Merit-based recruitment and employee effectiveness: a bivariate study of selected southern Nigerian public enterprises

Abstract The complexities of perfect employee effectiveness in the public enterprises are often linked to best-fit meritocracy in the recruitment process. Merit-driven recruitment plays a pivotal role in enhancing employee performance, commitment, engagement, and motivation. It ensures that current enterprise roles are filled with candidates that possess the best qualifications, experiences, and competence. It emphasized the concept of best fit. This study is, therefore, designed to assess the correlation between merit-based recruitment practices and employee effectiveness in selected public enterprises in southern Nigeria. Utilizing a bivariate analytical framework, the study investigates how recruitment based on merit influences employee productivity, organizational commitment, and overall performance. Data were collected from eight public enterprises through a structured survey and interviews with key personnel. The Taro Yamane formula (2004) was employed to draw a sample size of 302 from the population of the study. Data examination was perfected with the aid of SPSS, and correlation was found to be significant at the 0.05 level (two-tailed). And findings established a significant positive relationship between merit-based hiring and employee effectiveness in the public enterprises, underscoring the imperative of competence-based, transparent, and merit-driven recruitment and selection procedures. From the findings, the study noted that fostering a culture of having the individual whose current skills, qualifications, and experience profile match the organization's current jobs and roles requirements would be beneficial and profitable not only to the individual employee but also to the organization in general. The study concludes with recommendations for organizational practitioners and policymakers to institutionalize meritocracy and competence-based systems as significant drivers of public sector efficiency.