The role of job satisfaction, job dissatisfaction and demographic factors on physicians’ intentions to switch work sector from public to private

Abstract This study is based on a unique data set for the years 1988–2003 and uses structural equation models to examine the impact of job satisfaction and job dissatisfaction on physicians’ intention to switch from public- to private-sector work. In Finland, physicians who work primarily in a public-hospital or health-centre setting can also run a private practice. Therefore, we also analysed the impact of having a private practice on a physician's intention to change sector. We found that private practice had a positive, statistically significant effect on the intention to switch sector in 1998 and 2003. Results also suggest that job satisfaction decreases a physician's intention to switch sector, although for 1998 it had no effect. Surprisingly, job dissatisfaction significantly increased the physicians’ intentions to leave the public sector only in the 1988 data.