Profiles and motivational factors of international migrant workers in the Langkawi tourism and hospitality industry

Abstract

A study was undertaken to understand the profiles of international migrant workers and factors which motivate them to work in the Langkawi tourism and hospitality industry. The findings highlighted that most of the respondents were male and had been working in the industry for almost 5 years. Majority were single and came from Indonesia. They had been working in the accommodation sector and majority of them hold post in the customer service sector. Additionally, their received income of lower than RM5,000. It was noted that most respondents had considered to work in Langkawi because they wanted to gain new experience. Surprisingly, high wages was considered by the respondents as the least motivational factor. The study concluded that it is essential to understand their profiles and factors motivating them as it could be used to plan for better policy and regulation regarding the recruitment of more migrant workers in the future.