Job Satisfaction and Quality of Life among Faculty Members in Public Universities in Enugu State, Nigeria

Abstract

BACKGROUND: The role of lecturers in research, training, and mentoring of students has long been established. Despite these, there is an increasing migration of lecturers from developing countries to developed countries. Some of the factors responsible for this migration may be related to poor job satisfaction and quality of life (QoL). Hence, this study aimed at assessing the prevalence and factors associated with job satisfaction and QoL among the lecturers in the public university. METHODS: The study design was a cross-sectional analytical study carried out in 2023 among 392 lecturers selected from two public universities in Enugu state, Nigeria. The tools used for data collection were the Job Satisfaction Index and WHOQOL-BREF. RESULTS: Showed that 129 (32.9%) had low job satisfaction; however, many more were dissatisfied with their pay (338; 86.2%). In terms of QoL, this was poor in the physical health (278; 70.9%), psychological (135; 34.4), social relationship (189; 48.2%), and environmental health (332; 84.7%) domains. Most sociodemographic variables were not significantly associated with facets of job satisfaction and QoL. There is a positive relationship between job satisfaction and QoL. CONCLUSION/RECOMMENDATION: The prevalence of low job satisfaction and poor QoL among lecturers is high. The most common facets of job satisfaction affecting the lecturers are pay, conditions in the present job, and promotion opportunities, while in the QoL domains, the physical, social relationships, and environmental domains are most prominent. Furthermore, there is a positive association between job satisfaction and QoL. Policy makers should target these factors to improve job satisfaction and QoL.