Abstract
The purpose of this study is to determine the mediating effect of acculturation on the relationship between workplace discrimination and work conditions and migrant workers' intention to re-enter Malaysia for employment. A quantitative cross-sectional survey design was employed using a non-probability sampling approach that combined quota and convenience sampling. Data were collected through a multilingual online questionnaire using LimeSurvey from 432 migrant workers employed in the agriculture, manufacturing, construction, and service sectors in Selangor. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, reliability analysis, exploratory factor analysis, Pearson product-moment correlation, multiple regression, and PROCESS Model 4 with percentile bootstrapping. The results showed that favorable work conditions significantly increased migrant workers' intention to re-enter Malaysia for employment, whereas workplace discrimination significantly reduced their intention to return. Acculturation did not significantly predict migrant workers' intention to re-enter Malaysia after controlling for work conditions and workplace discrimination. The indirect effects of work conditions and workplace discrimination through acculturation were also not statistically significant. Therefore, acculturation did not mediate either relationship, suggesting that workplace experiences were more influential than cultural adaptation in explaining migrant workers' future employment intentions. The study contributes to migrant worker retention research and recommends that employers and policymakers prioritize decent work conditions, fair treatment, and effective anti-discrimination practices to strengthen migrant workers' willingness to return to Malaysia for employment.
Keywords
- Migrant Workers Search this journal for Migrant Workers (opens in a new tab)
- Intention to Re-Enter Search this journal for Intention to Re-Enter (opens in a new tab)
- Work Conditions Search this journal for Work Conditions (opens in a new tab)
- Workplace Discrimination Search this journal for Workplace Discrimination (opens in a new tab)
- Acculturation Search this journal for Acculturation (opens in a new tab)
- Malaysia. Search this journal for Malaysia. (opens in a new tab)
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Copyright (c) 2026 Nur Zarifah Rasidi (Author); Aziz Jamal (Corresponding Author); Faizah Mashahadi, Faiza Omar (Author)
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Keywords
- Migrant Workers Search this journal for Migrant Workers (opens in a new tab)
- Intention to Re-Enter Search this journal for Intention to Re-Enter (opens in a new tab)
- Work Conditions Search this journal for Work Conditions (opens in a new tab)
- Workplace Discrimination Search this journal for Workplace Discrimination (opens in a new tab)
- Acculturation Search this journal for Acculturation (opens in a new tab)
- Malaysia. Search this journal for Malaysia. (opens in a new tab)
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