Career development programs and employee retention: Insights from the Ministry of Works in Tanzania
Hindu Augossy, Richard Msacky & Chacha Magasi
Abstract
This study examined the relationship between career development initiatives and employee retention at the Ministry of Works in Tanzania. The study was guided by equity theory, which was founded on the assumption that employees tend to remain with their organisation when they are perceived to be treated equally. Cronbach's Alpha coefficient was used to assess the variable’s reliability. A cross-sectional design was employed to collect quantitative and qualitative data from survey questionnaires and interviews. Quantitative data were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics, while qualitative data were analysed through content analysis. The study found that employee retention at the Ministry of Work is high. In addition, the study findings revealed significant positive effects of career development programs on retention, including education opportunities (coef. = 1.884, p = 0.016), fair career development opportunities (coef. = 1.2122, p = 0.001), and involvement in innovation and creativity (coef. = 1.5216, p = 0.000). Similarly, qualitative findings indicated that career development programs, including educational opportunities, career autonomy, and recognition practices such as awards and promotions, significantly enhance employee retention. The study contributes to existing knowledge by demonstrating that well-structured career development programs significantly enhance employee retention. It is recommended that organizations invest in training, career autonomy, and innovation opportunities to further improve retention rates and reduce turnover.
Keywords
autonomy, job satisfaction, recognition, work-life balance
Author information & Contribution
Hindu Augossy. Corresponding author. Human Resource Officer, Tanzania Road Fund Board, P.O Box 933, Dodoma, Tanzania. Email: rimsaki@yahoo.com
Richard Msacky. Lecturer, Department of Business Administration, College of Business Education, P.O Box 2077, Dodoma, Tanzania.
Chacha Magasi. Senior Lecturer, Department of Marketing, College of Business Education, P.O Box 3168, Mwanza, Tanzania.
“All authors equally contributed to the conception, design, preparation, data gathering and analysis, and writing of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.”
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).
Funding
This work was not supported by any funding.
Institutional Review Board Statement
AI Declaration
Notes
Acknowledgement
References
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Cite this article:
Augossy, H., Msacky, R. & Magasi, C. (2024). Career development programs and employee retention: Insights from the Ministry of Works in Tanzania. International Journal of Academe and Industry Research, 5(4), 98-123. https://doi.org/10.53378/ijair.353120
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