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In an effort to examine the causes of job burnout among Kuwaiti civil service employees, the present study investigates the level of civil service employee burnout, its relationship to Type A personality, and the aspects of job burnout which most affect an employee’s intention to resign. Participants in the study included 325 employees (130 men and 195 women) in five Kuwaiti ministries. Results indicated that four out of ten employees lacked a feeling of personal accomplishment and experienced emotional exhaustion in their jobs. Younger employees with inferior job tenure tended to experience higher burnout on the personal accomplishment scale, while Type A personalities experienced higher burnout rates on both the emotional exhaustion and personal accomplishment scales. Both men and women who scored high on emotional exhaustion and personal accomplishment scales admitted to a greater intention to leave their jobs. No significant differences due to gender, marital status or education were found among employees on the emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, or personal accomplishment scales. Recommendations for future research are discussed.

Key words: Job burnout, Type A personality, Intention to leave, Civil service, Demographic variables.