decentralization	60,500	$0.55	0.01
75	emergency loans	60,500	$0.29	0.71
76	employee net promoter score	60,500	$0.71	0.05
77	health benefits	60,500	$2.97	0.02
78	job boards	60,500	$0.41	0.44
79	learning management systems lms	60,500	$0.80	0.34
80	parental leave	60,500	$0.60	0.03
81	probation periods	60,500	$0.74	0.00
82	probationary periods	60,500	$0.74	0.00
83	servant leadership	60,500	$0.07	0.04
84	trade unions	60,500	$0.31	0.04
85	transformational leadership	60,500	$0.32	0.04
86	workplace ethics	60,500	$0.26	0.00
87	applicant tracking	49,500	$1.27	0.43
88	applicant tracking system	49,500	$1.27	0.43
89	applicant tracking systems	49,500	$1.27	0.43
90	applicant tracking systems ats	49,500	$1.27	0.43
91	company retreats	49,500	$4.51	0.06
92	fair labor standards act	49,500	$1.07	0.01
93	glassdoor reviews	49,500	$0.08	0.03
94	hr software	49,500	$0.94	0.29
95	key performance indicators kpis	49,500	$0.10	0.05
96	labor unions	49,500	$1.16	0.01
97	market pricing	49,500	$0.40	0.00
98	mental health days	49,500	$2.00	0.01
99	phr	49,500	$1.34	0.10
100	secondments	49,500	$0.32	0.00
101	upskilling	49,500	$0.23	0.11
102	first aid training	40,500	$0.72	0.43
103	flexible spending accounts	40,500	$1.00	0.16
104	graduate programs	40,500	$0.47	0.21
105	identity theft protection	40,500	$8.68	0.40
106	job advertisements	40,500	$0.24	0.13
107	leave of absence	40,500	$0.30	0.01
108	mobile learning	40,500	$0.76	0.01
109	opendoor policy	40,500	$0.96	0.00
110	restructuring	40,500	$0.75	0.03
111	vision insurance	40,500	$2.64	0.61
112	employment branding	33,100	$1.30	0.23
113	employment contracts	33,100	$2.18	0.20
114	equal employment opportunity	33,100	$1.60	0.02
115	gender pay gap	33,100	$0.74	0.04
116	hr consulting	33,100	$1.41	0.19
117	occupational health and safety	33,100	$0.42	0.22
118	performance appraisal	33,100	$1.11	0.04
119	professional standards	33,100	$0.61	0.96
120	situational leadership	33,100	$0.86	0.06
121	talent pools	33,100	$0.78	0.05
122	unemployment insurance	33,100	$2.88	0.04
123	assessment centers	27,100	$0.43	0.10
124	core competencies	27,100	$0.08	0.01
125	employee stock purchase plans	27,100	$4.13	0.04
126	family and medical leave	27,100	$0.02	0.09
127	family and medical leave act	27,100	$0.02	0.09
128	family and medical leave act fmla	27,100	$0.02	0.09
129	legal assistance	27,100	$1.61	0.13
130	microlearning	27,100	$0.84	0.23
131	pay scales	27,100	$4.78	0.09
132	pension schemes	27,100	$0.38	0.31
133	psychological safety	27,100	$0.14	0.08
134	shrm certification	27,100	$0.73	0.63
135	temporary staffing	27,100	$0.71	0.06
136	total rewards	27,100	$0.20	0.12
137	unconscious bias	27,100	$0.34	0.03
138	401k plans	22,200	$2.33	0.09
139	centers of excellence	22,200	$1.35	0.06
140	deferred compensation	22,200	$2.50	0.02
141	disciplinary actions	22,200	$0.97	0.00
142	fitness programs	22,200	$0.54	0.24
143	hr business partner	22,200	$0.42	0.19
144	hr generalist	22,200	$0.30	0.08
145	job offers	22,200	$0.07	0.13
146	motivation theories	22,200	$0.02	0.00
147	parttime work	22,200	$0.13	0.21
148	payroll taxes	22,200	$2.82	0.10
149	workplace bullying	22,200	$0.27	0.15
