FACTORS AFFECTING INTENTION TO MIGRATE OF EXECUTIVES IN THE APPAREL INDUSTRY IN SRI LANKA

Abstract

Earnings from exports and the provision of employment opportunities make the apparel industry in Sri Lanka one of the most important industries in terms of its contribution to the nation’s economy. Still, the percentage of executives willing to migrate has been on the rise due to economic, workload and even career-oriented factors. This study aims to investigate the underlying factors that lead to the willingness to migrate among executives in the apparel sector of Sri Lanka. A quantitative and cross-sectional sample survey was used, and a questionnaire was sent to 165 executives of the organizations. The results were analyzed employing SPSS to compute correlation and regression analysis. The analysis revealed that migration intentions had a significant relationship with job satisfaction, organizational culture, organizational support, career development, compensation, economic conditions and political instability. Research results show that attention needs to be paid to intervention measures that prevent migration, including developing a good organization of the political and economic problems and developing more career opportunities. This research can also serve as a useful contribution for policymakers and industry owners on how best to devise policies designed to deal with migration determinants to improve executive retention and ensure the competitiveness and expansion of the sector.