Job Preferences Research Articles

Measuring Intellectual Curiosity across Cultures: Validity and Comparability of a New Scale in Six Languages

Intellectual curiosity—the tendency to seek out and engage in opportunities for effortful cognitive activity—is a crucial construct in educational research and beyond. Measures of intellectual curiosity vary widely in psychometric quality, and few measures have demonstrated validity and comparability of scores across multiple languages. We analyzed a novel, six-item intellectual curiosity scale (ICS) originally developed for cross-national comparisons in the context of the OECD’s Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC). Samples from six countries representing six national languages (U.S. Germany, France, Spain, Poland, and Japan; total N = 5,557) confirmed that the ICS possesses very good psychometric properties. The scale is essentially unidimensional and showed excellent reliability estimates. On top of factorial validity, the scale demonstrated strict measurement invariance across demographic segments (gender, age groups, and educational strata) and at least partial scalar invariance across countries. As per its convergent and divergent associations with a broad range of constructs (e.g., Open-Mindedness and other Big Five traits, Perseverance, Sensation Seeking, Job Orientations, and Vocational Interests), it also showed convincing construct validity. Given its internal and external relationships, we recommend the ICS for assessing intellectual curiosity, especially in cross-cultural research applications, yet we also point out future research areas.

Rural job preferences of graduate class medical students in Ethiopia—a discrete choice experiment (DCE)

BackgroundHuman resource is one of the health system’s building blocks, which ultimately leads to improved health status, equity, and efficiency. However, human resources in the health sector are characterized by high attrition, distributional imbalance, and geographic inequalities in urban and rural settings.MethodsAn discrete choice experiment (DCE) with 16 choice tasks with two blocks containing five attributes (salary, housing, drug and medical equipment, year of experience before study leave, management support, and workload) were conducted. A latent class and mixed logit model were fitted to estimate the rural job preferences and heterogeneity. Furthermore, the relative importance, willingness to accept and marginal choice probabilities were calculated. Finally, the interaction of preference with age and sex was tested.ResultsA total of 352 (5632 observations) final-year medical students completed the choice tasks. On average, respondents prefer to work with a higher salary with a superior housing allowance In addition, respondents prefer a health facility with a stock of drug and medical equipment which provide education opportunities after one year of service with supportive management with a normal workload. Young medical students prefer lower service years more than older students. Besides age and service year, we do not find an interaction between age/sex and rural job preference attributes.A three-class latent class model best fits the data. The salary was the most important attribute in classes 1 and 3. Contrary to the other classes, respondents in class 2 do not have a significant preference for salary. Respondents were willing to accept an additional 4271 ETB (104.2 USD), 1998 ETB (48.7 USD), 1896 ETB (46.2 USD), 1869 (45.6 USD), and 1175 ETB (28.7 USD) per month for the inadequate drug and medical supply, mandatory two years of service, heavy workload, unsupportive management, and basic housing, respectively.ConclusionRural job uptake by medical students was influenced by all the attributes, and there was individual and group-level heterogeneity in preference. Policymakers should account for the job preferences and heterogeneity to incentivize medical graduates to work in rural settings and minimize attrition.

Macroeconomic Conditions When Young Shape Job Preferences for Life

AbstractPreferences for monetary and nonmonetary job attributes are important for understanding workers' motivation and the organization of work. Little is known, however, about how those job preferences are formed. We study how macroeconomic conditions when young shape workers' job preferences for life. Using variation in income-per-capita across U.S. regions and over time since the 1920s, we find that job preferences vary in systematic ways with experienced macroeconomic conditions during young adulthood. Recessions create cohorts of workers who give higher priority to income, whereas booms make cohorts care more about job meaning for the rest of their lives.

Eliciting primary healthcare physicians’ preferences for job characteristics in rural China: a discrete choice experiment

IntroductionThe outflow and scarcity of physicians in rural areas can adversely affect universal health coverage and population health outcomes, which are critical concerns in China. This study explored primary healthcare...

Impact of Entrepreneurial Education on Entrepreneurial Intention of Students : Analysis of Bhutanese Business Colleges

It has been observed that youth unemployment and entrepreneurship are two sides of a coin in the context of Bhutan. Entrepreneurship education initiatives in Royal University of Bhutan (RUB) target motivating Bhutanese youths towards entrepreneurship despite their general preference for white-collared jobs or civil service jobs. Thus, this research tried to focus on influence of entrepreneurship education on entrepreneurship intentions among undergraduate business students in Bhutan. The most widely used Theory of Planned Behaviour has been utilized for the study taking into consideration the mediating role of the factors subjective norms, attitudes towards entrepreneurship, and perceived behavioural control. For testing these assumptions, data were collected from 427 students of three business colleges in Bhutan. The findings suggest that all three dimensions of Theory of Planned Behaviour show significant association with entrepreneurial intention. Although the correlation and regression analysis support the hypotheses, not all the dimensions play the same part in influencing entrepreneurship intention (EI).

