migration to gulf

7/24/2019 Migration to Gulf

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Introduction

International labour migration is defined as the movement of people from one

country to another for the purpose of employment. Today, an estimated 105

million persons are working in a country other than their country of birth. Labour

mobility has become a key feature of globaliation and the global economy with

migrant workers earning !"# $$0 billion in %011, and the &orld 'ank estimating

that more than #(50 billion of that total was transferred to developing countries in

the form of remittances. )owever, despite the efforts made to ensure the

protection of migrant workers, many remain vulnerable and assume significant

risks during the migration process.

*igration may be individuals, family units or in large groups. *igrant workers

contribute to the economies of their host countries, and the remittances they send

home help to boost the economies of their countries of origin. +et at the same time

todays migrant workers face many challenges - poor conditions of work,

discrimination, little social protection and vulnerability to eploitation and human

trafficking.

The /irst and "econd &orld &ars, and wars, genocides, and crises sparked by

them, had an enormous impact on migration. *uslims moved from the 'alkan to

Turkey, while hristians moved the other way,


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Definition of migrant worker-

person who is to be engaged, is engaged or has been engaged in a

remunerated activity in a state of which he or she is not a national.

2!3 onvention, %00(4

*ovement of persons from one "tate to another, or within their own country

of residence, for the purpose of employment. Labour migration is addressed

by most "tates in their migration laws. In addition, some "tates take an

active role in regulating outward labour migration and seeking opportunities

for their nationals abroad.

2IL *igration for 6mployment onvention4


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Reasons for Migration

The *a7or ause for voluntary migration is economic.

*igration flows are generally from economically backward or stagnating areas to

prosperous or dynamic areas. It tends to be largely from comparatively less

developed countries to developed countries like !".

8emand 8riven *arket9 Influenced by Laws of 8emand and "upply.

6conomic growth and development in state : 8emand for Labour :6cess

f "upply; 8emand 8riven *arket.

)igher &ages and 'etter "tandard f Living9 The 'asic rowing urbaniation

Increased linkages because of globaliation

ccess to cheap transportation

"earch for better economic opportunities

'etter medical care

?ob opportunities 'etter living conditions

The feeling of having more political and@or religious freedom

6ducation

'etter medical care

/amily links


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=olitical and


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Conditions of Migrant Labour

In terms of employment, construction is the largest employment sector in India

after agriculture. *ost of the employees in construction are migrants. The working

hours are from sunrise to sunset. The working day for women often stretches from

1$ to 1C hours, combining house work and work on site where women are paid


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I4 internal migration orII4 international migration.

&hen people migrate within the same country or region is called Internal

migration. /or eample, moving from *aharashtra to Garnataka. &hen people

migrate from one country to another then it is called International migration. /or

eample, moving from India to the !". =eople migrate for many different

reasons. These reasons can be classified as follows,

1. 6conomic migration - moving to find work or follow a particular career path.

&hen people are interested in a particular 7ob and if it is available, in that case

people are motivated to move to that area.

%. =olitical migration - Individuals prefer to stay in peace. &hen there is constant

fear of war people move to escape political harassment or war.

(. "ocial migration - =eople also move due to social factors like the urge to have a

better Buality of life or to be closer to family or friends.

$. 6nvironmental causes of migration include natural disasters such as flooding,

earthBuakes, famines, highly polluted area which adversely affects the health of the

individuals.

Push and Pull Factors of Migration


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=ush factors9 8ue to lack of services, lack of safety, high crime, crop failure,

drought, flooding, poverty, war people leave an area it is known as =ush factors.

=ull factors9 8ue to higher employment, more wealth, better services, good

climate, safer, less crime, political stability, more fertile land, people attracted

towards a particular country is known as =ull factor.

*igration usually happens as a result of a combination of these push and pull

factors.

Main Causes of Migration


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14 =oor living conditions9


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These factors also enhance the attractiveness of migration. They make the poorest

aware of the wealth of the rich. The poor people are attracted by the wealth of the

rich nations which motivates people to move.

