TALENT MANAGEMENT PRACTICES, ORGANIZATIONAL JUSTICE AND EMPLOYEE WELL- BEING AS DRIVERS OF HEALTH-WORKER RETENTION: EMPIRICAL EVIDENCE FROM KARACHI'S HEALTHCARE SECTOR

Abstract

Health-worker retention has emerged as a critical challenge in low- and middle-income countries, with Karachi, Pakistan representing a particularly acute case of workforce instability driven by high turnover, professional emigration, and systemic disengagement. Despite growing recognition of this problem, no study has simultaneously examined the combined influence of talent management practices, organizational justice, and employee well-being on retention outcomes within Karachi's healthcare sector. This study addresses that gap by testing an integrated model of these three predictors and their mediated pathways to retention. Using a quantitative, cross-sectional design, data were collected from 383 healthcare professionals across public and private hospitals in Karachi via structured questionnaire and analyzed using descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation, multiple regression, and mediation analysis through Hayes' PROCESS macro in SPSS. Grounded in Social Exchange Theory, Conservation of Resources Theory, and the Job Demands-Resources Model, these findings offer actionable guidance for hospital administrators, HR practitioners, and health policymakers, while contributing original empirical evidence to healthcare human resource management literature in emerging economies.