150	employee handbook	18,100	$5.19	0.18
151	employee recognition programs	18,100	$7.47	0.07
152	hot desking	18,100	$2.16	0.15
153	leadership training	18,100	$1.10	0.36
154	matrix organizations	18,100	$0.06	0.03
155	offboarding	18,100	$0.70	0.02
156	open enrollment	18,100	$2.55	0.13
157	pension plans	18,100	$0.50	0.29
158	preventive care	18,100	$0.67	0.04
159	profit sharing	18,100	$0.62	0.05
160	span of control	18,100	$0.98	0.01
161	transactional leadership	18,100	$0.02	0.01
162	absence management	14,800	$4.90	0.11
163	balanced scorecards	14,800	$0.16	0.02
164	business process outsourcing	14,800	$1.03	0.07
165	career ladders	14,800	$1.06	0.00
166	career pathing	14,800	$0.91	0.06
167	childcare services	14,800	$1.72	0.02
168	employee turnover	14,800	$1.02	0.01
169	employment verification	14,800	$2.28	0.12
170	executive coaching	14,800	$3.36	0.32
171	exempt vs nonexempt employees	14,800	$0.03	0.12
172	financial education	14,800	$0.92	0.06
173	gym memberships	14,800	$1.06	0.52
174	health savings accounts	14,800	$0.40	0.23
175	internship programs	14,800	$0.03	0.08
176	job analysis	14,800	$0.34	0.02
177	managed services	14,800	$2.90	0.18
178	online training	14,800	$0.83	0.27
179	organizational psychology	14,800	$2.81	0.30
180	panel interviews	14,800	$0.03	0.00
181	people analytics	14,800	$0.61	0.37
182	town hall meetings	14,800	$0.00	0.00
183	work environment	14,800	$2.14	0.01
184	workplace harassment	14,800	$0.84	0.19
185	artificial intelligence in hr	12,100	$1.06	0.45
186	career coaching	12,100	$1.68	0.29
187	cognitive assessments	12,100	$0.39	0.08
188	contract workers	12,100	$0.50	0.17
189	cultural assimilation	12,100	$5.74	0.00
190	executive search	12,100	$1.48	0.36
191	group dynamics	12,100	$0.47	0.01
192	hr certifications	12,100	$1.78	0.58
193	labor law	12,100	$1.69	0.12
194	noncompete clauses	12,100	$0.07	0.02
195	occupational safety and health administration osha	12,100	$1.12	0.03
196	quality circles	12,100	$0.33	0.01
197	reasonable accommodations	12,100	$0.94	0.02
198	redeployment	12,100	$1.47	0.00
199	redundancies	12,100	$0.00	0.00
200	reference checks	12,100	$0.29	0.16
201	skill gaps	12,100	$1.90	0.03
202	skills gap	12,100	$1.90	0.03
203	soft skills training	12,100	$0.30	0.25
204	stress reduction	12,100	$0.04	0.19
205	tuition reimbursement	12,100	$4.24	0.02
206	9box grid	9,900	$1.27	0.13
207	affinity groups	9,900	$1.33	0.01
208	best places to work	9,900	$0.49	0.09
209	buddy systems	9,900	$0.00	0.00
210	company culture	9,900	$0.33	0.08
211	confidentiality agreements	9,900	$1.15	0.12
212	counseling services	9,900	$2.62	0.13
213	cultural awareness	9,900	$0.92	0.01
214	datadriven decision making	9,900	$0.64	0.14
215	development planning	9,900	$0.50	0.01
216	development plans	9,900	$0.50	0.01
217	employee engagement surveys	9,900	$2.96	0.14
218	employee retention strategies	9,900	$0.60	0.11
219	employee selfservice	9,900	$1.95	0.11
220	equal pay	9,900	$0.77	0.10
221	exempt employees	9,900	$0.02	0.10
222	fitness challenges	9,900	$0.81	0.15
223	flexible staffing	9,900	$1.13	0.08
224	flexible working	9,900	$0.27	0.12
