Core HR Software Market Report 2025

This report covers market characteristics, size and growth, segmentation, regional and country breakdowns, competitive landscape, market shares, trends and strategies for this market. It traces the market’s historic and forecast market growth by geography.

The core HR software market size has grown strongly in recent years. It will grow from $19.45 billion in 2024 to $21.03 billion in 2025 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 8.1%. The growth in the historic period can be attributed to automation and efficiency, globalization and scalability, employee experience enhancement, data-driven decision making, integration with other systems.

The core HR software market size is expected to see strong growth in the next few years. It will grow to $28.8 billion in 2029 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 8.2%. The growth in the forecast period can be attributed to remote work enablement, employee well-being focus, agile HR practices, diversity, equity and inclusion. Major trends in the forecast period include flexible workforce models, remote work solutions, focus on employee experience, agile HR practices and flexibility, continuous learning and development.

The rising acceleration of remote work is expected to propel the growth of the core HR software market going forward. Remote work practices refer to the strategies, methodologies, and guidelines employed by organizations and individuals to conduct work outside of a traditional office environment effectively. Core HR software primarily leverages remote work by providing essential HR tools and functionalities that enable organizations to effectively manage their workforce, ensure compliance, and foster communication and collaboration among remote employees. For instance, in June 2023, according to reports published by Forbes Media LLC, a US-based publication company, around 12.7% of full-time employees worked from home, while 28.2% used a hybrid model in the US, and it is expected to reach 32.6 million by 2025. Therefore, the rising acceleration of remote work is driving the growth of the core HR software market.

Major companies operating in the core HR software market are adopting a strategic partnership approach to better align their HR initiatives with the organization's overarching goals and drive business success. Strategic partnerships refer to a process in which companies leverage each other's strengths and resources to achieve mutual benefits and success. For instance, in May 2023, Personio, a Germany-based developer of human resource management and recruitment platforms, partnered with Mastercard Inc., a US-based payment technology corporation. This partnership aims to drive HR digitalization across SMEs, reflecting Personio's commitment to supporting the unique needs of HR professionals and businesses seeking to optimize their core HR operations. Integrating Personio with various platforms further enhances its offering, allowing for seamless and efficient user experiences and data synchronization. This partnership aligns with the broader trend of accelerating the digitalization of traditional HR processes.

In June 2022, BCS HR Software, a Netherlands-based cloud-based company that provides HR and payroll software solutions, acquired Apployed for an undisclosed amount. With this acquisition, BCS HR Software aims to expand its reach, offer a broader product range, and strengthen its technology, making it a more competitive HR software market. Apployed is a Netherlands-based provider of HR software solutions, including core HR, payroll, time registration, and workflow management.

Major companies operating in the core HR software market are International Business Machine Corporation, Oracle Corporation, SAP SE, ADP LLC (Automatic Data Processing), Workday Inc., Paychex Inc., Sage Group plc, Kronos Incorporated, Paycom Software Inc., Ceridian HCM Holding Inc., Paylocity Holding Corporation, Cornerstone OnDemand Inc., Gusto Inc., Paycor Inc., ClearCompany Inc., Zenefits Inc., Saba Software Inc., Ultimate Software (now part of UKG - Ultimate Kronos Group), iCIMS Inc., SumTotal Sumtotal Systems LLC, Lumesse Ltd., BambooHR LLC, PeopleFluent Ltd., SilkRoad Technology Inc., Greenhouse Software Inc.

North America was the largest region in the core HR software market in 2024. The regions covered in the core HR software market report are Asia-Pacific, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, North America, South America, Middle East, Africa. The countries covered in the core HR software market report are Australia, Brazil, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Japan, Russia, South Korea, UK, USA, Canada, Italy, Spain.

The core HR software market includes revenues earned by entities by providing services such as payroll processing, employee self-service recruitment and onboarding, leave management, attendance tracking, and employee information management. The market value includes the value of related goods sold by the service provider or included within the service offering. The core HR software market consists of sales of products such as time and attendance tracking tools and performance management tools. Values in this market are ‘factory gate’ values, that is, the value of goods sold by the manufacturers or creators of the goods, whether to other entities (including downstream manufacturers, wholesalers, distributors, and retailers) or directly to end customers. The value of goods in this market includes related services sold by the creators of the goods.

The market value is defined as the revenues that enterprises gain from the sale of goods and/or services within the specified market and geography through sales, grants, or donations in terms of the currency (in USD, unless otherwise specified).

Core HR software is a human resource (HR) management system that provides essential functionality for managing fundamental HR tasks and processes within an organization. This software is used to streamline HR processes, improve efficiency, and enhance the employee experience within an organization.

The main types of components in core HR software are services and software. Services refer to intangible products or actions that are provided to customers in exchange for payment. It includes deployments in the cloud and on-premises also used in various organizational sizes, such as large enterprises and small and middle enterprises, and end users are government, energy and utilities, manufacturing, consumer goods and retail, transportation and logistics, healthcare, telecom and information components, banking, financial services, and insurance.

The main types of components in core HR software are services and software. Services refer to intangible products or actions that are provided to customers in exchange for payment. It includes deployments in the cloud and on-premises also used in various organizational sizes, such as large enterprises and small and middle enterprises, and end users are government, energy and utilities, manufacturing, consumer goods and retail, transportation and logistics, healthcare, telecom and information components, banking, financial services, and insurance.

The revenues for a specified geography are consumption values that are revenues generated by organizations in the specified geography within the market, irrespective of where they are produced. It does not include revenues from resales along the supply chain, either further along the supply chain or as part of other products.

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