Factors Associated with Intention of Serbian Public Health Workers to Leave the Job: A Cross-Sectional, Population-Based Study

Abstract

Recruitment and retention of public health workers (PHWs) is crucial for the optimal functioning of the public health system at a time of budget cuts and the threat of a pandemic. Individual and job-related variables were examined by univariate and multivariate logistic regression to identify predictors of the intention to leave a job during the COVID-19 outbreak among Serbian PHWs in 25 institutes of public health (n = 1663 respondents, of which 73.1% were female). A total of 20.3% of PHWs intended to leave their current job within the next five years. Males and persons aged younger than 55 years who had additional practice were more likely to report an intention to leave their job than females, those older than 54 years and those without additional work. While uncertainty and fear of infection during the COVID-19 pandemic were almost perceived as job attractiveness, other job-related characteristics were identified as significant barriers to maintaining the sufficient capacity of qualified PHWs in the future. Authorities need to address these factors, including the following: the feeling of tension, stress or pressure, and unavailability of information during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as dissatisfaction with respect, valuation, and the job in general.

What Factors Influence the Interest in Working in the Public Health Service in Germany? Part I of the OeGD-Studisurvey

“…Various factors have been discussed as possible reasons for the often-perceived low attractiveness of the PHS, including, among others, insufficient career opportunities, lack of approaches to continuous professional development, fixed hierarchical structures, low salary, and one-sided workload [ 30 , 31 , 32 , 33 ]. Moreover, there is a low appreciation for administrative activities in the public sector in general—which is also reflected in the international literature [ 34 ]—and a negative image of the PHS in Germany as being too bureaucratic, rigid and inflexible among students and young professionals [ 35 , 36 ].…”

How to Increase the Attractiveness of the Public Health Service in Germany as a Prospective Employer? Part II of the OeGD-Studisurvey

“…Unintentionally reaffirming such stereotypes could reduce the attractiveness of the PHS, for example, among career-oriented individuals or those striving for high public health impact. Second, if not carefully worded, campaigns embracing primarily the message of a good work-life balance in the PHS could be perceived as alienating by those individuals who experienced a high workload in stressful environments in particular during the COVID-19-pandemic [ 27 ]. This may lead to the perception that their sacrifices were neither seen nor acknowledged.…”

“…Despite the described importance, no empirical research for the German context is available thus far, neither which assesses among students and young professionals the reasons for their lack of interest in working in the PHS nor the reasons of those inclined to follow such a career path. While some empirical studies from other countries exist [ 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 ], their findings are often not directly transferable to the German context. To overcome this knowledge gap, the OeGD-Studisurvey was initiated, a comprehensive research project to analyze the interests and perceived attractiveness of the PHS in Germany as a potential employer for students and young professionals based on two national cross-sectional surveys.…”

Multi-, Inter-, and Transdisciplinarity within the Public Health Workforce: A Scoping Review to Assess Definitions and Applications of Concepts

“…The work context of the public health workforce is shaped by a set of particularities, including working at global, regional, national, local, and community levels on increasingly complex challenges such as those outlined above, cultural diversity, the evolution of diseases, working with public health stakeholders, private and public sector dynamics, inequities, financial crises, and an emphasis on addressing the social and economic determinants of health and infusing public health into the political agenda [ 12 ]. Internally, the public health workforce is faced with increasing personnel mobility and international collaboration [ 13 ], budgetary constraints, a professional identity crisis [ 7 ], an urgent need for more competency-based education and transformative learning [ 14 ], and better workforce retention [ 15 , 16 ], as well as personnel shortages, exacerbated during the COVID-19 pandemic [ 17 ]. For those in leadership functions in the public health workforce, interdisciplinary and interprofessional work along with collaborative, global, and digital work have been highlighted as fundamental capacities in the 21st century [ 12 ].…”