Migrant Workers Employment and its Effect: A Case Study of Industrial Estate, Chonburi Province

Abstract

This research aimed to survey the conditions of migrant worker employment in the industrial estate, Chonburi Province, effects of migrant worker employment on corporate economics and labor relations, and approaches to migrant worker management. For quantitative research, 264 human resource managers of industrial enterprises in the industrial estate in Chonburi were selected using the cluster sampling. A questionnaire was used to collect data and frequency, percentage, mean and standard deviation were used to analyze data. For qualitative research, a semi-structured interview was employed to collect data from 6 human resources managers in the industrial estate in Chonburi. Content analysis was used to analyze the data. The quantitative finding revealed that most skilled workers were rotated from a head quarter to factory in Chonburi. The enterprises recruited the semi-skilled workers and unskilled workers using hiring private recruitment agencies. Moreover, the enterprises provided social security and other benefits to the migrant workers, and the payment and evaluation were similar to Thai workers. For economic impact, the employment of the migrant workers enabled the enterprises to have sufficient workers that meet the enterprise requirements. The labor relations impacts concerned the relationship problems between the migrant workers and their supervisors. Regarding the qualitative findings, the migrant worker management approach should focus on communication management, cross cultural management, and adjusting Thai workers’ attitude about migrant workers by understanding their ethnicity and national history. Furthermore, the enterprise should set a single working standard for Thai workers and the migrant workers.