Exploring the Determinants of Migration Intention of IT Professionals: Evidence from Sri Lanka

Abstract

International IT professional migration occurs beyond national lines because of globalization and internationalism, with the goals of information sharing, obtaining higher living standards, as well as for economic reasons. This study aims to explore the factors influencing to the outflow migration of IT professionals in Sri Lanka. This study is the first of its kind in Sri Lanka during the time when the country was dealing with the COVID-19 outbreak and the economic crisis since it rests its originality on information acquired from the local arena. Higher migration rates is a significant concern to Sri Lanka, since second-largest export revenue generating industry is the IT sector. Researchers examined the connections between different factors' effects on migration intention. These studies illustrate some variation in worldwide migration intention factors and trends. They concluded that while the migratory intentions of some countries and identified variables are positively connected, others are negatively connected. Thematic analysis leading to a factor analysis were used in this study to collect data from Sri Lankans. Researchers have conducted interviews for this specific research objective which were followed by a questionnaire using mixed methods. In the results, rotated component analysis, which includes information about the relationships between each variable and the estimated components, is one of the most important outcomes of principle component analysis. As the conclusion, certain policies could encourage innovation, growth, and long-term economic development in Sri Lanka’s IT sector.