Abstract
The struggle for academic talent requires higher education institutions (HEIs) to develop strategies for retaining competent academics. This study focused on investigating the determinants of talent retention among early-career academics in South African HEIs. There is limited research on the retention of early-career academics in HEIs. The rapid integration of technological disruption and digital change has made it difficult for many businesses, including HEIs worldwide, to keep up with the rapid pace of innovation in management as the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) unfolds. It is essential to invest in employee training and talent development, especially for early-career employees, if companies are to grow. Employee development can bridge significant skills gaps. The researcher used a mixed-method approach to address the research questions. A quantitative approach was used to record talent retention among early-career academics of selected HEIs (n = 117). For the qualitative method, follow-up individual interviews (n = 23) were conducted with early-career academics from various universities. The findings revealed that early-career academics are, to some extent, satisfied with their remuneration, recognition, management support and institutional practices. A small majority of academics indicated that they have considered leaving their profession. Recommendations include that higher education management should pay attention to improving their leadership skills, about reducing the turnover intentions of early-career academics. The study also highlighted the key factors that could contribute to the turnover intentions of early-career academics.
Keywords: compensation; determinants; early-career academics; explore; institutional practices; intention to quit; management; recognition; support; talent
- This article’s featured image was created by Pavel Danilyuk and obtained from Pexels.