Migrant workers in the United Arab Emirates

Migrant workers in the United Arab Emirates, especially from India, Bangladesh, and Pakistan, make up over 90% of the private workers.[1]

Overview

Total number of migrants in the country:

Key countries of origin (with number of migrants):

  1. India: 2.8 million
  2. Bangladesh: 1.1 million
  3. Pakistan: 950,000
  4. Egypt: 715,000
  5. Philippines: 418,000

Key work sectors employing migrant workers (with percentage of migrants employed in sector):

  1. Retail: 17%
  2. Private production and 'Household employer': 14%
  3. Construction: 14%
  4. Transport: 9%

Typical wage paid to migrant workers: Varies by industry.

Maternity protection is applied to migrant women.[2]

Economy

The GCC area is the most popular destination for temporary labor migrants worldwide.[3] The UAE's economy is the largest consumer market in the Middle East and is one of the largest Arab economies, second to Saudi Arabia. Its natural resources made it one of the world’s richest high (high-average income) countries. The economy is supported by the oil and gas reserves that are among the largest worldwide.[4] Immigration of labor, along with natural resources, fuel the UAE economy which is the largest consumer market in the Middle East.[4]

Sponsorship system

A sponsorship system (نظام الكفالة niẓām al-kafālah in Arabic) has been implemented since the 1950s to regulate the relationship between immigrant workers and their employers.[5] The system officially introduced in 1971[6] requires most foreign nationals to be sponsored by a UAE national. It also bans private-sector expatriate employees to change from one employer to another without having completed a minimum of two years service, unless the new employer offers a higher position and a salary equal or above the salary set by the ministry against the employee's qualifications.[7] The country announced labour reforms that aim to curb abuse and protect the rights of foreign workers.[8]

Skilled labor

Skill is a measure of the worker's expertise and other related factors. The United Arab Emirates receive many labors from different nationalities and with different skill levels.

Indian, Bangladeshi and Pakistani workers make up 90 percent of the workforce.[6] Population growth in the United Arab Emirates is among the highest in world, mostly due to immigration. In low-skilled and semi-skilled jobs, workers from Asia and the MENA region are employed primarily. In high-skilled sectors are employed experts coming mainly from North America and Europe.[6]

Labour reforms

Reforms to abrogate the sponsorship system have been adopted in order to help prevent 'unfree' labour that have emerged from the system. Under the sponsorship system, an employer's agreement was compulsory to change jobs.[9] In January 2016, a ministerial decree, the first of its kind in Gulf Cooperation Council countries, was issues in order to protect low-paid migrant workers from becoming forced laborers. It has been criticized for lack of details and non-applicability to domestic workers.[10]

Human rights

In 2013, the UAE had the fifth-largest international migrant stock in the world with 7.8 million migrants (out of a total population of 9.2 million).[11] Migrants, particularly migrant workers, make up a majority (approximately 80%) of the resident population of the UAE, and account for 90% of its workforce.[12] They generally lack rights associated with citizenship and face a variety of restrictions on their rights as workers.[13][14] There are reports of undocumented Emiratis who, because of their inability to be recognized as full citizens, receive no government benefits and have no labour rights. These stateless Emiratis — also known as bidun — either migrated to the UAE before independence or were natives who failed to register as citizens.[15] In addition, there are various incidents where local individuals have ill-treated people from overseas, just on the basis of nationality or race. [16]

Emiratis receive favorability in employment via the Emiratisation program forcing companies by law to limit the number of migrant workers in a company. This is done for the purposes of stabilizing the labor market and protecting the rights of this group as a minority in their own country. At the same time, however, due to the welfare benefits of the UAE government, many Emiratis are reluctant to take up low paying jobs especially those in the private sector; private sector employers are also generally more inclined to hire overseas temporary workers as they are cheaper and can be retrenched for various reasons, for example, if they go on strike[17][18][19][20] Most UAE locals also prefer government jobs and consider private sector jobs to be below them.[21]

Migrants, mostly of South Asian origin, constitute 42.5% of the UAE’s workforce[22] and have reportedly been subject to a range of human rights abuses. Workers have sometimes arrived in debt to recruitment agents from home countries and upon arrival were made to sign a new contract in English or Arabic that pays them less than had originally been agreed, although this is illegal under UAE law.[23] Further to this, some categories of workers have had their passports withheld by their employer. This practice, although illegal, is to ensure that workers do not abscond or leave the country on un-permitted trips.[24]

