Bahrain, a small island country in the Persian Gulf, caused a flutter in the region recently when its Labour Minister called for a six year residency cap on the millions of expatriates living in the Gulf. What shocked people was the reason cited for this “much needed step”. Apparently, the Minister felt that national character of the Gulf countries was being undermined over the years because of the presence of large number of expatriates.

The six states, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, The United Arab Emirates (UAE), Oman, Qatar and Kuwait, are known as Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries. They are home to some 14 million expatriates. Most of them come from Asia, India in particular. This is a large chunk, given that the GCC’s population stands at 35 million.

Outsiders

Such is the overwhelming presence of “outsiders” that almost more than half of the population of some of these countries is non-native. According to the statistics compiled by Human Rights Watch, expatriates account for around 80-90 per cent of the population in Qatar and the UAE, while in Kuwait it is roughly 60 per cent and in Bahrain it is about 40 per cent.

Saudi Arabia alone accounts for around 75 per cent of the total GCC population and third of its jobs are held by a foreign work force. In Oman, foreigners hold 25 per cent jobs. It is obvious that these people drive their economies; yet their presence is not welcome for the reason that foreign manpower comes from different cultural and social backgrounds.

In fact, the Bahrain’s Labor Minister, Majeed Al-Alawai who stirred the hornet's nest went to the extent of saying that foreigners had failed to assimilate or adapt to the local cultures.

Given the sensitivity and rising unemployment among the locals, the matter was discussed when the Labour Ministers of these countries met in Riyadh in November and approved 11-point plan for the law that would be made public as and when it is approved at the highest level.

Under this proposed law, unskilled labourers would work on a three-year contract, renewable only once. However, when and if approved, the law would be applied separately to each country, meaning labourers could continue to work in other Gulf nations. The proposal, for obvious reasons, exempts indispensable professionals and specialists from the plan.

Some critics believe that given the manpower crisis in the Gulf such a step is unwarranted at this stage as the region’s booming economy needs the foreign workers at all levels. The real Asian talent flies to the West, the US and Canada in particular. Unlike in the Gulf, the immigrants – if they enter through proper channels – are treated on par with the local population in other parts of the world in matters such as pay, perks and citizenship.

Work culture

While the indigenous people in the Gulf take great pride in their culture and the language they have not shown similar zeal when it comes to work culture. It is therefore a reality that the Gulf cannot prosper without foreigners.

It is irony that although the jobs are available in plenty, the locals are found wanting. Some of these nationals get paid for staying unemployed and the critics feel that rather than hitting at hard-working expatriate population, doles and concessions given to the unemployed local people should be reviewed and structured in way that motivates them to take jobs at any level.

On the other hand, although the governments spend millions, state-run programmes and educational institutions have failed to prepare unemployed nationals to take over the jobs that are handled by foreigners. The local business entrepreneurs too are wary of employing “local talent” despite the sops and directives handed out by the governments. They do not want to overpay for the jobs that would not be done properly. It seems a strategy of gradually reducing the foreign labour simply is not working. Rather, the inflow of foreign work-force is going up every year.

The Gulf is a region that is unique in  laidback lifestyle of locals. The change has to be dramatic and till this happens the GCC countries will have no choice but to live with their unwanted guests despite demographic and social disturbance.