Based on Maslow’s need hierarchy theory, examined how antecedents of nurses’ job satisfaction and turnover intention vary between two countries with different levels of economic development (South Korea and Uzbekistan). Using data from 1,723 nurses of the two countries, collected through a paper-and-pencil survey, we tested our hypotheses with hierarchical linear regression and PROCESS. We found that workload, pertaining to one of the higher needs of Maslow’s need hierarchy (i.e., self-actualization), was a significant predictor of nurses’ job satisfaction and turnover intention only in South Korea, a more economically developed country. In addition, the positive effects of pay satisfaction on job satisfaction and turnover intention, pertaining to one of the lower level needs (i.e., physical need), were stronger for Uzbekistan nurses than for Korean ones. These indicate that a more dynamic, macro-level approach is necessary in studying antecedents of nurses’ job satisfaction.
