THE MODEL OF FACTORS AFFECTING WORKERS' QUALITY OF WORKING LIFE: A COMPARATIVE STUDY BETWEEN THAI AND MIGRANT WORKERS

Abstract

The aim of this research was to study the factors that affected the quality of working life of Thai and migrant workers and how labour public management affected the quality of working life. This study employed a mixed-methods research design which consisted of qualitative and quantitative methodology. The first phase was qualitative research, in-depth interviews and the focus group interviews were conducted with Thai and Burmese workers. The data obtained in the first phase was analyzed using content analysis. The second phase was quantitative research in which questionnaires were collected from 400 participants. The data obtained in this phase were analyzed using exploratory factor analysis to describe the factors that affected the quality of working life of Thai and Burmese migrant workers. The results showed that the factors affecting the quality of life of both Thai and migrant workers are the following: 1) government policies such as public health, economic aspects, and education can improve the well-being of the workers; 2) the quality of working life can be improved through the support of the government labour administration; it can provide labour protections and welfares following the international labour law and diversity within the workplace according to the human rights principles; 3) government officials’ attitudes toward migrant workers discriminate against them. These findings can be used as the guidelines to develop Thai and migrant workers’ management. The results can be practical knowledge to support the performance of government agencies in the future.