54 'etter living standard9

*igration to advanced countries provides better employment opportunities to the

people which motivate the people to migrate. )igher income leads to not only

improvement in the standard of living of the migrant, but even there is

improvement in the standard of living of the family members due to the remittance

of the migrants.

C4 6ducation9

&hen the educational standards in a country are high, people with higher income

are induced to move the host countries so that they can provide better educational

facilities for their children.

The effectsof labour mobility 2migration4 can be studied in the following two

categories9


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=ositive 6ffects of *igration9

1. &age 6ffect9

Labourers usually migrate from low wage countries to higher wage nations. "uchmovement of labour leads to changes in wages in both countries unless it is

prevented or guarded by law. The effect of migration can be eplained with the

following diagram9

%. 6ffect on "killed and !nskilled labour9

ountries where there are shortages of skilled and unskilled labour will benefit

when there is movement of labour from other country to that country. Labour can

be productively employed who can contribute to economic development in a

positive manner.

(. 6ffect on !nemployment9

6migration enables some countries to relieve their ecess manpower and

unemployment. The emigrant labour force forms a significant portion of the totallabour force of several countries. In some of the 6uropean countries, emigrations

helped to reduce employment demand which otherwise could not have absorbed

domestically.

$.


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development finance.


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/light of human capital, more commonly referred to as brain drain. It is the large-

scale emigration of a large group of individuals with technical skills or knowledge.

The reasons usually include two aspects which respectively come from countries

and individuals.

In terms of countries, the reasons may be social environment 2in source countries9

lack of opportunities, political instability, economic depression, health risks, etc.

in host countries9 rich opportunities, political stability and freedom, developed

economy, better living conditions, etc.4.

In terms of individual reasons, there are family influences 2overseas relatives4, and

personal preference9 preference for eploring, ambition for an improved career, etc.

'rain drain is often associated with de-skilling of emigrants in their country of

destination, while the country of emigration eperiences the draining of skilled

individuals.

%. Illegal immigrants9

It is a serious problem in many countries India, !", and anada. It may take

place due to political, economic, social and religious factors. hanges in the ethnic

composition of the population can have socio-political repercussions. It can create

social tensions.

(. =roblem of social integration9

Immigrants belong to different countries, religion, race, colour, culture. "ocial

assimilation with the people of host countries becomes difficult in the initial stages

due to colour, religion and cultural difference. t times ethnic and religious

differences create a problem for the host country as it happens in !G and India.

$. /iscal imbalance9


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&hen immigrants constitute in large numbers, the host country reBuires spending

huge amount of capital to provide the reBuired economic and social infrastructure.

s some immigrants settle down permanently, the government as to spend greater

amount on social security benefits. 6penditure on all these counts may create

fiscal imbalance in the form of increase budgetary deficit.

5.


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Introduction


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Indians moved to the >ulf in large numbers following the oil boom of the 1AD0s,

and their numbers grew further as the economies of the > statesM'ahrain,

Guwait, man, Jatar, "audi rabia and the !nited rab 6mirates 2!64M

epanded in the following decades.

lthough Indians manned the clerical and technical positions of the oil companies

in the >ulf after oil was discovered in the region during the 1A(0s, the over all

numbers were still small. 'etween 1A$K and the early 1AD0s, these numbers

gradually increased from about 1,$00 to $0,000. &hen large scale development

activities started following the 1AD( spurt in oil prices in the si >ulf ooperation

ouncil 2>4 countries of "audi rabia, 'ahrain, Guwait, man, Jatar, and the

!6, an upsurge in the flow of workers and labourers began from India to the

>ulf. s of date, there are approimately C million Indians living and working in

the si >ulf states. 3ot only are they the second largest overseas Indian community

situated in a geographical region, they also remit more than one-third of the annual

#CA billion remittances by the Indian epatriates to India. ollectively, they also

outnumber epatriates from other individual countries in the region. Indians, alongwith other migrants to the region, benefited from the >ulf statesE policy of inviting

foreign manpower in order to offset the mismatch between the availability of local

workforce and the reBuirement to sustain the rapid moderniation of these

economies. Labour market in these economies, with sian, &estern and non->ulf

rab migrants collectively comprising a significant share of the labour market. The

presence of migrants comprising almost D0 per cent of the total workforce in the

>, thus, has profound implications for the > states in the social, political,

economic and cultural spheres.

