Stellenwechsel im Berufsverlauf – Konsequenzen für die Personalbindung in Kindertageseinrichtungen

Despite a continuous increase in the number of employees in childcare centres, there is currently a great shortage of staff. This goes hand in hand with a high workload for staff. In the past, the recruitment of skilled staff was primarily focussed on the expansion of specialist schools for social pedagogy. However, there is a growing recognition that retaining existing employees is part of securing a skilled workforce, as job changes in the field not only lead to a loss of expertise, but also require continuous recruitment and onboarding processes. This article uses qualitative data to analyse the factors that influence job changes and the career paths that can be reconstructed from the chronology of job changes. From a theoretical perspective, job changes are understood as transitions in the career path that can be interpreted as processes of (re)matching between the person and the environment. Five career types could be recognised. Finally, the results of the qualitative analysis are discussed with regard to their potential for staff retention as a strategy for securing skilled labour.