Understanding Employees’ Commitment to their Sector of Employment: A Qualitative Study

Abstract

Why do many people remain committed to their chosen sector of employment when they could obtain better working conditions, higher pay, improved career opportunities, heightened reputation, or other benefits by shifting to a different sector? More generally, what factors lead people to be more or less committed to their sector of employment? Research on commitment to work-relevant targets has extensively studied employees’ commitment to their organization and occupation, but largely neglected employees’ commitment to their sector of employment. To address these questions, we conducted focus groups and interviews with 218 present and former employees of the nonprofit social services sector in Singapore. Our analyses revealed that the factors that contribute to and undermine individuals’ commitment to their sector of employment include not only the identity and characteristics of the sector itself, but also a range of other factors that reside within the person, their families, their clients, and their organizations. Our study illuminates an important but understudied target of work-relevant commitment, provides rich, qualitative insights into the foundations and development of commitment, contributes to emerging research on employee identity and careers, and offers valuable practical implications for employees and for organization and sector leaders.