Determinants of Congressional Staff Turnover Intention

• In Event: Congressional Staff, Constituent Representation, and Legislative Behavior

Abstract

Congressional staff serve as the “invisible force” in Congress by helping draft legislation and conduct oversight. Given this, excessive turnover among staff inhibits legislators’ ability to effectively conduct their constitutional duties and is a loss of institutional memory. While there is a rich literature on turnover in the public sector, few studies examine the determinants of turnover intention among staff or where staff go after leaving Congress. Using a new survey of staff and a novel dataset of staff turnover in the 115th session of Congress, I capture staffer intent to leave their current position and track their next employment opportunities. I find that, similar to civil servants, staff who report dissatisfaction with pay and are less motivated by public service report higher levels of turnover intention. Additionally, I find that staff leave their jobs for employment opportunities both within and outside of Congress. My study makes unique contributions to the growing body of literature devoted to understanding congressional staff by providing important insight into the success of outside organizations ability to recruit staff and how member and committee level factors impact staff turnover.

Author

• Hanna Brant, University of Missouri