Career commitment and turnover intention for engineers in New Zealand

Type of content
Reports
Publisher's DOI/URI
Thesis discipline
Degree name
Publisher
University of Canterbury
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Language
Date
2024
Authors
Djung, Sarah
Williams, Holly
Beckert, Nic
Crossin, Enda
Näswall, Katharina
Abstract

Executive Summary: The engineering profession is undergoing significant changes due to automation and shifting career dynamics, highlighting a critical need for longitudinal research to better understand the evolving nature of engineering practice and its implications. This report aims to re-examine hypotheses concerning belonging, engineering identities, self-efficacy, wellbeing, career commitment, and turnover intentions, exploring the factors that influence New Zealand engineers to leave their jobs or report higher levels of career satisfaction and commitment. The methods involved descriptive analysis of correlations between factors, followed by regression modelling to identify the most significant predictors of career outlook and wellbeing, as well as determining which baseline factors could predict job departure within 12 months. The report found a young, inexperienced, and broadly more female sample compared to the general population of New Zealand engineers. Across survey factors, New Zealand engineers reported strong career commitment, high wellbeing, and low turnover intentions, with meaningful work environments, high psychological safety on the job, and a sense of belonging being the most significant predictors of positive career outlook and satisfaction. High turnover intentions and job departures were associated with differences support from coworkers on work-related tasks. Enhancing the meaningfulness, psychological safety, belonging, and support from coworkers at the workplace are the key factors that drive New Zealand engineers to have longer, more fulfilling careers. Identifying the underlying drivers behind these key factors is essential for fostering stronger work environments. Further research is required to explore confounding factors, such as gender and age, which may offer additional insights into career outlook and wellbeing.

Description
Report for Engineering New Zealand Foundation
Citation
Keywords
Ngā upoko tukutuku/Māori subject headings
ANZSRC fields of research
40 - Engineering::4010 - Engineering practice and education
Rights
All Rights Reserved