The study was conducted by the Dr. Alieu Gibba, head of Department of Economics and Finance, School of Business and Public Administration, University of The Gambia (UTG) and Lamin Kanteh, a senior statistician at The Gambia Bureau of Statistics.
The study revealed eight main reasons for attrition in the public and private institutions.
These were identified as major factors influencing employees’ attrition in private and public institutions in The Gambia.
According to Dr. Gibba, the main objective for conducting the study was to investigate the factors that influence employees' attrition in public and private sector institutions in The Gambia from year 2007 to 2017.
The institutions targeted were mainly located in the Kanifing Local Government Area (LGA) which consists of only urban settlements. The survey population was 120 employees from 7 institutions. The sample size was 87 employees of whom 83 were involved which means 95.4% of the targeted employees. In this study, the researchers used the descriptive survey design, random and convenience sampling techniques.
Dr. Gibba explained that the study looked at the main factors that triggered employees' attrition in selected public and private sector institutions in The Gambia in a 10-year period. “The problems are more evident in the public institutions than the private,” he said.
He said the study also shows the level of dissatisfaction among employees in these institutions, saying that the management should improve remuneration and compensation packages as well as employees' welfare schemes.
“There is a need to improve working conditions geared to attracting new employees and retaining them. This requires reinforcing staff benefits, incentives and welfare schemes, good working environment and working tools. It can raise the motivational level and commitment of the staff to their work, which in essence can boost productivity,” he said.
According to Dr. Gibba, average most employees generally change jobs 10 to 15 times before they finally pick their lifetime career job or during his or her career. It is a common concern for managers why people leave and the effects it would have on the organisation.
Furthermore, Dr. Gibba said looking at the main factors of the Gambian public and private institutions (2007-2017), and the most damaging consequences, “it must be understood that human resources are the most important resources to an organisation as without them the organisation will cease to exist.”
“Currently, many organisations are increasingly finding it difficult to retain their employees. Attrition is becoming a serious problem in many organisations in the country following the introduction of university education and the production of graduates especially in the areas of economic, management, and development studies, among others,” he highlighted.
Dr. Gibba added that another worrying trend is the rate of teacher attrition in the secondary schools. “The rate of teacher attrition is accelerating annually, therefore impacting negatively on the performance of the students in The Gambia. The findings he said further revealed that teachers who opt for academic or professional development within or outside the country, many at times never returned to the teaching field. Insufficient salaries and poor working conditions are sufficient reasons why most have switched to the banks and other institutions,” he added.
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