Evaluating the perceived impact of macro-economic, political and social changes on migration intention of ICT professionals in Sri Lanka

Abstract

Information and Communication technology sector in Sri Lanka has been a major driving force in Sri Lankan economy in the recent past. Due to globalization and the widespread nature of the ICT industry across the globe, skilled migration has been a common phenomenon throughout the years. According to several sources, ICT industry in Sri Lanka has had a solid foundation due its workforce both in quantity and quality. Due to recent changes in the Sri Lankan context in terms of Economic, Political and Social spheres, there was an apparent increase in the skilled migration efforts of professionals in different areas. This is a huge concern for the ICT industry as well. Recent changes in Economic, Political and Social factors may be perceived differently by individuals. Although statistics and reports may convey numerical differences in various yardsticks, it is important to acknowledge how these changes are felt and perceived by the public. Therefore, aim of this study will be to identify the perceived changes in Economic, Political and Social spheres in Sri Lanka have played a role in migration intents of ICT professionals in Sri Lanka. As the first stage of the study, a thorough literature review was carried out to identify which factors typically influence the migration of skilled professionals. Various sources were used in this study in different countries and different timelines. Factors identified in this stage were then included into a conceptual framework in order to visualize and summarize findings from the literature review. Next stage would be data collection and for this a questionnaire based on Likert scale was formulated that includes all the identified factors under each segment Economic, Political and Social. Online questionnaire in the form of Google forms was used as the research instrument while the sampling technique used was Snowball technique. Data collected via the previous stage was analyzed using SPSS and visualizations were done using SPSS. Finally data analysis was completed and hypotheses testing was completed to answer research questions.