Designing feasible anti-corruption strategies in the Nigerian health system: A latent class analysis of a discrete choice experiment

Health worker absenteeism is a major form of corruption in the Nigerian health system, reducing the impact of healthcare investment and disproportionately affecting vulnerable communities. Top-down governance and accountability measures to improve attendance have had limited effect, potentially because they have not addressed underlying incentives driving health worker behaviour. To inform feasible interventions to reduce absenteeism, we sought to investigate how potential interventions targeting key drivers of absenteeism could influence behaviour through a discrete choice experiment with 412 primary health care workers in Enugu State, Nigeria. The experiment included six attributes drawing on a literature review, qualitative research and stakeholder consultation: facility relationship with the community, method of supervision, attendance-related rewards or punishments, flexible working policy, posting location and financial incentives. Respondent choices were analysed with mixed multinomial logistic and latent class models and used to simulate job uptake under different policies. We found all attributes significantly influenced choices: workers strongly preferred jobs that facilitated supportive community relationships (β = 0.37), had a financial incentive worth 10 % of a worker’s salary (β = 0.39), rewarded attendance with credit towards promotion (β = 0.25) or placement in training (β = 0.14), and offered flexible work conditions (β = 0.14). Using latent class analysis, we identified two sub-groups of workers who differed in their willingness to accept a job and preferences over specific attributes, suggesting some may be more susceptible to feasible interventions to improve attendance. We argue that focusing on the needs of these groups may offer a path to incrementally, but sustainably, reduce absenteeism across the system. Our findings build on frameworks developed in anti-corruption research in other sectors only recently been applied to the health sector. The work represents some of the only empirical evidence to inform anti-corruption strategies in Nigeria and internationally, with findings relevant to other low- and middle-income countries seeking to combat absenteeism among primary health care workers.

Planning for Future Jobs in Light of the Unified Saudi Classification of Educational Levels and Specializations—A Case Study of Graduate Students at Imam Abdul Rahman bin Faisal University

This study deals with the issue of planning for future jobs in light of the Unified Saudi Classification of Educational Levels and Specializations. We aimed to identify the mechanism used by graduates to choose a future job and to shed light on the Unified Saudi Classification of Educational Levels and Specializations. The problem addressed in this study is the identification of the optimal formula such that the graduate can benefit from this classification. The community studied is made up of students at the College of Applied Studies and Community Service at Imam Abdul Rahman bin Faisal University in Dammam in the period from 2019 to 2022. The sample included 129 male and female students, representing 20% of the research community. The selection was random, taking into account the homogeneity of the research community. We attempted to verify the validity of the hypothesis, stating that there is a statistically significant relationship between graduates’ preferences for their future jobs and their knowledge, represented by The Saudi Standard Classification of Scientific Levels and Specializations. A number of findings resulted from this study, most notably that there was a discrepancy regarding students’ preferences for future jobs based on their gender. We conclude with a number of recommendations, including the need to shed more light on the Unified Classification of Educational Levels and Specializations in Saudi Arabia and increase communication between scientific departments and employers.

Exploring the Predictors of Co-Nationals’ Preference over Immigrants in Accessing Jobs—Evidence from World Values Survey

This paper presents the results of an exploration of the most resilient influences determining the attitude regarding prioritizing co-nationals over immigrants for access to employment. The source data were from the World Values Survey. After many selection and testing steps, a set of the seven most significant determinants was produced (a fair-to-good model as prediction accuracy). These seven determinants (a hepta-core model) correspond to some features, beliefs, and attitudes regarding emancipative values, gender discrimination, immigrant policy, trust in people of another nationality, inverse devoutness or making parents proud as a life goal, attitude towards work, the post-materialist index, and job preferences as more inclined towards self rather than community benefits. Additional controls revealed the significant influence of some socio-demographic variables. They correspond to gender, the number of children, the highest education level attained, employment status, income scale positioning, settlement size, and the interview year. All selection and testing steps considered many principles, methods, and techniques (e.g., triangulation via adaptive boosting (in the Rattle library of R), and pairwise correlation-based data mining—PCDM, LASSO, OLS, binary and ordered logistic regressions (LOGIT, OLOGIT), prediction nomograms, together with tools for reporting default and custom model evaluation metrics, such as ESTOUT and MEM in Stata). Cross-validations relied on random subsamples (CVLASSO) and well-established ones (mixed-effects). In addition, overfitting removal (RLASSO), reverse causality, and collinearity checks succeeded under full conditions for replicating the results. The prediction nomogram corresponding to the most resistant predictors identified in this paper is also a powerful tool for identifying risks. Therefore, it can provide strong support for decision makers in matters related to immigration and access to employment. The paper’s novelty also results from the many robust supporting techniques that allow randomly, and non-randomly cross-validated and fully reproducible results based on a large amount and variety of source data. The findings also represent a step forward in migration and access-to-job research.

