Self-sponsored Training: A Study on Human Capital and Employee's Intention to Leave Vietnam

This study proposes and empirically validates an integrative framework that explores the interplay between employeesponsored training (EST), human capital (HC), perceived desirability of movement (PDOM), perceived ease of movement (PEOM), intention to leave (ITL), and perceived organizational support (POS). Grounded in Human Capital Theory, the Theory of Organizational Equilibrium, and Organizational Support Theory, the research examines how employees’ self-financed training initiatives contribute to the accumulation of human capital and simultaneously influence turnover intentions through employability-related perceptions. Survey data collected from 234 employees in Vietnam were analysed using partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM). The results demonstrate that EST significantly enhances human capital. Moreover, human capital is shown to indirectly intensify intention to leave through the sequential mediation of PDOM and PEOM, indicating that increased skills and competencies heighten employees’ awareness of external job opportunities and the perceived attractiveness of mobility. Notably, perceived organizational support is found to attenuate the positive relationship between human capital and intention to leave, suggesting a buffering effect that reduces turnover risks among highly skilled employees. The study advances the human resource management and turnover literature by revealing the paradoxical role of employee-sponsored training as both a strategic organizational asset and a catalyst for employee mobility. From a practical perspective, the findings highlight the need for organizations, particularly in emerging and highly competitive labour markets such as Vietnam, to align retention and support mechanisms with employees’ self-directed investments in skill development.