Factors Related to Turnover and Intention to Leave the Care Working Profession in Japan: A Review

Abstract

Globally, the elderly population is growing rapidly. The number of elderly people requiring nursing care is expected to increase along with the elderly population. However, the high turnover rate of care workers has caused a labor shortage, which in turn has encouraged further turnover, creating a vicious cycle. Preventing turnover is an important issue not only for the physical and mental health of care workers but also for the quality of nursing care. In particular, Japan has emerged as the world’s first super-aged society, experiencing an increase in the number of elderly people requiring nursing care and a shortage of care workers. This review summarizes the research on factors inf luencing care worker turnover and intent to leave the profession in Japan. Additionally, workplace interpersonal problems have been shown to be consistently associated with care worker turnover or intention to leave in previous studies that were reviewed.