225	headhunting	9,900	$0.80	0.22
226	hr analytics	9,900	$0.37	0.29
227	hr leadership	9,900	$2.62	0.01
228	hr policies	9,900	$0.14	0.07
229	hr technology	9,900	$0.97	0.22
230	hris human resource information system	9,900	$0.69	0.27
231	human resource development	9,900	$0.66	0.05
232	industrial relations	9,900	$2.19	0.02
233	interviewing	9,900	$0.13	0.01
234	job rotation	9,900	$0.06	0.01
235	job rotations	9,900	$0.06	0.01
236	learning and development	9,900	$0.73	0.15
237	predictive modelling	9,900	$1.44	0.07
238	presenteeism	9,900	$0.00	0.00
239	record keeping	9,900	$0.74	0.02
240	records management	9,900	$1.60	0.14
241	reskilling	9,900	$0.01	0.05
242	visa sponsorship	9,900	$0.11	0.17
243	whistleblowing policies	9,900	$1.17	0.13
244	workplace flexibility	9,900	$0.27	0.12
245	cloud hr	8,100	$0.24	0.26
246	cognitive ability tests	8,100	$0.13	0.18
247	collective agreements	8,100	$0.65	0.00
248	contract employees	8,100	$1.36	0.02
249	emotional wellbeing	8,100	$0.55	0.02
250	employee experience	8,100	$1.62	0.15
251	employee life cycle	8,100	$2.53	0.07
252	employee lifecycle	8,100	$2.53	0.07
253	employee rights	8,100	$0.75	0.12
254	expatriate taxation	8,100	$1.88	0.44
255	fair labor standards act flsa	8,100	$1.25	0.04
256	flexible work arrangements	8,100	$0.43	0.03
257	flexible working arrangements	8,100	$0.43	0.03
258	hazard identification	8,100	$0.83	0.04
259	holiday parties	8,100	$1.93	0.07
260	hr dashboards	8,100	$0.74	0.19
261	hr outsourcing	8,100	$3.20	0.32
262	internal communication	8,100	$3.06	0.10
263	internal communications	8,100	$3.06	0.10
264	job enrichment	8,100	$0.34	0.00
265	outsourced hr	8,100	$3.20	0.32
266	paid time off	8,100	$1.47	0.01
267	paid time off pto	8,100	$1.47	0.01
268	pay grades	8,100	$7.20	0.01
269	performance coaching	8,100	$0.95	0.41
270	seasonal work	8,100	$0.10	0.11
271	skills testing	8,100	$0.26	0.07
272	smoking cessation programs	8,100	$1.46	0.23
273	social activities	8,100	$0.28	0.00
274	time and attendance	8,100	$2.54	0.27
275	training needs analysis	8,100	$0.39	0.05
276	work authorization	8,100	$0.70	0.01
277	age discrimination	6,600	$0.09	0.04
278	americans with disabilities act ada	6,600	$1.33	0.07
279	authentic leadership	6,600	$0.52	0.07
280	background screening	6,600	$2.52	0.26
281	bring your own device	6,600	$4.52	0.24
282	continuous learning	6,600	$0.66	0.01
283	employee services	6,600	$0.91	0.08
284	equal employment opportunity commission eeoc	6,600	$2.18	0.06
285	flexible benefits	6,600	$1.20	0.12
286	grievance procedures	6,600	$0.32	0.04
287	group interviews	6,600	$0.01	0.01
288	holacracy	6,600	$0.15	0.02
289	hr planning	6,600	$0.39	1.00
290	hrci certification	6,600	$1.38	0.57
291	human resource planning	6,600	$0.79	0.02
292	individual development plans	6,600	$0.74	0.06
293	job evaluation	6,600	$1.76	0.05
294	labor economics	6,600	$0.46	0.01
295	management training	6,600	$1.41	0.38
296	market positioning	6,600	$0.40	0.01
297	merit increases	6,600	$1.11	0.01
298	organizational communication	6,600	$1.09	0.03
299	organizational design	6,600	$1.59	0.20
300	organizational redesign	6,600	$1.59	0.20