Job Satisfaction and Quitting Intentions: A Structural Model of British General Practitioners

Abstract

A structural model of job satisfaction and quitting intentions is estimated using data from a survey of general practitioners in the UK. Previous research has used reduced form models, making the interpretation of coefficients problematic. The use of a structural recursive model helps to clarify the relationships between intentions to quit, overall job satisfaction, domains of job satisfaction and personal and job characteristics. Job and personal characteristics have a direct effect on job satisfaction in addition to their indirect impact through job satisfaction domains. Job satisfaction domains have a direct effect on intentions to quit, in addition to their effect via overall job satisfaction. The structural approach provides a richer interpretation of the role and effect of job characteristics on job satisfaction and intentions to quit than is found in previous research. This is particularly relevant in some public sector labour markets, where the opportunity to alter wages to compensate for the relative advantages and disadvantages of jobs is limited because of national wage bargaining.