Exploring the factors influencing IT personnel job satisfaction in Malaysia /by Basiyah Phoesalaeh

Abstract

One of the fastest growing workforces in the present work environment is the group of information technology (IT) professionals. Highly demanding and competitive work environment have led to relatively higher job stress among IT professionals and also higher job turnover compared to other professions. In some countries, there has been a period of severe crisis with a severe shortage of IT manpower and high turnover of existing trained IT professionals. A turnover of IT personnel is costly, not only in terms of replacing staff and training new employees, but also in terms of system development productivity and quality. Past studies have indicated that job satisfaction positively affects employee working performance and organizational commitment, and negatively influences employee turnover. Calls have been made for a better understanding of issues pertaining to IT personnel, their work context and the forces that affect the growth and decline of IT human capital. As IT professionals become vital in leapfrogging a country such as Malaysia into a developed nation, the stable transformation of the existing workforce towards knowledge workers emphasizes the importance of having satisfied employees. Studies that look into this issue are scarce in the context of Malaysia. Thus, the purpose of this research is to fill the gap by examining the level of job satisfaction among IT personnel in Malaysia and the factors that affect their job satisfaction. A quantitative approach is adopted and a total of 211 responses were collected. The findings of the study indicate that IT personnel working in the IT industry, particularly, is satisfied with their job and has no intention to resign. The study found work environment stress, Job Characteristics, perceived motivation and personality traits are significant predictors of job satisfaction. These findings would be useful to organizations, particularly the Human Resource departments, in guiding them with their IT staff development and retention programs.