Person–organisation fit, job satisfaction and intention to leave in the South African social development sector

it is organisations with a lack of resources, such as funding and employee development opportunities, that must mitigate significantly higher levels of turnover intention. In comparison to the private sector, public service organisations are faced with considerably higher levels of turnover intention (Prihandinisari et al. 2020). Unfavourable work environments, dissatisfaction with one’s job, and lack of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation are all reasons that have been cited for high intention to leave (ITL) in the public sector (Ayalew et al. 2015; Demircioglu & Berman 2019; Langbein & Stazyk 2018). In South Africa, the public service sector is in an ongoing battle to retain high-performing employees as a number of employees are moving into the private sector due to even higher-paying jobs, better benefits and greater opportunities for development. Similarly, those employees with valuable skills are difficult to attract and are in high demand, thus increasing the Background: The South African public service sector continues to lose employees due to more favourable working conditions offered by organisations in the private sector. Understanding intention to leave (ITL) can help public service mangers and leaders retain their highly skilled and high performing staff. Aim: The aim of the study was to determine the direct and indirect relationships between person–organisation fit (POF), job satisfaction (JS) and ITL in the South African social development sector (SDS). Setting: The sample used in this study was drawn from the SDS in South Africa ( n = 100). Methods: Cross-sectional survey data were analysed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences 27. Hayes PROCESS macro was used to test the mediating effect of JS in the relationship between POF and ITL. Results: Results indicated that POF shared a negative relationship with ITL, independent of the indirect relationship via JS, suggesting a partial mediation effect. The size of the indirect effect of POF on ITL, through JS, was larger than the direct effect of POF on ITL. Conclusion: The study provides support for understanding the relationships between ITL, POF and JS. The findings of this study have managerial implications as it provides insights on how to retain employees and decrease turnover intention in the South African SDS.