Abstract
Since early 20th century, there is greater mobility among academicians in the private institutions of higher learning in Malaysia. The high turnover is the result of economical and social changes in the country. With globalization, Malaysia has now become a hub for international education. This has led to the growth in private institutions of higher learning. With the vast increase in such institutions, employees today have greater opportunities to job hop for various reasons. This research paper investigated the emerging trends in job hopping and the reasons behind it. The reasons were attributed to intrinsic and extrinsic motivating factors. The research further investigated whether there are differences in the trends between the various age groups; Baby Boomers (48 years and above), Generation X (33-47 years) and Generation Y (32 years and below). The researchers were motivated to do this research due to the increasing concern over the drastic mobility that is taking place in the private institutions of higher learning. The sample for this research comprised of 100 academicians working in private institutions of higher learning. Participants were given questionnaires to obtain responses on the intrinsic and extrinsic motivating factors leading to their decision to job hop. The selection of participants was based on a purposive sampling method as the researchers wanted to obtain responses from the three categories of generation. The findings proved the key hypothesis of the research which is; firstly, there is a trend in the job hopping exercise in the private institutions of higher learning and secondly, there are differences in the trends between the three categories of generations. The researchers went on to offer practical suggestions to the private institutions of higher learning and the Ministry of Human Resources in Malaysia to establish guidelines and policies to ensure that the job hopping practice is kept to the minimum.
Highlights
The practices of changing jobs frequently, especially as a means of quick financial gain or career advancement is the most common definition given to the job hopping process (The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 2010)
Private higher education institutions were officially recognized in Malaysia in 1996, with the enactment of the Private Higher Education Institution Act (PHEIA) 1996 and the amendments made to the Universities and University Colleges Act (UUCA) 1971 and the Education Act 1961 (Wan, 2007)
By selecting samples from various institutions from different geographic locations, it was hoped the responses will be more accurate and reliable and ensure validity and reliability of the findings. Another reason for the use of a purposive sampling method was related to the objectives of the research where researchers wanted to obtain responses from the three categories of generations. This is to ensure the findings would prove the key hypothesis of the research which is; firstly, there is a trend in the job hopping exercise in the private institutions of higher learning and secondly, there is a difference in the trend between the three categories of generations; Baby Boomers, Generation X and Generation Y
Summary
The practices of changing jobs frequently, especially as a means of quick financial gain or career advancement is the most common definition given to the job hopping process (The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 2010). According to Tavakoli (1999 cited in Joyce, 1999), in the past people would look at resumes and if you changed jobs every year or two, they wouldn't see you as a stable person, but today, the perception has changed, if you stayed in a company for a longer period of time, they wonder if you are not capable of finding another job. The prevailing job-hopping phenomenon in the country is a great concern (Hamid, 1997) especially in academic institutions as many researchers and HR consultants have acknowledged the importance of manpower in smooth operation of any organization (Khalid et al, 2012:127)
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