ll the > member countries have initiated steps for nationalisation, to reduce

the share of immigrants in population and labour force with varying degrees of


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effectiveness. Though nationalisation polices were initiated in the early 1AK0s, the

last few years have seen an increasing intensity in the implementation of such

policies. This can partly be attributed to the global economic slowdown. The role

of factors such as the demographic changes occurring in most of the >ulf countries

and the increase in the numbers of educated young native people entering the

labour market cannot be denied. "ome nationalisation strategies adopted by the

>ulf countries include9 restricting the entry of migrants in certain sectors

prescribing Buotas on the employment of non-natives reserving the ma7or share

of public sector 7obs for nationals strict implementation of immigration rules

increasing the skill levels of native workers and increasing the cost of hiring and

living of foreign workers 2"hah, %00K4. /rom viewing labour flow as a

satisfactory@too low in 1ADC, all >ulf countries ecept 'ahrain have found the

migration levels to be too high and have initiated policies to lower it by %00A

2Table $4.

Table $. Immigration =olicies of > ountries

Country*+, .//+

0iew Policy 0iew Policy

'ahrain "atisfactory *aintain "atisfactory *aintain

Guwait "atisfactory *aintain Too )igh Lower

man "atisfactory *aintain "atisfactory *aintain

Jatar "atisfactory *aintain Too )igh Lower

"audi rabia Too Low


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occupations have stagnated in the >ulf and for a low skilled migrant worker from

high migration prevalence regions in India, say, Gerala, wages in the >ulf are

increasingly less attractive. In the 6! even minimum wages would be higher in

comparison with the average in India or even in the >ulf, as they are either

determined by the "tate or through collective bargaining. In most of the 6!

countries under consideration, low skilled migrant workers are guaranteed non-

discrimination vis-N-vis native workers. &hile in =oland and Italy the rights of

workers are not dependent on skill levels, in countries like !G and "pain, the skill

of the workers is considered while eamining, for eample, their right for family

reunification.

Indian Migrants in the %ulf ! Profile


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&hile Indians have always been present in &est sia, the last $0 years have seen

large-scale migration of Indian nationals to the region seeking 7ob opportunities,

especially to the >ulf states. Initially comprising primarily of unskilled and semi-

skilled labour, this epatriate community is steadily encompassing small but

growing numbers of skilled and professional migrants.

The *inistry of verseas Indian ffairs 2*I4,the nodal ministry dealing with

the Indian diaspora, estimates that approimately C million Indians live and work

in &est sia, mostly in the > countries. f the approimately %% million

overseas Indians2including non-resident Indians O3ulf comprise the second largest epatriate Indian

community in any single region in the world, with "outh-6ast sia accounting for

the maimum.

Indians in %CC )tates

Country Population 1./*.2 'umber of Indians 1./*.2

"ahrain *3.453645 67/3///

8uwait .3436*4 7,+36+/

#man 63/+/3*7/ ,*534.

9atar *3+7*37+* 7//3///

)audi !rabia .376437/4 *3,5+3///

$!( 736*436*, *3,7/3///


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Indian migrants in the > states can be divided into the following categories9

1.unskilled workers, employed in construction companies, municipalities,

agricultural farms and as domestic workers

%.skilled and semi-skilled workers

(.professionals, such as doctors, engineers, accountants, nurses and paramedics,employed in government and private sectors and

$.businessmen@entrepreneurs.

Fi:e phases of Migration to %ulf


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The first phase in the modern history of migration to the >ulf occurred in the

period prior to the 1AD0s oil boom. 8uring this phase, more than K0Q of migrant

workers were rabs, mainly from 6gypt, "yria, +emen, and =alestine. There also

were sian workers, who were employed in 6uropean companies and government

agencies. The number of sian workers was estimated to be %$D,D00 in the entire

rab region in 1AD0.% 8uring this period, there were narrow wage differentials

between sending and receiving countries. IraB and man were net eporters of

manpower. Thereafter, both became the ma7or labor importing countries.

