Research purpose: This research examines how burnout influences job satisfaction and intentions to change careers among accountants and auditors, particularly emphasizing the factor of psychological well-being, thereby providing recommendations to help control burnout, enhance job satisfaction and improve work performance of accountants and auditors.
Research motivation: The authors realized that burnout among early-career professionals in the accounting and auditing fields has become a growing concern. A striking example involves a young Indian audit assistant who suffered from severe exhaustion after only a few months in the role, highlighting the intense pressures faced by newcomers to the profession. More broadly, The Wall Street Journal (2022) reported that over 300,000 accountants and auditors in the United States left their jobs between 2020 and 2022, reflecting a 17% decline in the industry’s workforce. Supporting this trend, prior research suggests that the majority of students entering auditing roles tend to exit the profession within three years (Hiltebeitel & Leauby, 2001). The purpose of this research is to explore how burnout influences auditors’ job satisfaction and their intentions regarding career choices, and seeks to fill the existing gap in the academic literature on this issue.
Research design, approach, and method: A survey questionnaire was distributed to accountants and auditors, resulting in 152 responses, of which only 126 were valid. Data analysis was conducted using SPSS 20 and SMART PLS 4.0 software, testing five research hypotheses.
Main findings: The strongest negative impact was the impact of Job burnout (JB) on Job satisfaction (JS), Psychological well-being (PW), Intention to Change Occupation (IC). In which, Job Burnout affects Job Satisfaction more than it affects Intention to Change Occupation, showing that when burned out, employees may not decide to quit their jobs. Mental well-being plays a crucial intermediary role, linking job burnout with both job satisfaction and employees’ intentions to switch careers.
Practical/managerial implications: This research topic aims to help managers have a more objective view of the factors affecting current employee satisfaction, as well as, employees’ desire to change careers. From there, make reasonable adjustments and solutions to improve employee satisfaction and retain employees for a long time with the company.