TALENT RETENTION STRATEGIES AND EMPLOYEE PRODUCTIVITY IN THE OIL AND GAS SECTOR OF RIVERS STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

This study examined the relationship between talent retention strategies and employee productivity in the oil and gas sector in Rivers State, Nigeria. Specifically, the study focused on compensation and career development as key talent retention strategies, while employee productivity was measured using task efficiency and employee output. The study adopted a correlational research design to determine the nature and strength of the relationships among the study variables. The population comprised employees of oil and gas companies operating in Rivers State. Out of 424 registered firms, seven viable and rapidly growing companies were purposively selected, with a total number of 33,301 employees.s A sample size of 395 was determined using Taro Yamane’s (1967) formula at a 5% margin of error. Simple random sampling and proportional allocation techniques was used. Data were collected using structured questionnaires and analyzed with Pearson Product Moment Correlation at a 0.05 level of significance, with the aid of SPSS software. The findings revealed a very strong positive relationship between compensation and task efficiency, as well as between career development and employee output. Compensation was found to have a moderate positive relationship with employee output, while career development showed a moderate positive relationship with task efficiency. These results indicate that both financial and developmental retention strategies significantly enhance employee productivity in the il and gas sector. The study concludes that sustainable productivity cannot be achieved without deliberate investment in employee welfare and career growth. It therefore recommends that oil and gas firms adopt integrated talent retention frameworks that combine competitive compensation with structured career development programs to reduce turnover, improve efficiency, and enhance overall organizational performance.