Job satisfaction and nurses’ intention to stay with their current employer: The mediating role of work engagement

Type of the article: Research ArticleAbstractThis study examines whether job satisfaction predicts nurses’ intention to stay with their employer and whether work engagement (conceptualized as vigor, dedication, and absorption) mediates this relationship. We conducted a two-phase repeated cross-sectional survey of hospital nurses in Slovakia to replicate and validate findings across time periods; data were collected in May–November 2022 (n = 742) and September–October 2024 (n = 500). The samples were comparable in demographic characteristics, and the results were consistent across both phases. Descriptive statistics and partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) were employed. Results showed that job satisfaction significantly predicted nurses’ intention to stay (β = 0.281, p < 0.001). Work engagement also positively predicted intention to stay and acted as a partial mediator between job satisfaction and intention to stay (indirect effect β = 0.142, p < 0.001). Among satisfaction facets, remuneration and benefits (standardized loading = 0.829) were the strongest predictors of retention, followed by managerial support (0.791), workload (0.787), and career advancement opportunities (0.783). Engagement was thus confirmed as a statistically significant mediator between job satisfaction and intention to stay. These findings quantify the pathway from satisfaction to intention to stay via engagement and prove the stability of these relationships over time, including during the period of changes brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic. Practically, targeted HR policies that strengthen satisfaction and engagement, especially through competitive pay and benefits, supportive supervision, effective communication, and clear developmental and career pathways, are essential to stabilize the nursing workforce and mitigate turnover.AcknowledgmentsThis study was supported by the ESG project No. D12_2024, “The impact of human resource practices on the sustainability of the nursing workforce (nurses) in hospitals,” and was also conducted as part of the completed APVV project No. 19-0579, “Personnel management processes set up in hospitals and their impact on the migration of physicians and nurses to work abroad.”