Acculturation, Work-Related Stressors, and Respective Coping Strategies among Male Indonesian Migrant Workers in the Manufacturing Industry in Taiwan: A Post-COVID Investigation

Wan-Chen Lee (), Natasia Shanice Chanaka, Charng-Cheng Tsaur and Jiune-Jye Ho
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Wan-Chen Lee: Institute of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, College of Public Health, National Taiwan University, No. 17, Xu-Zhou Road, Taipei 100, Taiwan
Natasia Shanice Chanaka: Institute of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, College of Public Health, National Taiwan University, No. 17, Xu-Zhou Road, Taipei 100, Taiwan
Charng-Cheng Tsaur: Institute of Labor, Occupational Safety and Health, Ministry of Labor, Taipei 22143, Taiwan
Jiune-Jye Ho: Institute of Labor, Occupational Safety and Health, Ministry of Labor, Taipei 22143, Taiwan

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 19, 1-11

Abstract: Globalization has prompted cross-cultural migration in search of employment opportunities, and poor adaptation during acculturation is widely known to cause additional psychosocial stress. Hence, the objective of this study was to investigate migrant workers’ perceptions of acculturation, identify work-related stressors, and understand the respective coping strategies among male Indonesians in the manufacturing industry, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. Fifteen workers were recruited and interviewed on their acculturation experiences. We found that the workers were susceptible to forced adaptation to stressful conditions relating to work organization, economic distress, interaction with the manpower agencies, language barriers, and so on. During the pandemic, workers experienced overload, economic hardship, suspended home visits, isolation, discrimination, and fear of cluster infection in the crowded dormitory. We also found that workers were able to adopt coping strategies by capitalizing on resources at the individual, institutional, and governmental policy levels to actively solve problems, increase emotional support, and fortify self-appraisals. The identified coping strategies could inform policy development to assist with positive adaptation and promote the well-being of the migrant worker population.

Keywords: acculturation; Indonesian; migrant worker; manufacturing; COVID-19 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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