The Moderating Effect of Labor Demand on the relationship between Leadership Practices and Turnover Intention of Technical Staff in Kenyan Schedule Operating Passenger Airlines
Abstract
The airline industry is facing various challenges. Among these challenges include turnover of highly skilled technical staff, which is emerging to be an issue to the airlines and will continue as a result of high industry growth forecast. The turnover intention of staff is viewed as a direct predictor of actual intention. The turnover intention of employees is heavily affected by leadership practices and industry labor demand factors play a significant role. The objective of the study was to determine the moderating effect of labor demand on the relationship between leadership practices and turnover intention of technical staff in the Kenyan schedule operating passenger airlines. The data was collected from all the 12 Kenyan schedule operating passenger airlines. The target population was 2058 technical staff. The research design used was descriptive cross-sectional survey design. A total of 335 sample respondents were used in the study. The researcher selected the sample using proportionate stratified sampling technique. To determine the sample size, the researcher used Yamane's formula. Open and close-ended questionnaires were used to collect data. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used for data analysis and presentation. The findings from the research indicated that labor demand has a significant moderating role on the relationship between leadership practices and turnover intention of technical staff. The study recommended practitioners to be cognizant of the high labor demand for technical staff which can significantly affect the relationship between leadership practice and turnover intention. Practitioners should also tailor their staff retention strategy based on the labor demand for each job category. Policy makers should also ensure effective policies are in place to ensure the labor demand does not significantly influence turnover.
Keywords: Airlines, Leadership Practice, Labor Demand, Technical Staff, Turnover Intentions
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