Key determinants enhancing local community acceptance of migrant labour settlements in Seberang Perai, Penang, Malaysia

Abstract

Malaysia has received an increasing number of migrant labourers yearly due to growing labour market demands. Consequently, the migrant settlements have increased in number, with the settlements often located within the local community's neighbourhood. The location of these settlements has raised a few concerns among affected local communities. In Penang, the second-highest migration city in Malaysia, the local government has taken measures to address these concerns by preparing the Centralised Accommodation Transit (CAT). The CAT is a settlement built for migrant labourers in an effort to segregate them from the local populace in response to the Not in My Backyard (NIMBY) attitude among the local communities. However, the motive behind the NIMBY phenomenon is unclear and needs further investigation. This research investigates the local community's perception towards migrant labour settlements and examines the factors that contribute to the NIMBY attitude towards migrant labour settlements. By adopting and extending the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) framework with an additional variable, “Concern”, this study conducted a survey and a total of 410 questionnaires were collected and analysed by using the PLS-SEM method. The findings confirm that Concern significantly impacts a local community's acceptance towards migrant labour settlements, followed by Perceived Behavioural Control and Attitude. In contrast, Subjective Norms have weak empirical support. The major concern among the local community is crime and safety issues, followed by property devaluation, cultural differences, poor appearances, and hygiene. This study provides the state government with a crucial insight into the local community's concerns about migrant labour settlements. It shows ways to enhance public acceptance of future developments of migrant labour settlements.