Analysis of Work and Cultural Adjustment of Korean-Chinese and Han-Chinese Workers in Korea under Framework of ERG Theory

Abstract

The increased number of foreigners in Korea (now more than one million) urgently calls for understanding, analyzing and interpreting the immigration issues in order to solve the foreign workers' social problems. This paper aims to identify the factors affecting work and cultural adjustment of the foreign workers in Korea and to investigate the differences in adaptation modes of Korean-Chinese and Han-Chinese workers. A total of 23 Korean-Chinese and Han-Chinese workers were randomly selected for interview to select the variables that best represent the research context. The variables, duly sorted by different human needs under ERG theory, were assumed to predict the work and cultural adjustment, and included Work Conditions, Power Distance, Social-Cultural Distance in the Workplace, Legal Status, Duration of Stay, Korean Proficiency, and Social Support. The sample of our respondents was 395 Korean-Chinese and Han-Chinese workers in Korea: 227 Korean-Chinese and 168 Han-Chinese. We used SPSS 12.0 and AMOS 5.0 for statistical analysis. Our study reveals useful results for the development of theories and measurements of international adjustment as well as for organizational and welfare practice. Work conditions, power distance, and social support have a significant effect on work adjustment. Duration of stay (in Korea), Korean language proficiency, and work adjustment have a significant effect on cultural adjustment. Existence needs have a bigger effect on work/cultural adjustment than relatedness needs. The two ethnic groups have significant differences in the paths of poor working conditions with cultural adjustment and of power distance with cultural adjustment. It is necessary to further develop the measurements of work and cultural adjustment in future research.