The Impact of Job Satisfaction and Some Demographic Variables on Employee Turnover Intentions

Due to competition for scarce skills, the attraction and retention of teachers in rural schools is probably the biggest challenge in the education sector today. It is imperative for the education department to have knowledge of the impact of job satisfaction and some demographic variables on employee turnover intentions to improve the attraction and retention of teachers especially those with scarce skills. Self administered questionnaires were distributed to a sample of 300 teachers. A stratified sampling procedure was utilised. The data was subjected to a number of statistical analyses such as T-test of independent samples, Correlation, Chi-square and One way ANOVA. Results indicated that lack of job satisfaction influences the decision to quit the teaching profession. It also was found that age, tenure and specialization can predict employee turnover intentions. The findings of this research indicate that school authorities need to develop strategies to deal with the needs of those teachers who experience less job satisfaction and commitment. Proactive attention to this should demonstrate preparedness on the side of school administrators to address teacher concerns and thereby reduce absenteeism and attrition rates amongst teachers.