Employee turnover remains a critical concern for organizations competing in dynamic labor markets, yet empirical clarity on the relative strength of retention levers is limited. This study investigates how compensation, career development, leadership effectiveness, workplace culture, and work–life balance jointly shape employee tenure across five major industries: technology, finance, healthcare, education, and manufacturing. A proportionate stratified sample of 500 professionals was surveyed using a 30-item Talent Retention Scale. The analytical framework integrates multivariate regression, Cox proportional-hazards modeling, and structural equation modeling to capture both direct and indirect effects while controlling for demographic and sectoral heterogeneity. Results show that work–life balance and career development are the most influential predictors of tenure, each reducing voluntary turnover risk by more than a quarter and jointly explaining two-thirds of the variance in the latent retention construct. Leadership effectiveness significantly amplifies the impact of career development, illustrating the importance of supportive managerial climates. Industry-specific examinations demonstrate that flexible work arrangements are particularly important in areas of high turnover, such as technology and education, while formal mobility paths are more prominent in finance and manufacturing. The findings indicate that retention is not unidimensional and merits specific, evidence-based rather than universal policy measures. The study offers managers insights to guide investments in flexibility, developmental programs, and leadership pipelines, and presents researchers with an empirically validated platform for future longitudinal and cross-cultural inquiries into workforce stability.