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:

• Total: 7.3 million+
• Men: 5.6 million+
• Women: 1.6 million+

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.

• Construction labour: In the region of AED 720 = USD 200 per month basic wage. Reports have suggested figures between USD 100 and 250 a month at different points of time.
• Domestic workers: different market created wages for different nationalities.
  • Philippines: AED 1720 = USD 400 per month
  • India: AED 1,100 = USD 300 per month
  • Nepal: AED 900 = USD 245 per month
  • Sri Lanka: AED 825 = USD 225 per month
  • Indonesia: AED 800 = USD 218 per month
  • Bangladesh: AED 750 = USD 205 per month

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]

• In September 2003 the government was criticised by Human Rights Watch for its inaction in addressing the discrimination against Asian workers in the emirate.^[25]
• In 2004, the United States Department of State has cited widespread instances of blue collar labour abuse in the general context of the United Arab Emirates.^[26]
• The BBC reported in September 2004 that "local newspapers often carry stories of construction workers allegedly not being paid for months on end. They are not allowed to move jobs and if they leave the country to go home they will almost certainly lose the money they say they are owed. The names of the construction companies concerned are not published in the newspapers for fear of offending the often powerful individuals who own them.".^[27]
• In December 2005 the Indian consulate in Dubai submitted a report to the Government of India detailing labour problems faced by Indian expatriates in the emirate. The report highlighted delayed payment of wages, substitution of employment contracts, premature termination of services and excessive working hours as being some of the challenges faced by Indian workers in the city.^[28] The consulate also reported that 109 Indian blue collar workers committed suicide in the UAE in 2006.^[29]
• In March 2006, NPR reported that workers "typically live eight to a room, sending home a portion of their salary to their families, whom they don't see for years at a time." Others report that their salary has been withheld to pay back loans, making them little more than indentured servants.^[30]
• In 2007, ^[31] the falling dollar meant workers were unable to service debts and the incidence of suicides among Indian workers had reportedly been on the increase.

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

• Indians in the United Arab Emirates
• Economy of the United Arab Emirates
• Legal system of the United Arab Emirates § Social security law
• Expatriates in the United Arab Emirates

References