Beyond Voice and Silence: A Typology of Skilled Migrants

Workplace Communication Strategies Under Saudi Localization Policies, with Ali Faqihi and Cathy (Ying) Xu.

Highlights

How do skilled migrants respond when host-country institutional policies threaten their employment? We examine this question through the lens of workforce localization in Saudi Arabia, where Saudization policies mandate the replacement of foreign workers with nationals. Drawing on Self-Determination Theory and analyzing data from 192 skilled migrants, we develop a typology revealing three distinct behavioral responses to institutional pressure. We identify three distinct profiles based on communication strategy configurations of voice, silence, and knowledge hiding behaviors: Defensive Preservers, Autonomous Contributors, and Loyal Adapters.  The findings illustrate how skilled migrants negotiate autonomy and relatedness needs in constrained institutional contexts, adopting adaptive, compliant, or defensive strategies that reflect varying degrees of engagement with localization goals. The study advances understanding of workforce localization by reframing migrants’ communication behaviors as strategic responses to institutional change rather than simple indicators of withdrawal or cooperation. It contributes to expatriation and HRM literatures by highlighting how individual agencies operate under coercive policy environments and by offering a nuanced framework for managing communication dynamics in nationalization contexts.

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Faqihi, A., Wechtler, H, & Xu, X. (2026). Beyond Voice and Silence: A Typology of Skilled Migrants' Workplace Communication Strategies Under Saudi Localization Policies. Doctoral thesis, Ali Faqihi, University of Newcastle.