Factors Influencing the Migration Intention of Sri Lankan Apparel Industry Executives

Abstract

The textile and apparel industries act as the largest exporters in Sri Lanka by providing high-quality apparel products to the leading global apparel brands. With global recognition, more migration opportunities have arisen, and recently, there has been an increase in the migration tendency of Sri Lankan professionals involved in the apparel industry. However, there is a dearth of research done to examine and identify the factors of migration intention in the Sri Lankan context. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the factors that influence the migration intentions of Sri Lankan apparel industry executives. In addition to that, this study analyzes the level of migration intention and determines the impact of these influencing factors on Sri Lankan apparel industry executives. The researcher used positivist philosophy as the research paradigm and the deductive method as the research logic. An individual-level surveybased questionnaire method was used to collect data. The sample was comprised of 248 executive employees in the apparel sector in Sri Lanka. Data were analyzed using statistical tests such as descriptive statistics, reliability, and normality analysis. Also, multiple regression was used to test the hypotheses. The findings highlighted push and pull factors of migration intention and classified them into three categories: political, economic, and socio-psychological factors. The study further revealed that there is a significant positive relationship between the push and pull factors and the migration intentions of Sri Lankan apparel industry executives. Considering these results, it is necessary to develop policies to retain the skilled workforce of the apparel sector to work in the mother country, which will reduce the level of migration tendency of apparel executives in Sri Lanka. In particular, these policies should include micro and macro policies related to the improvement of working conditions and involvement in political and economic issues.