Occupational and Work-Related Factors Associated With Job Esteem Among Nurses in Beijing: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Abstract

Aim: To examine occupational and work-related factors associated with job esteem among nurses in Beijing, with particular attention to workload, working-time arrangements, job satisfaction, and intention to leave.

Design: A multicenter cross-sectional study.

Methods: An anonymous online survey was completed by 1381 registered nurses from seven hospitals in Beijing between January 2023 and September 2024. Data were collected on demographic and occupational characteristics, working time, perceived workload, job satisfaction, intention to leave, and job esteem. A multivariable linear mixed-effects model with a random intercept for hospital was used to examine factors associated with the total job esteem score.

Results: Among the participants, 61.0% of the nurses worked 41 h or more per week, and 35.3% worked for at least 9 consecutive hours per day. The mean job esteem score was 81.8 ± 12.1, with professional authority and future value receiving the lowest dimension scores. Higher total job esteem scores were associated with a monthly income of ≥ RMB 10,001, contract or other employment relationships, and 6-20 years of working experience. Nurses working 41-45 h per week had lower scores than those working ≤ 40 h. Job satisfaction and intention to leave the current hospital showed the strongest associations with job esteem, although the estimates across job-satisfaction categories did not follow a consistent stepwise pattern. Other working-time and workload indicators were not independently associated with job esteem. Hospital tier was not independently associated with job esteem, and between-hospital variation was negligible.

Conclusions: Job esteem among nurses was associated with remuneration, employment relationships, work experience, weekly working hours, job satisfaction, and intention to leave. The findings support continued organizational attention to fair remuneration, early-career support, professional recognition, transparent career-development pathways, and reasonable working hours. Job satisfaction and intention to leave may also help organizations identify aspects of the work environment that require attention.

Patient or public contribution: No patient or public contribution.