고용허가제 하의 저숙련 이주근로자들의 이직 의도: 임금 측면과 심리적 계약 측면의 비교 분석

As the number of migrant workers coming into South Korea increases, domestic workforces are becoming more diversified than ever. Many businesses today in agricultural and fishing industries, and small-sized manufacturers heavily rely on low-skilled migrant workers who enter the country through the Employment Permit System (EPS). Therefore, discussion on how to effectively manage and build relationships with them is imminent. Turnover of migrant workers not only directly impacts the domestic businesses that depend on their workforce, but it could also lead the migrant workers to lose their legal status, as EPS makes it difficult to subsequently sign a contract with other businesses. To address this concern, we surveyed a sample of 632 migrant workers from eight countries to investigate the factors that are associated with their turnover intention. Results revealed that pay factors, which involve an amount of monthly payment and an increase in pay after migration, did not have significant effects on turnover intention, while psychological contract factors involving realistic job preview perception and psychological contract violation perception showed significant effects. Additionally, a comparison of path coefficients indicated that the effects of psychological contract factors were significantly stronger than those of pay factors. These findings suggest that while migrant workers have often been excluded from the discourses on psychological contract aspect of work, realistic job preview perception and psychological contract violation perception are as important for them as they are to other domestic, general office employees. Moreover, it provides practical implications for South Korean policymakers and business owners to continue making efforts to further establish EPS as an effective means to introduce migrant workers to the domestic labor market.