EXPLORING JOB-HOPPING INTENTION AMONG FRONTLINE SERVICE EMPLOYEES IN MALAYSIA: A DUAL PATHWAY CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.35631/IJEMP.936064Keywords:
Job-Hopping Intention, Frontline Employees, Affective Organisational Commitment, External Employability, Organisational Mobility, Service SectorAbstract
This conceptual paper examines job-hopping intention among frontline service employees in Malaysia by distinguishing job-hopping intention from conventional turnover intention. While turnover intention primarily reflects an employee’s intention to leave the current organisation, job-hopping intention represents a broader orientation towards repeated organisational mobility. The paper addresses this conceptual gap by proposing a dual pathway framework that integrates internal organisational experiences and external labour market conditions. Drawing on Job Demands Resources theory, Social Exchange Theory, and career mobility perspectives, the framework proposes two distinct pathways. The internal organisational pathway suggests that emotional exhaustion, organisational justice, perceived supervisor support, and career growth opportunities influence job-hopping intention through affective organisational commitment. The external labour market pathway proposes that perceived external employability has a direct relationship with job-hopping intention. This conceptual paper adopts a literature synthesis approach to develop the proposed relationships and framework. No primary data were collected or analysed. PLS SEM is proposed for future empirical research to assess the hypothesised relationships and validate the framework among frontline service employees in Malaysia. The proposed framework contributes to the literature by integrating internal organisational conditions and external labour market opportunities within a single explanation of job-hopping intention. It provides a basis for understanding job-hopping as a distinct form of organisational mobility and offers a foundation for future empirical investigation in the Malaysian service sector.
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