Soldier Retention in the Indian Military: Unraveling the Role of Pay, Promotion and Job Satisfaction

The Indian military is facing challenges in retaining its enlisted soldiers, primarily attributed to the soldiers’ reluctance to continue their service beyond the initial term of engagement. This shortage weakens military cohesion and reduces operational preparedness. The present study aims to examine the factors influencing soldiers’ retention through a survey of 495 enlisted soldiers in the Indian military. The findings reveal that job satisfaction is the most significant predictor of retention, followed by pay. Among the predictors of job satisfaction, supervisory support emerged as the most critical factor, followed by person-job fit and work–life balance, while co-worker networks and welfare measures were found to be insignificant. In addition, promotional prospects were not found to be significant indicators of turnover among Indian enlisted soldiers.