Roots and Wings: The Role of Job Embeddedness in Mitigating Nurses’ Emigration Intention Through a Serial Mediation Lens.

Abstract

Aim: This study investigates the influence of job embeddedness on nurses’ emigration intentions with a focus on the mediating roles of employee voice and engagement. Background: The migration of healthcare professionals from developing to developed countries exacerbates the brain drain crisis, posing challenges to healthcare systems in low-income countries. Nurses may be less likely to have emigration intentions if they have higher levels of job embeddedness in their workplaces. However, limited research has explored this relationship in low-income contexts. Methods: Drawing on Lewin’s field theory and the theory of the cumulative causation of migration, a cross-sectional study was conducted using survey data from 336 nurses in Nigeria. SmartPLS 4.0 was used to analyze the direct and indirect effects. Results: Findings revealed a negative relationship between job embeddedness and emigration intentions mediated by employee voice and engagement. Conclusion: The study provides important contributions to management of healthcare organizations and migration research and offers practical implications for policymakers, service sector managers, and future research.