Beyond the factory floor: analyzing job-switching attitudes among executives in Bangladesh’s garment industry

Abstract Bangladesh’s ready-made garment (RMG) sector is central to the national economy, yet it faces persistent turnover among its executives. Although labor-level attrition has been widely studied, executive mobility and its implications for organizational stability remain under-examined. Guided by Herzberg’s two-factor theory and job embeddedness theory, this study identifies the drivers of executive job-switching and examines their association with job satisfaction and intentions to leave the sector. Data from a cross-sectional online survey of 300 RMG executives were analyzed using descriptive statistics, one-sample Z-tests, correlation and regression analysis, individual-level logit and probit models with controls, and probability analysis. Insufficient compensation (52.7%) was the most frequently cited reason for switching jobs, followed by improper supervisor behavior (41.3%) and a lack of new responsibilities (34%). About 44.7% of respondents were considering leaving the RMG sector (approximately 19% definitely and 26% possibly), mainly because of concerns about social status and job security. Higher salaries were associated with higher job satisfaction and more favorable organizational ratings, whereas longer tenure was associated with lower salary-increment expectations and weaker exit intentions. Most executives regarded 3–5 years as the ideal interval for switching jobs, and the 95% confidence interval for the mean monthly salary of mid-level executives was BDT 57,312–66,838. The study provides new empirical evidence on executive turnover in the RMG sector and suggests that retention can be improved through inflation-adjusted compensation, supervisor training, structured career pathways, and benefits such as provident funds.