Impact of Job Satisfaction on the Young Community Engaged in the Plantation Jobs: Evidence from Sri Lanka

The plantation industry can be recognized as a sector that contributes greatly to the economy of Sri Lanka. However, it has been found that the labor shortage caused by the youth community leaving plantation jobs, especially in large-scale tea estates, has directly contributed to the decline in Sri Lanka’s tea production and export capacity. The main objective of this study is to identify the job satisfaction of the young people doing plantation jobs and its effect on the young community to leave the plantation jobs, about 106 young people working in the Spring Valley Tea Estate of Haliela Divisional secretariat, Badulla District, Sri Lanka were selected as a sample through stratified random sampling method. Primary data collection was done on the socio-economic data of the youth and their satisfaction with the internal factors of the job using questionnaires and interviews. Furthermore, Binary logistic regression model and Likert scale intervals were used for data analysis. According to research data, 78% of young people working on plantations are dissatisfied with their jobs. It was revealed that the internal factors of the job such as the low level of social acceptance of the job, the low salary paid by plantation management in comparison to alternative jobs, the inadequacy of basic facilities provided in the work environment, the weakness of residential facilities, problems in supervision, prolonged working hours, insufficient overtime and additional allowances have mainly affected to increasing job dissatisfaction of youth, and for they leaving from plantation employment.