Factors influencing expatriate employees’ commitment to the private sector in Qatar

Abstract

Expatriates have made valuable contributions to the economy of Qatar through their skills and expertise; however, it has been observed that, generally, their commitment level to the organizations they work for is low. In this research, the influence of three factors—(i) job security, (ii) compensation, and (iii) Qatarization—on the commitment of expatriate employees working in Qatar has been studied. The study was conducted across the construction industry, where a large percentage of expatriate workers are employed. Out of 300 questionnaires, 273 were filled out, and among them, only 110 were women. Quantitative surveys are performed to collect data, which is then analyzed using state-of-the-art statistical tools. Pearson’s correlation is used for analyzing data. More specifically, the commitment of expatriates constitutes three types: effective, continuance, and normative commitment. For each of these types of commitment, the three influencing factors are studied. The research findings show that increasing job security has a positive impact on effective and continuance commitment, with the least impact on normative commitment. Similarly, unequal compensation of expatriate workers compared to local employees harms normative commitment, with the least impact on effective and continuance commitment. Finally, the increasing trend of Qatarization exhibits a negative impact on effective and continuance commitment, with the least impact on normative commitment. © 2024 Common Ground Research Networks. All rights reserved.