Labor market reforms to boost employment and productivity in. The rapid economic expansion that has catapulted the gulf to the first ranks of the developing world, as well as given it a leading political role in the middle east, has for decades depended on cheap migrant labor labor that forms majorities in some of the gulf cooperation council countries and also lack citizenship or permanent residency. Since the 1990s, the gulf monarchies have tried to have a tighter grip on migration. Gulf labor criticizes guggenheims silence on migrant. The migrant labor in the persian gulf research initiative examines the multiple causes, processes, and consequences of labor migration in this region from the disciplinary perspectives of sociology, anthropology, political science, and economics. Today, domestic workers primarily emigrate from sri. Migrant workers usually do not have the intention to stay permanently in the country or region in which they work. Beirut human rights watch today issued a set of guidelines to protect migrant construction workers. Migrant labor in the persian gulf 44 and deportation. Migrant workers in the united arab emirates wikipedia. Cirs launched the initiative in 2008 and held a total of. Org the omani government has recently stated that it intends to use the system to monitor and gather information about the wages and bank accounts of workers in order to keep an eye on remittances sent back to the home country.
Two events similar yet different invite us to delve more deeply into the nature of this dependency. The system was originally designed to regulate foreign labour and delegate. Download qatar labor law pdf download download the permanent constitution of the state of qatar download download government hr law no. Despite a recent drop in oil prices and the financial crisis of 2008 and 2009, the economies of persian gulf countries expanded between 2005 and 2015. The migrant labour practice in south africa played an important role in the countrys development and economy.
The survey should take 1015min to complete and you may opt to participate. Employermigrant worker relationships in the middle east ilo. The gulf model is characterised by high net migration rates see figure 1, high societal and labour market segmentation, antiintegration policies, and connected public and private actors involved in migration management. The confederation adds that the gulf state fails to maintain a legal framework adequate to protect the rights of migrant workers that is consistent with the convention and an amendment. Migrant workers in the gulf cooperation council region involves the prevalence of migrant workers in the kingdom of bahrain, the state of kuwait, the sultanate of oman, the state of qatar, the kingdom of saudi arabia and the united arab emirates uae. This research explores the topic of labor migration in gulf cooperation council gcc states bahrain, oman, kuwait, qatar, saudi arabia, and the united arab emirates and seeks to determine how the subjugation of migrant laborers is initiated and perpetuated. Overview americans for democracy and human rights in bahrain is pleased to announce the release of slaving away. Saudi arabia migrant worker ruling family gulf state international political economy. It has also resulted in positive spillovers to the migrant sending countries through large remittance flows. Jun 17, 2014 overview americans for democracy and human rights in bahrain is pleased to announce the release of slaving away. Migrant labour in the persian gulf hurst publishers. Demography, migration, and the labour market in the uae.
Jul 21, 2017 the real victims of the gulf crisis are qatars 2. Labor migrants in the gulf states sound ideas university of puget. Migrant labor in the gulf center for international and. Sharing of experiences and progress under the bali declaration with specific focus on women migrant workers bangkok, 2019, in collaboration with the ilo. Migrant workers in the gulf cooperation council region.
