JOB SATISFACTION DISPARITIES AMONG UNITED STATES, MALAYSIA, AND SINGAPORE INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY PROFESSIONALS: AN EXPLORATORY STUDY

There have been numerous challenges that the U.S. information technology (IT) industry encountered in efforts to acquire qualified professionals to work for them, and this has forced many IT companies to continue outsourcing or hiring professionals from other countries. Despite high prospects and above-average pay associated with IT careers, there has been at least a two-decade slump in the number of students pursuing careers in IT within the United States. In the Asia-Pacific Rim, on the other hand, in countries including China, Taiwan, Singapore, and Malaysia, the IT industry has grown substantially due to the availability of skilled human resources and high-quality education systems. This dichotomy underlines the contrast in IT job trends in the United States and the Asia-Pacific. Studies that focus on the relationship between job satisfaction of IT professionals are abundant. However, at this juncture, no study has been conducted to compare job satisfaction among IT professionals internationally. This paper is the first to unveil whether job satisfaction disparities exist and, if it does exist, to what extent, among IT professionals in the United States, Malaysia, and Singapore by using eight independent variables.