HomeAbstract of 9th-fshconfAssessing Migration and Retention Intentions of University Administrative Staff: Push-Pull Factors and Predictors

Assessing Migration and Retention Intentions of University Administrative Staff: Push-Pull Factors and Predictors

  • Aug 11, 2026
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Abstract Book of the 9th International Conference on Future of Social Sciences and Humanities

Year: 2026

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Assessing Migration and Retention Intentions of University Administrative Staff: Push-Pull Factors and Predictors

Kingsley Baffoe, Prince Awuah, Jerry Oppong Darko

ABSTRACT:

The migration intention of the young and non-working class in Ghana to the Global North is a well-known phenomenon. Prestigious as it is considered to be, the intention to leave or to stay by working staff of a traditional university regarded as a top-notch institution is unknown and unpredictable. This work sought to assess the migration and retention intentions of administrative staff of universities affecting turnover amid economic pull pressures using UENR as a case study. Specifically, the study sought to measure the migration intentions abroad and the potential driving forces of persons believed to be working in an enviable space like a university.
Major predictors examined included low remuneration, inadequate capacity building, and poor infrastructure vis-à-vis higher salaries abroad using organizational equilibrium theory and validated scales. Using a mixed method approach, about 100 administrative staff of UENR were sampled for the survey, adopting Likert-scale items on intent and qualitative in-depth interviews as support.
Initial insights show migration intent rates are higher, mirroring the Ghanaian context, driven by work environment pressures and poor working conditions. Overall, political victimization of staff and unfair wages and allowances cumulatively affect the security and sustainability of staff turnover effects. Findings from this study will contribute to sustainable human resource management in Ghana’s traditional universities, thereby reducing operational disruptions and talent loss to global competitors of the global north.

Keywords: Migration Intentions, Retention Intentions, Administrative Staff, UENR, Push-Pull Factors