랜덤포레스트를 활용한 청년 취업선호도 영향 요인 분석

The purpose of this study is to identify the factors that significantly affect youth's employment preference and to discover representative characteristic factors for each type of business. To this end, the data of 8,169 participants in the 4th year supplementary survey of the Korea Education and Employment Panel Survey (KEEP2) were analyzed using the random forest method. The main research results are as follows. First, factors in the psychological/environmental category had less influence than factors in the categories of economic burden, important factors in employment, and job conditions. Second, wage/remuneration, working environment, aptitude, knowledge/skill acquisition, growth potential, social image, welfare benefits, employment stability, social value/contribution, and work-life balance had a high proportion of influence on the employment preference of young people. Third, as a result of examining the characteristic factors by company type, the preference for employment at large companies differed in wages/ remuneration, working conditions, working environment, and academic background. The preference for SMEs was characterized by social value/contribution and cultural leisure- related working condit ions. On the other hands, the preference for public institutions and government-related jobs was found to be employment stability and job conditions. In financial institutions and startups, cultural leisure and the working environment had a great influence on the difference in preference. Based on the above research results, the factors influencing the employment preference of young people were summarized and suggestions for follow-up studies were presented.

The Anatomy of Sorting—Evidence From Danish Data

In this paper, we formulate and estimate a flexible model of job mobility and wages with two‐sided heterogeneity. The analysis extends the finite mixture approach of Bonhomme, Lamadon, and Manresa (2019) and Abowd, McKinney, and Schmutte (2019) to develop a new Classification Expectation‐Maximization algorithm that ensures both worker and firm latent‐type identification using wage and mobility variations in the data. Workers receive job offers in worker‐type segmented labor markets. Offers are accepted according to a logit form that compares the value of the current job with that of the new job. In combination with flexibly estimated layoff and job finding rates, the analysis quantifies the four different sources of sorting: job preferences, segmentation, layoffs, and job finding. Job preferences are identified through job‐to‐job moves in a revealed preference argument. They are in the model structurally independent of the identified job wages, possibly as a reflection of the presence of amenities. We find evidence of a strong pecuniary motive in job preferences. While the correlation between preferences and current job wages is positive, the net present value of the future earnings stream given the current job correlates much more strongly with preferences for it. This is more so for short‐ than long‐tenure workers. In the analysis, we distinguish between type sorting and wage sorting. Type sorting is quantified by means of the mutual information index. Wage sorting is captured through correlation between identified wage types. While layoffs are less important than the other channels, we find all channels to contribute substantially to sorting. As workers age, job arrival processes are the key determinant of wage sorting, whereas the role of job preferences dictate type sorting. Over the life cycle, job preferences intensify, type sorting increases, and pecuniary considerations wane.

A Study on Job Seekers Preferences in Job Attributes and Decision-Making Factors in Chennai City

Job preference in this context is defined as preferring one job or profession over others. Choosing the right job for young people in the twenty-first generation is becoming increasingly important, as they must consider a variety of factors such as job attributes, decision-making processes, personal factors, socio factors, and job search strategies. In this paper we were study more about on Job Attributes and Decision-Making factors. The study’s objectives were to determine which factors is highly influenced by Job seekers. The study’s target population is pursuing undergraduate and postgraduate students. A sample size of 135 was used. To collect data from UG and PG students, the study used Convenient Sampling and Snow Ball sampling techniques. The study used a descriptive survey design. Data were gathered using a self-administered questionnaire (Likert 5.5 Scale). The Research tools used in this research such as Independent Sample T-Test, One-way ANOVA, and Correlation. The conclusion has been determined job attributes factors are highly influenced the job seekers. As this study was conducted on university students such as UG and PG students who are currently pursuing universities, future research should be conducted on school students, Professional Course students and diploma students.

