Inclusive, supportive, and fair workplaces for all: workplace satisfaction of low-skilled migrant workers

Abstract

An increasing volume of research has examined issues related to working abroad, but studies focusing on low-skilled migrant workers are lagging. Relying on intercultural interaction and social exchange views as overarching frames, we examined determinants of low-skilled immigrant workers’ workplace satisfaction. With a sample of 640 migrant workers from eight countries, we specifically examined and compared the effects of cultural and workplace factors. Results showed that intercultural negativity factors such as intercultural rejection sensitivity and intercultural interaction difficulty reduced the workplace satisfaction of low-skilled migrant workers, while social exchange factors such as supervisory support and distributive justice perception boosted their workplace satisfaction. We further found that workplace factors showed significantly stronger effects than cultural factors on their workplace satisfaction. Finally, we examined interaction effects between cultural and workplace factors, and found that the positive effect of supervisory support was greater for those who perceived more cultural difficulty than for those perceiving less cultural difficulty. Theoretical and practical implications are included.