Migrant workers who work outside their home country are also called foreign workers. Oct 18, 2016 by contrast, qatar and oman saw the largest percentage increase in their nondisplaced, international migrant populations, each rising more than 150% during the decade. Asian migrant workers in the arab gulf states edited by masako ishii, naomi hosoda, masaki matsuo and koji horinuki examines how nationals and migrants construct new relationships in the segregated socioeconomic spaces of the region namely, bahrain, kuwait, oman, qatar, saudi arabia, and the united arab emirates. Although it has benefited many native migrant workers by creating job opportunities, it has had adverse effects on the families of migrant workers. Like many oecd organisation for economic cooperation and development countries, the gcc countries are a popular. Asian migrant workers in the arab gulf states the growing. Tradeoffs and guest worker programs, international migration. The following report will examine migrant labor in bahrain, qatar, and saudi arabia, documenting how the combination of poor working and living conditions of migrant workers, the consequences of the kafala system, and the limited efforts made by the governments to protect. Central to the problems facing migrant workers in the gulf states is the kafala system, which ties the worker, and his labour permit, to a single employer, often a national of the host country. The population of the gcc as a whole is approximately 41 percent foreignborn eiu 2009. Migrant labour in the persian gulf is a multidisciplinary examination of the manifold causes, nature, processes, and consequences of labour migration into the persian gulf. Dear colleague, alcove advisors is conducting an independent external assessment on the impact of the gulf labour markets, migration and population glmmprogramme to develop a stronger knowledge base on migration in gcc states also using a survey. Many migrants come to persian gulf countries as manual laborers on one to twoyear work visas. Human rights and health disparities for migrant workers in.
In 20, the uae had the fifthlargest international migrant stock in the world with 7. Gcc covid19 policies need to better protect migrant workers from infections and other related vulnerabilities. Download recommendations for migrant labor reform in qatar. Nov 21, 2017 the growth of unskilled labor from india and pakistan in the gulf was close to 200% between 1970 and 1975. The economics of migrant workers in the gcc by omar alubaydli executive summary the presence of large migrant communities has made the gulf cooperation council gcc countries a lightning rod for an immigration debate. The focus of this study is the phenomenon of migrant labouring and its effects on the. At the same time, governments have increased publicsector employment and have helped raise standards of living. Workers remittances from the gcc states in 2014 million usd. Gulf labor criticizes guggenheims silence on migrant workers rights months have passed since the guggenheim broke off six years of negotiations with. The term kafala is described in arab gulf countries and jordan as having stemmed. The economics of migrant workers in the gcc arab gulf states. Migrant labour in various forms is found in south africa, the middle east, western europe, north america, and india. The growth of unskilled labor from india and pakistan in the gulf was close to 200% between 1970 and 1975. Migrant labour, casual and unskilled workers who move about systematically from one region to another offering their services on a temporary, usually seasonal, basis.
Pdf migrant labour in the countries of the gulf cooperation. Economic growth attracts migrants to persian gulf pew. Annually, florida houses 100,000 to 150,000 migrant farmworkers and their families. And it exists in the gulf states and in saudi arabia. Since 20, the international labour organization has also participated, with the result being the joint publication of an annual report. Despite gulf societies lack of interest in allowing for cit. The quality of the social protection of migrant workers in the gulf region is a contentious issue. Importantly, historicizing migrant labor in the gulf is useful in pointing out all the actors.
Trends in international labour migration to the gcc countries. Currently, saudi arabia is the largest recipient of migrant domestic labor, with the uae close behind with over seventyfive percent of its population classified as migrant workers. British museum to hrw and ituc pdf gulf labor response to 2016 pwc report pdf pwc report 2015 pdf human rights watch report 2015 gulf labor report 2015 gulf labor report after being invited to visit sadiyaat island 2014 gulf labor statement 20 pdf human rights watch report 2012 human rights watch report 2009 human rights watch. The following report will examine migrant labor in bahrain, qatar, and saudi arabia, documenting how the combination of poor working and living conditions. I am syrian, but i was born and raised in dubai where my parents worked. Migrants, particularly migrant workers, make up a majority approximately 80% of the resident population of the uae, and account for 90% of its workforce. The fourth section discusses how the demand for migrant domestic workers is produced through the unique rentier migrant labor regime of the gcc countries, and the gendered, segmented structure of labor markets in the gulf.