Job Preferences and Outcomes for China’s College Graduates

Job Preferences and Outcomes for China’s College Graduates

A case and framework for expanding the use of model‐free evidence

A case and framework for expanding the use of model‐free evidence

Impact of Early Childhood Education Service Delivery on Working Class Parents

This study investigated the effect of early childhood education services on working-class parents in Lagos Mainland Local Government Area, Lagos State. The study was guided by four specific objectives which were to examine the impact of early childhood education service delivery on parental job preference, receptivity to in-house caregivers, receptivity to after-school service, and parental job performance in Lagos Mainland Local Government Area, Lagos State. The descriptive research design was adopted. The population for this study was all working-class parents with pre-schoolers but only 150 of them were sampled in the study using a simple random sampling technique. A researcher-designed questionnaire which had a reliability coefficient of .802 was used to collect the data needed for the study. The data collected were analysed using the descriptive statistics of frequency count, and percentage to present the respondent bio-data while the mean was used to answer the research questions. The study revealed that early childhood education service delivery has a positive impact on parental job preference and job performance while the early childhood education service delivery has a negative effect on parental receptivity towards in-house caregivers and after-school service in Lagos Mainland Local Government Area, Lagos State. Hence, it was concluded that early childhood education services have a positive effect on working-class parents in Lagos Mainland Local Government Area, Lagos State. Based on the findings of the study, it was recommended among many others that ECCE providers should improve their staff requirement policy and ensure proper supervision to better enhance their compliance with the national minimum standard on ECCE so as to better satisfy the parents.

Job preferences between fisheries and other sectors in coastal region of Pekalongan, Indonesia

The study examined the job preferences of coastal communities between the fisheries sector, traditional textile industry (Batik printing) or other sectors in the Wonokerto-Pekalongan District, Indonesia. Data collected based on interviews with informants were analysed with Atlas Ti software to build triangulation from qualitative data. The results indicated that the coastal communities prefer to work in other sectors because it is more formal and stable compared to the fisheries sector.Keywords: Atlas Ti, Batik, Fisheries, Job selection, Pekalongan

Flexible Working Arrangements and Social Sustainability: Study on Women Academics Post-COVID-19

One of the main challenges faced by companies, scholars, and governments nowadays is achieving economic, environmental, and social sustainability. Remote working, reduced work weeks, and other types of flexible working time arrangements (FWAs) are the new characteristics that will shape the future of work to ensure social sustainability. In changing work patterns, working styles are changed to possibly improve women employees’ mental health and life–work balance. However, recently, very few firms have succeeded in adopting these new FWA trends. The purpose of this paper is to investigate women’s preferences towards FWAs in the academic sector as a social sustainability source. We investigate the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on female faculty members’ future job preferences. The data used in the research are collected from a survey given to female faculty members who work in a Saudi women’s university and have already experienced FWAs during the COVID-19 period. The study uses mixed methods of research, combining a choice modeling (CM) method, one sample t-test, a paired sample t-test, cluster analysis, and probit models. Our results show that flexible working arrangements improve the wellbeing of women employees, which ensures sustainable social development. The findings also show that flexibility in location plays a significant role in the decision made by female faculty members when revealing their flexibility preferences. However, flexibility in time did not play a significant role in the decisions made by respondents. This study adds to the empirical evidence in the current literature on female academic staff preferences for FWAs in Saudi Arabia, using choice modeling conjoint analysis and mixed approaches.

The Impact of Entrepreneurship on the Success of Small and Medium Enterprises in Jeddah (Leadership Case Study)

The study aimed to shed light the impact of entrepreneurship on the success of small and medium enterprises in Jeddah, to identify the extent to which entrepreneurs are aware of the dimensions of leadership (competitiveness, search for new opportunities, ability to innovate, desire for success, and self-confidence) for its role in the success of small and medium enterprises, and to recognize the impact of the challenges and difficulties facing entrepreneurship in supporting small and medium enterprises. The study followed the descriptive analytical approach, and the questionnaire was used to obtain the data of the analysis. While there was a simple random sample of 400 entrepreneurs, the results of the study showed that there is a positive impact of entrepreneurship on the success of small and medium enterprises, as this is represented in the common desire among the working pioneers to achieve the specified goals. The study results also showed that one of the most important challenges and difficulties facing entrepreneurship was the fear of failure, taking responsibility and the weak financial capabilities of young people, the lack of awareness of Saudi youth about the culture of entrepreneurship and their preference for government jobs over new entrepreneurship, in addition to the weak community awareness of the importance of entrepreneurship work, and that there are many indicators that support the availability of mechanisms that support the trend towards entrepreneurship and a high degree of interest from entrepreneurs. The study recommended that entrepreneurs should stay away from fear of failure, responsibility and poor financial capabilities for young people. It is also necessary and important to raise awareness among Saudi youth of the culture of entrepreneurship and urge them to new horizons through new entrepreneurship, for entrepreneurs to work to maintain the positive impact of entrepreneurship on the success of small and medium enterprises in Jeddah, the need for a common desire among the working pioneers to achieve the specific goals of their small and medium enterprises, the necessity for entrepreneurs to have the ability to respond to creativity in the surrounding environment, and the creativity of developing ways and methods of work.

