A bank notices the following trends over three years: • Voluntary attrition: 6% → 9% → 14% • Average training hours: Increased by 40% • Internal promotion ratio: Constant • Employee engagement score: Stable Which HR metric should be investigated FIRST to identify the root cause of increasing attrition?

Employees are receiving more training, and engagement remains stable, yet attrition is increasing. The constant internal promotion ratio suggests that employees may perceive limited career growth despite enhanced development opportunities. The most likely issue is career stagnation, making the Career Progression Ratio the most relevant metric to investigate first. Why other options are incorrect A. Cost per Hire Measures recruitment efficiency, not why existing employees leave. B. Training Effectiveness Index Training volume has increased, but the problem appears to be post-training career opportunities rather than training quality. D. Human Capital ROI A financial metric that reflects overall return on workforce investment but is less useful for identifying the immediate cause of attrition. E. Revenue per Employee Useful for productivity analysis, not diagnosing voluntary turnover.