Neha Vora, Assistant Professor of Anthropology at Lafayette College, said the challenges faced by immigrants are not particular to the Gulf region but suggest "broader trends in contemporary global mobility and capitalism.”[32]

See also

References

  1. "Labor Migration in the United Arab Emirates: Challenges and Responses - migrationpolicy.org". Retrieved 2016-06-12.
  2. "United Arab Emirates". Asian Migrant Centre. Retrieved 2016-10-19.
  3. "Labor Migration in the United Arab Emirates: Challenges and Responses". Retrieved 2016-08-26.
  4. 1 2 https://www.internations.org/uae-expats/guide/18931-economy-finance/not-just-petrodollars-the-uae-economy-18916 Article on internations about UAE Economy.
  5. "Reform of the Kafala (Sponsorship) System" (PDF). Retrieved 2016-06-12.
  6. 1 2 3 http://www.migrationpolicy.org/article/labor-migration-united-arab-emirates-challenges-and-responses Article on the site migrationpolicy about Labor Migration in the United Arab Emirates.
  7. "A comparison of 'kafala' system in GCC; Qatar lags behind on reforms - JustHere". Retrieved 2016-08-26.
  8. "UAE announces labour reforms to protect foreign workers - Al Jazeera English". Retrieved 2016-08-26.
  9. http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2015/09/uae-announces-labour-reforms-protect-foreign-workers-150929143336000.html Article on the site Aljazeera.com on about reforms of protection of foreign workers in UAE
  10. "UAE: A Move to Protect Migrant Workers". Human Rights Watch. Retrieved 2016-06-12.
  11. "Labor Migration in the United Arab Emirates: Challenges and Responses". Retrieved 2016-08-26.
  12. Essential Background: Overview of human rights issues in United Arab Emirates (UAE), hrw.org, 31 December 2005.
  13. Building Towers, Cheating Workers: Exploitation of Migrant Construction Workers in the United Arab Emirates, hrw.org; accessed 27 October 2015.
  14. "Building Towers, Cheating Workers: Exploitation of Migrant Construction Workers in the United Arab Emirates" (PDF), hrw.org; accessed 27 October 2015.
  15. "The frustration of being a 'bidoon'". Thenational.ae. 2008-11-06. Retrieved 2015-10-27.
  16. Za, Bassam (2015-08-16). "Man jailed for beating driver who asked him to use seat belt". GulfNews.com. Retrieved 2015-10-27.
  17. "ManpowerGroup". www.emiratisation.org. Retrieved 2015-10-27.
  18. New emiratisation drive, gulfnews.com; accessed 27 October 2015.
  19. Call for cautious Emiratisation, GulfNews.com; accessed 27 October 2015.
  20. "Rights group urges UAE not to deport strikers". ArabianBusiness.com. Retrieved 2015-10-27.
  21. "Emiratisation won't work if people don't want to learn". Thenational.ae. 2013-03-18. Retrieved 2015-10-27.
  22. "Daily Commercial News - UAE workforce includes large number of workers from India, conference told". Dcnonl.com. 2008-06-26. Retrieved 2015-10-27.
  23. "Enforcing Migrant Workers' Rights in the United Arab Emirates". Ingentaconnect.com. 2008-03-01. Retrieved 2015-10-27.
  24. "Ministry vows to act over 'illegal' passport retention". ArabianBusiness.com. Retrieved 2015-10-27.
  25. Dubai: Migrant Workers at Risk, hrw.org, 19 September 2003.
  26. "2004 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices – United Arab Emirates". U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor. Archived from the original on 10 March 2008. Retrieved 27 October 2015.
  27. Julia Wheeler, "Workers' safety queried in Dubai", bbc.co.uk, 27 September 2004.
  28. "Indian government gets report on problems of Indians in UAE", newKerala.com, 23 December 2005.
  29. "Blood, Sweat and Tears". aljazeera.net. Al Jazeera English. 15 August 2007. Archived from the original on 10 March 2008.
  30. Ivan Watson, "Dubai Economic Boom Comes at a Price for Workers", NPR.org, March 8, 2006
  31. http://www.khabrein.info/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=9211&Itemid=61
  32. "It Is Time to Stop Misrepresenting What Is Happening to Migrant Workers in the UAE". Retrieved 2016-08-26.
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