Training and Turnover: Job demands and Employee Benefits as Moderators

Abstract

Although many researchers have suggested that training helps to reduce turnover, there remains a need for empirical evidence to examine these claims. Based on human capital theory and person-job (PJ) fit, I hypothesize that the effects of training on turnover may differ depending on the relative level of job demands and the level of employee benefits. To examine this, I conducted two studies by using two different South Korean panel data: the unbalanced panel data from the Korean Labor & Income Panel Study (KLIPS) and the balanced panel data from the Human Capital Corporate Panel (HCCP) survey. The first panel data analyses based on 6,199 individuals from the KLIPS from 2001 to 2018 supported the hypotheses regarding job demands and employee benefits as moderators. The second panel data analyses based on 313 companies from the HCCP from 2009 to 2017 identified the opposite results regarding the relative level of job demands. I discuss the implications of the synergistic effects of training and the relative level of job demands or the level of employee benefits on turnover.