Job flexibility and career shift intentions among hotel employees: A moderated analysis by employment type and gender
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.38140/ijms-2026.vol3.2.01Keywords:
Job flexibility, moderated analysis, employment, gender, shift careersAbstract
The hospitality industry faces substantial chal¬lenges regarding employee retention. Career shift intentions serve as key predictors of employee turnover. This study examines the influence of job flexibility on career change intentions among hotel employees, while testing gender and employment type as moderating variables. A cross-sectional study (N = 92), analysed using partial least squares struc¬tural equation modelling (PLS-SEM), revealed that job flexi¬bility significantly reduced career shift intentions (β = -0.270, p < 0.05). However, neither gender nor employment type, nor their interactions with flexibility, were found to be sig¬nificant moderators. Importance-Performance Map Analysis (IPMA) indicated that although gender and employment type were rated as highly important factors, their direct ef¬fects were not statistically significant, suggesting that job flexibility, while effective, is secondary to structural employ¬ment factors in career decisions. This indicates that although employees prioritise flexibility, it is subordinated to funda¬mental demographic and contractual factors in career choices. These findings underscore the need to theoretically clarify the role of employment flexibility within retention models. Furthermore, these findings provide manag¬ers with evidence to prioritise gender-sensitive policies and stable employment structures over isolated flexibility initiatives aimed at mitigating talent losses. Future research should investigate additional predictors, such as job security and career advancement, and employ longitudinal designs to enhance model robustness.
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