Job preferences of master of public health students in China: a discrete choice experiment

Background The shortage of public health personnel and the uneven distribution between urban and rural areas are thorny issues in China. Master of public health (MPH) is an integral part of public health human resources in the future, and it is of far-reaching significance to discuss their work preferences. The present study wants to investigate the job preference of MPH, understand the relative importance of different job attributes, and then put forward targeted incentive measures. Methods Discrete choice experiment (DCE) was used to evaluate the job preference of MPHs in two medical colleges in Liaoning Province. Attributes include employment location, bianzhi , working environment, career development prospects, work value and monthly income. Thirty-six choice sets were developed using a fractional factorial design. Mixed logit models were used to analysis the DCE data. Results The final sample comprised 327 MPHs. All the attributes and levels included in the study are statistically significant. Monthly income is the most important factor for MPHs. For non-economic factors, they value career development prospects most, followed by the employment location. Respondents’ preferences are heterogeneous and influenced by individual characteristics. Subgroup analysis showed that respondents from different family backgrounds have different job preferences. Policy simulation suggested that respondents were most sensitive to a salary increase, and the combination of several non-economic factors can also achieve the same effect. Conclusions Economic factors and non-economic factors significantly affect the job preference of MPHs. To alleviate the shortage and uneven distribution of public health personnel, more effective policy intervention should comprehensively consider the incentive measures of the work itself and pay attention to the individual characteristics and family backgrounds of the target object.