Exploring the motivation and willingness of self-initiated expatriates, in the civil engineering industry, when considering employment opportunities in Qatar

Abstract

This paper provides empirical and contextual insight into the complexity of Self-Initiated Expatriates' (SIEs) experiences in a unique setting. Factors that influence SIEs in the civil engineering industry, when considering overseas employment in Qatar, are identified and considered. Drawing comparison to organisational expatriates (OEs) and builds on the work of Doherty, Dickmann, and Mills (2011), this paper uses semistructured interviews conducted with professionals from the civil engineering and construction industries. The research surfaced that different factors interconnect to affect individuals' decisions about overseas employment. Three factors, specifically; location appeal, host country as an employment setting and effect of expatriation on family, appear to be more influential to participants when the proposed destination is Qatar.

Contextualizing privilege and disadvantage: Lessons from women expatriates in the Middle East

“…However, recent work (e.g. Altman and Shortland, 2008; Harrison and Michailova, 2012; Kapiszewski, 2017; Metcalfe, 2007; Ridgway and Robson, 2017; Rodriguez and Scurry, 2014; Scurry et al, 2013) has shifted the focus towards the role of structures and arrangements in host countries, exploring the tensions unfolding amid the increasing presence of women expatriates in neo-patriarchal regions, such as the Middle East. For instance, in their study of expatriates in Qatar, Rodriguez and Scurry (2014) identified that expatriates experienced career capital stagnation and hurdles associated with formal and informal institutions (e.g.…”

How do Individuals Form Their Motivations to Expatriate? A Review and Future Research Agenda

“…For many countries, expatriation is of paramount importance, especially because it brings in knowledge and talent from abroad, strengthening the competitive advantages of regions and cities within countries ( Ridgway and Robson, 2018 ), and it may even improve a country’s global economic status ( Caligiuri and Bonache, 2016 ). Many countries therefore adopt national and regional strategies to attract talent, as is the case, for example, in the Gulf State of Qatar, where highly skilled expatriates are attracted from Europe, North America, Australia, Egypt, Jordan and the Philippines.…”

“…This research conducted over the past two decades has identified two main types of expatriation: self-initiated expatriation (SIE) and assigned expatriation (AE) ( Andresen et al, 2014 ; Pinto and Caldas, 2015 ; Farcas and Goncalves, 2017 ). Studies have sought to make better sense of these types of expatriation by studying, in particular, individual motivations to expatriate ( Suutari and Brewster, 2001 ; Hippler, 2009 ; Lee and Kuzhabekova, 2018 ; Ridgway and Robson, 2018 ). Perhaps because individual motivations to expatriate to a specific country reflect the country-level factors that attract talent ( Ridgway and Robson, 2018 ), identifying these factors may thus help countries establish effective strategies to attract more talented individuals.…”

“…Studies have sought to make better sense of these types of expatriation by studying, in particular, individual motivations to expatriate ( Suutari and Brewster, 2001 ; Hippler, 2009 ; Lee and Kuzhabekova, 2018 ; Ridgway and Robson, 2018 ). Perhaps because individual motivations to expatriate to a specific country reflect the country-level factors that attract talent ( Ridgway and Robson, 2018 ), identifying these factors may thus help countries establish effective strategies to attract more talented individuals. Overall, the research findings in this area demonstrate that individuals that undergo SIE and AE are motivated to move abroad by their desire to explore other job opportunities (e.g., Doherty et al, 2011 ; Froese, 2012 ) or have a general interest in enhancing their career ( Quantin et al, 2012 ).…”

“…In another three articles, engineers are found to have similar expectations regarding finding a safer political environment abroad and expect to benefit from the political system in the host country. For instance, Ridgway and Robson (2018) mention that Syrian SIEs want to remain overseas due to political conflicts in their home country and they expect to avoid obligatory participation in military service back home. Mielly et al (2017) demonstrate that Indian engineers expect to be able to apply for the French nationality when they expatriate to France.…”