SICKNESS PRESENTEEISM AMONG FOREIGN MIGRANT WORKERS IN SINGAPORE �S CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY

Abstract

Presenteeism refers to attending work while being sick. It is a risk factor that closely related to workplace safety and productivity loss. While previous studies have found that foreign migrant workers in Singapore have high sickness presenteeism, the causes remain unknown. In order to mitigate the negative effect of presenteeism, it is important to investigate the problem for different population samples to make comparisons and draw associations. This study focuses on the presenteeism among foreign workers in Singapore’s construction industry. It aims to identify the possible factors of the problem and the significance of each factor through quantitative and qualitative analyses. A survey is conducted to collect the socio-demographic information and evaluate the level of presenteeism of the respondents. Six possible causes are identified from the literature review, namely, time factor, employment contract and job security, inadequate finances, workloads and job demands, Workaholism and workplace environment, and lack of safety awareness. The hypothesis assumes inadequate finances as the most significant factor. Both chi-squared tests and 2 sample t-tests are used to evaluate the significance of each socio-demographic information and the possible causes. These are triangulated with data from previous studies and interviews with professionals. The findings suggest job security, workloads and job demands and inadequate finances as the three most remarkable causes. Although the study may be affected by sampling bias, as well as unable to provide quantitative estimation on the potential loss of sickness presenteeism, it provides insights on how we could control the risk factor to the specific population.