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Millions of expats could be kicked out of Gulf
by This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it on Monday, 1 October 2007Posted on Monday, 8 October 2007
A poem for Al Alawi
Posted by Double R at 16:00 UAE time
Here's a little poem for the proposal makers
" Sick n tired of hearing all these people talk about
Whats the deal with this Xpat life and when is it gonna fade out
Now you gotta realize it is the boom & not the trend
We got the gift of Manpower so just leave it till the end..."
thank you
RR
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Expats in GCC
Posted by Skeptic at 16:00 UAE time
I have worked in the GCC off & on for over 15 years. What I would like to ask all supporters of this new idea is that 'forget all about experience and the right education for any specific job. Do the full GCC populations make up the mere numbers required to fill up all positions held by the expats considering the expats outnumber the local population?' Let us not forget in a hurry that the GCC as it is today, 'wealthy and succesful' was built by expats, and what the expats get in return is the fruits of their own labour.
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Posted on Saturday, 6 October 2007
Millions of expats could be kicked out of Gulf
Posted by DFA at 09:00 UAE time
Natalie, Layla & Adam - Well said.. All the expats should be kicked out of the country. Money is everything for all.
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Posted on Friday, 5 October 2007
6 year residency
Posted by TL at 17:00 UAE time
“In some areas of the Gulf, you can’t tell whether you are in an Arab Muslim country or in an Asian district. We can’t call this diversity and no nation on earth could accept the erosion of its culture on its own land,” he added.
Interesting point - I wonder if the Minister has visited many areas of the UK recently!!
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Expats out?
Posted by Oz at 13:00 UAE time
Just another case of putting in legislation where it is not needed! Leave business to work out whether locals are experienced and capable of doing a job, if they are then they will surely be working. As an expat earning a less than an obscene salary I am deeply envious of the local talent who are earning far more, and deservedly so. MP's should leave business to regulate itself.
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Expats being kicked out
Posted by Abdulrehman Al Alawi at 12:00 UAE time
In fact the Minister has gone on to clarify that this law only applies to unskilled personnel and labourers.
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Posted on Wednesday, 3 October 2007
Yours and Mine
Posted by Noel Lambert at 03:00 UAE time
Why assume that expats go there just for money. Could it not be for the soul of Arabia or the wonderful inventions that are taking place there. Or the lovely food the warm winters. Some of us feel like we belong in Arabia. Taxfree maybe but I for one did not find Dubai cheaper than anywhere else. Actually the cheapest good meal I had was in IKEA in Festival City? Let people live and go wherever they want. We are all one and everything in the world belongs to all of us. We are all made of the same stuff and basically we all want the same thing and that is to be happy and loved.
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Expats would have to leave GCC at some point.
Posted by Nancy at 20:00 UAE time
Obscene salaries paid to expats should and will be reduced in years to come... it is just a matter of time before nationals can take over the majority of jobs with the exception of cleaning/maid/builders sort of jobs.. We will not see any expats in senior position very soon as we need to get our nationals on board and take control of the economy of the GCC. That's the way forward.. As for expats currently working/living in GCC, they need to be constantly monitored and if they are not happy with certain changes in working practices, they can always find other jobs outside the GCC, even though I doubt they will due to the benefits they get from working in the GCC which they can never achieve in years and years of hard back in their home country.
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Kick the expats out
Posted by Mike at 16:00 UAE time
Foreigners will not assimilate as long as they are treated as foreigners. What has Mr. Alawi done about abuse foreign labour and their rights. More talk and more committees?? I have lived in Bahrain longer than Mr. Alawi has been a minister. There is no logic to his comment. The fact remains that Mr. Alawi has not been able to address the problem of unemployment despite the fact that he is the news every other day with this or that success or stride forward... but in reality there has been little ground gained. The facts remain that the local workforce is unable to meet the needs of the labour market due to the following main reasons: - Lack of will to take up employment (today's Gulf Daily talks about a meeting with the construction Industry because they are unable find locals and cannot get visas for expats). - Competency. - Work Ethic. - Education. The education sector is still being overhauled for the past 5 years because it is out of touch with what the labour market needs. I fully support the idea of localization and there are many smart Bahrainis who I would take over any expatriate but lets have some sense and sensible plans for this issue. No one wants to admit the real underlying problems and until that is done there is little hope for a solution another than temporary fixes.
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This resolution will not be enacted
Posted by Shammy at 15:00 UAE time
The GCC (like any other country) has to have a mix of folks who can provide various levels of service. Kicking expats out after 6 years will only result in replacement with more expats.
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Posted on Tuesday, 2 October 2007
Kick expats out
Posted by Srinivasan at 18:00 UAE time
Think before you buy your property in Bahrain or in other GCC countries. First the restrictions should be placed on the workers in the street and in the construction sites. Is it practical? So, every 6 years you can get an unexperienced engineer and he can get good experience and go back to his country. The expenses will be only limited to the basic requirements, so that he can save for his future investments. In the process, you can also get more dishonest people.
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Repercussions
Posted by Raj at 17:00 UAE time
I think before implementing such measures as proposed by Bahrain, one should model its possible effects, as in many cases the repercussions could be irreparable. Besides, these economies need foreign workers to do several jobs which their nationals would not dream of doing. Today no nation is capable of avoiding a cosmopolitan ambiance as the world is growing smaller. So why fight it?
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let's do it
Posted by langyaw at 16:00 UAE time
Ok, fine. Let them do it and let them watch the growth and development speedometer needle dip from 200 to zero in no time. Then, watch them again in a mad scramble recall all the experience, skill and talent bundle.
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6 years for expats
Posted by Scott at 16:00 UAE time
With 40% of the community of Bahrain expatriate, in real terms there is no unemployment problem. The issue is the unemployed want to do specific work and do not want to be associated with low level jobs. Yes the life style in the middle East has its advantages over Western countries - however it is also a life style that many Bahraini's live with cleaners, nannies, gardeners and drivers that clean up the streets from garbage which is thrown from car windows. Many expats are here because their companies send them here not because they look to find opportunities by themselves. If Bahrain wants it expat community to be reduced that is entirely their choice - however Bahrain should expect business to leave along with their employees.
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A Saudi's perspective, living the expat life elsewhere
Posted by Sam at 15:00 UAE time
Humbug! This proposal is nonsense. If the regions' nationals wanted to work at McDonald's, they would. I am a Saudi living in Sweden. IKEA here is not like in Saudi. You gotta transport the stuff home on your own even if it doesn't fit your car, with all of God's help, you're given the strength to carry it on your own back several flights of stairs, unpack, then put all the parts together with the help of a tiny "L"-key and a monochrome manual written by a blind man, and all that time you're cursing the day you left Riyadh because that kind of job was done by two guys you were happy to pay an extra tip for even if they didn't expect it out of habit. This proposal will never fly. I'd be happy if they actually impose the proposal and then see how poorly the services will function over the next decade just so they can open the floodgates again. If anybody wants me, I'll be on my "do-it-yourself" IKEA sofa, eating popcorn and awaiting the results on CNN.
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