Unskilled workers cap may be passed

zoom

A six-year residency cap on unskilled expatriate workers may soon come into effect.

A six-year residency cap on unskilled expatriate workers that has been under consideration for the past three years may soon be enforced.

The new measure will depend on the outcome of a meeting between GCC labour ministers in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, next month.

"The plan was not the idea of the Indian Government but of the UAE government," said Vayalar Ravi, the Indian minister for overseas affairs.

"We are waiting for a decision to be made before reacting on it. But the cap, which would be for three years and then renewable for another three years, is applicable only to unskilled workers."

Bahrain Labour Minister Majeed Al-Alawi announced the proposed cap in early October, saying that it was necessary to stop the erosion of local culture and to stem soaring unemployment among nationals.

"We have no idea why this proposal has come about. But it's not going to affect us as the number of unskilled workers coming from India to the Gulf is on the decline," said Talmiz Ahmad, Indian Ambassador to the UAE.

"The majority of Indian workers now coming here fall into the semi-skilled and skilled categories. We are also discouraging unskilled workers who do have proper documentation from taking up jobs in the Gulf. Also, how many workers actually stay in the region for more than six years?"

The six countries that make up the GCC - the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, Oman and Kuwait - are hugely dependent on foreign workers, the vast majority of which are unskilled workers in the construction sector.

Print | Email | Discuss this article

| Share |

MORE FROM ARABIANBUSINESS.COM