Job Preference and Factors Influencing Job Choice Among Public University Students: A Cross-Sectional Study at Begum Rokeya University, Rangpur

Today, most of the students at the university level are facing career-related problems in the form of either career indecision or the wrong decision. For university-level students' career preference is a crucial issue. Being successful in life depends on making the appropriate career decision. This study aims to identify the recent trends of job preferences and elements influencing job desire and how family, friends, and peer relationships affect students' preferences for choosing a career. A survey was carried out at Begum Rokeya University, Rangpur (BRUR) with regular students of 4th year and Masters; with a sample size of 272. An interview schedule was used to carry out the survey. In order to acquire a better understanding and more knowledge about the research, some material was gathered through in-person interviews. Using stratified simple random sampling technique, respondents were chosen from four faculties of the University. The study revealed that there is no discernible difference between the genders in terms of preferred careers, but there is a difference in faculty and family status. BCS and first-class government jobs are the preferred career fields for 116 out of 272 students (42.6%). The respondents' hesitation to seek employment in the small- and medium-sized business and non-profit sectors was also discovered. The main drivers of these professional choices are that today's graduates place a high importance on monetary rewards, social status, and public acknowledgement, in addition to power and authority. Furthermore, the current BCS test system attracts students more due to job stability and transparency in the hiring process. The interest of young people in working in banks has recently increased due to the emergence of private and foreign banks. The primary factors luring these graduates into these industries are the excellent compensation packages. This study recommends that more market-driven, practical, and relevant courses should be developed by the university

Nurse practitioner job preference: A discrete choice experiment

BackgroundNurse practitioners play a critical role in improving the access to care and in meeting the needs for health care. However, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the average turnover rate of nurse practitioners was 10 % with associated total direct cost that ranged from $85,832 to $114,919 for each episode of turnover in the United States. Little is known about the job preference of nurse practitioners and the cost savings to an organization that provides jobs with characteristics attractive to nurse practitioners. ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to identify the preferred job characteristics that are associated with nurse practitioners' job choices; and to determine the extent to which nurse practitioners would need to be compensated for practicing without these characteristics. DesignA two-stage design using a mixed method approach. Setting(s)The state of Georgia in the United States. Participants2757 nurse practitioners who were actively licensed were invited to participate. Of the 412 participants, 372 actively employed in Georgia were included in the analysis. MethodsA 2-stage discrete choice experiment was designed. Stage-1 was a qualitative design using a focus group to identify nurse practitioners' preferred job characteristics. Stage-2 was a quantitative design using survey distribution and analysis. A mixed logit model was used for ranking nurse practitioners' preferred job characteristics and the extent to which they would need to be compensated. ResultsOn average nurse practitioners were 47.4 years of age; the majority were female (90 %), white (75.3 %), and educated at the master's level (88.7 %). Participants did not value teams that were not very cohesive (β = −1.50); administration that was not very responsive and supportive (β = −1.04); being supervised by a physician (β = −0.58); not having their own panel of patients (β = −0.42); and not billing under their own National Provider Identifier (β = −0.18). Participants would need an increase in annual income of USD$21,780 for practicing in a not very cohesive team; USD$15,280 for practicing with a not very responsive administration; and USD$21,450 for being supervised by a physician. ConclusionsA cohesive, responsive, and supportive working environment and being able to practice independently are important characteristics for nurse practitioners when choosing a job. Healthcare managers should provide a workplace culture that reflects these preferred job characteristics to attract and retain nurse practitioners. Policymakers should consider reforming the scope of practice legislation to promote the independent practice of nurse practitioners.

The effect of career indecision of college students on career adaptability by mediating career decision self-efficacy: Moderated mediating effect of the job preference

The effect of career indecision of college students on career adaptability by mediating career decision self-efficacy: Moderated mediating effect of the job preference