With migrants comprising 54% of the workforce in bahrain, 90% in qatar,2 and 70% in saudi arabia,3 the labor of migrant workers represents a significant portion of the economies of these states. Gcc, require migrant workers to both stimulate and sustain their economic growth. The migrant labor camp program currently issues over 650 permits in 31 counties assuring that migrant farmworkers and families live in housing that meets or exceeds standards set by law. Qatar labour controversy becomes part of gulf dispute over muslim brotherhood. Cirs launched the initiative in 2008 and held a total of three meetings. Access to foreign labor has supported rapid growth in the nonoil sector and price stability in the region. The kafala sponsorship system has played a central role in the rapid economic development in the gcc states. A migrant worker is a person who either migrates within their home country or outside it to pursue work. The fifth section concludes with an analysis of the consequences of. Like many oecd countries, the gcc countries are a popular destination for people seeking a higher standard of living for themselves and their. While the gulfs governments claim the aim of the system is to protect labor rights, according to migrantrights. Migrant labor exploitation and human trafficking in the gulf. Pdf migrant labor in the gulf center for international.
Contract enslavement of female migrant domestic workers in. Instead of assuming that segregation is disadvantageous for migrant workers. Uae unveils migrant labor reforms al jazeera america. Workforce nationalization in the gulf cooperation council. Download bsr migrant workers and the fifa world cup 2022 in qatar. But they alone do not explain the persistence and in some way addictive dependency on migrant labor in the gulf. Migrant labor housing florida department of health in. Labor migrants in the persian gulf states, in mehran kamrava and zahra babar eds. Workforce nationalization in the gulf cooperation council states. Together, these six countries form the gulf cooperation council gcc. Labor migration to the gulf has very large, global effects, but we know little about them by any of several measures, labor migration to the gulf is a phenomenon of vast importance. Some press reports dealing with the construction of the football accommodation for the 2022 fifa world cup championships have highlighted the fact that immigrant workers in the construction industry are.
International and domestic companies operating in gulf cooperation council countries. This migrant labor in the gulf summary report details the research findings that were presented by the migrant labor in the gulf working group participants during their meetings in doha, qatar. Migrant labor is usually depicted as a transient activity, and although many laborers in the gcc are indeed shortterm employees, this masks the longterm and more culturally and sociallyintegrated forms of labor that exist in the gulf. Unsurprisingly, these states spend vast amounts of political energy managing their migrant laborers and the social, cultural, and. It critically analyses the effects of migration for native communities, looking at the types and functions of informal and at times formal binational and multinational. With the rapid influx of migrant workers to meet the labor demand, the kafala system emerged as the mechanism which regulated the migrant labor population. Uae unveils migrant labor reforms september 29, 2015 9. The rules governing migrant farmworkers camps are found in chapter 64e14, florida administrative code. This economic expansion in countries like saudi arabia, united arab emirates uae, kuwait, oman, qatar and bahrain has encouraged millions of migrants to move to the middle east in search of economic opportunity. Is the local population fit for replacing the migrant workers. Social protection of migrant workers in the gulf region. Gulf labor artist coalition whos building the guggenheim.
The economics of migrant workers in the gcc 1 executive summary the presence of large migrant communities has made the gulf cooperation council countries a lightning rod for an immigration debate. Dec 22, 2015 beirut human rights watch today issued a set of guidelines to protect migrant construction workers. The working group is composed of experts in the field of migrant labor who hail from a variety of academic disciplines, including. The florida department of health basic guidelines webpage provides general information on the rules and regulations applying to migrant labor camps and residential migrant housing. As the demand for labor increased, migration evolved as the most efficient solution for balancing the labor deficit. First, it is large relative to the size of the destination countries. Migrant labour in the persian gulf, mehran kamrava and zahra. Working papers managing migrant labour in the gulf sciencespo.
At least two permits for migrant farmworker housing are issued by florida department of health in indian river county and the fees vary based on the type of. The covid19 crisis is fueling more racist discourse towards migrant workers in the gulf. Migrant labor in the persian gulf columbiahurst hardcover october 30, 2012 by mehran kamrava editor see all 2 formats and editions hide other formats and editions. They may also be called expatriates or guest workers, especially when they have been sent.
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