The Relationship between Intention to Emigrate and Organisational Commitment

Abstract

South Africa is currently experiencing one of the highest periods of emigration in its history. However, this phenomenon has received little research attention. This study examined the issue of emigration from an organisational psychology perspective by exploring the relationship between intention to emigrate and organisational commitment. To achieve this an Intention to Emigrate scale was developed in order to assess individuals' behavioural intentions with regard to leaving the country. Thereafter, the relationship between intention to emigrate and organisational commitment was examined. The sample consisted of 105 employees from a single organisation. The Intention to Emigrate was found to be reliable and some evidence for the validity of the scale was also established. A significant relationship between intention to emigrate and organisational commitment, measured by the Organisational Commitment Questionnaire, was established. In addition, the results indicated that people are more likely to emigrate if they have a university qualification and/or friends that have settled abroad.