Effects of family encouragement on migrant workers’ return-to-hometown intention and turnover: The moderating role of career-related concerns
Career Development International
ISSN: 1362-0436
Article publication date: 6 December 2019
Issue publication date: 19 March 2020
Abstract
Purpose
Given migrant workers’ critical role in the Chinese economy, the increasing number of migrant workers who leave their organizations and return to their hometown has caused severe socioeconomic issues in China. The purpose of this paper is to contribute to migrant worker literature by revealing the micro-mechanism underlying migrant workers’ return-to-hometown intention and turnover.
Design/methodology/approach
Data were collected from a convenience sample from seven Chinese companies that employed migrant workers (n=147). The authors used path analysis to test the hypotheses.
Findings
Migrant workers’ family encouragement of returning to hometown was positively related to their return-to-hometown intention, which subsequently predicted their turnover decision in six months. Further, migrant workers’ perceived career sacrifice associated with returning to hometown weakened the effect of family encouragement to return.
Practical implications
For organizations that need to retain migrant workers, the findings indicate that it is particularly important to take migrant workers’ family needs and their career-related concerns into account. For migrant workers, the study highlights the importance of assessing gains and losses in the process of making turnover-related decisions.
Originality/value
This study contributes to migrant worker literature by investigating psychological processes underlying migrant workers return-to-hometown intention and the subsequent turnover from a micro perspective.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
This research was supported in part by Grant No. 71571118 awarded to Jingqiu Chen from the National Natural Science Foundation of China. This research was also supported in part by Grant No. 15FGL004 awarded to Guoliang Li from Guangxi philosophy and social science project: The study on the career choice of Guangxi new-generation migrant workers in the process of urban-rural integration.
Citation
Li, G., Fang, Y., Song, Y., Chen, J. and Wang, M. (2020), "Effects of family encouragement on migrant workers’ return-to-hometown intention and turnover: The moderating role of career-related concerns", Career Development International, Vol. 25 No. 2, pp. 165-185. https://doi.org/10.1108/CDI-01-2019-0023
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2019, Emerald Publishing Limited