The second phase M the point at which migration to the >ulf began to intensify M

was triggered by the post-1AD( oil price hike. 8uring this phase, the number of

rab migrants, especially from poorer countries such as 6gypt and +emen, rose

considerably. bout 1.( million migrants were estimated to be in the region in

1AD5.

The third phase spans the latter part of the 1AD0s and the early 1AK0s. 8ue to the

second oil price hike in 1ADA, government revenue rose sharply in the course of a

single year. s a result, the >ulf states launched more ambitious development

plans, lavish pro7ects, and even more generous social welfare programs. These

initiatives caused a surge in demand for an additional D00,000 migrant workers in

"audi rabia and the other > countries in 1AK0. The number of migrant workers

in IraB also increased to about D50,000.( The number of Indian workers alone

eceeded 500,000 by 1AK0. part from the increasing number of workers, two

other trends emerged during this period. /irst, the share of rab migrant workersdeclined from about $(Q in 1AD5 to about (DQ in 1AK0. This was primarily due to

the inflow of Indians, =akistanis, "ri Lankans, and other sian workers to the

region. This was perhaps the result of the policies of the >ulf countries that

favored "outh sian workers 2they were believed to be politically RsaferS than


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their rab counterparts4. "econd, the demand for unskilled labor slowed as ma7or

infrastructure pro7ects were completed, while the demand for skilled workers

increased.

The fourth phase began with the decline in oil prices in late 1AK%. &ith the

contraction of oil revenues, some development pro7ects slowed and demand for

foreign workers slackened. )owever, the preference for skilled workers continued.

The fifth phase began in the 1AA0s. &ith the end of the old &ar, new migrant

workers began to arrive in the >ulf countries, particularly from hina and the

newly independent states of the former "oviet !nion. These migrant workers

created additional competition in the labor market. The second >ulf &ar 21AA14

resulted in the displacement of about 1.5 million people, including one million

+emenis 2who were epelled from "audi rabia4 and %00,000 ?ordanians, 150,000

=alestinians, and 15K,000 6gyptians 2most of whom left Guwait4.$ This mass

displacement created 7ob vacancies in the >ulf countries that were filled by "outh

sians 2particularly by Indians, =akistanis, and 'angladeshis4.


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ver the past few decades, the !nited rab 6mirates 2!64Mone of the worlds

pre-eminent oil-rich nations located in the >ulf ooperation ouncil 2>4 region

Mhas become a popular destination for temporary labor migrants seeking

employment opportunities and higher standards of living. In %01(, the !6 had

the fifth-largest international migrant stock in the world with D.K million migrants

2out of a total population of A.% million4, according to !nited 3ations 2!34

estimates.

&ith immigrants, who come particularly from India, 'angladesh, and =akistan,

comprising over A0 percent of the countrys private workforce, the !6 attracts

both low- and high-skilled migrants due to its economic attractiveness, relative

political stability, and modern infrastructureMdespite a drop in oil prices and theinternational banking crisis in %00K.


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)eavily reliant on foreign labor to sustain economic growth and high standard of

living in the country, the !6 government in 1AD1 introduced a temporary guest

worker program called the Gafala "ponsorship "ystem, which allows nationals,

epatriates, and companies to hire migrant workers. The Gafala system has posed a

number of challenges for !6 policymakers both at home and in the eyes of

international onlookers. hief among them9 ensuring economic opportunities for

!6 nationals, and closing policy and implementation gaps to address widespread

concerns that migrants fall victim to labor and human-rights abuses in the !6.

ver the past several years, the !6 government has substantively reformed its

laws to address the concerns of those who condemn the Gafala system for eposing

migrant workers, especially domestic workers, to abusive practices.


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Temporary Labor *igration9 regionM'ahrain, Guwait, man, Jatar, "audi rabia, and the !6Mis

the most popular destination for temporary labor migrants of any world region, and

flows have continued to increase over the past three decades. ccording to

researchers 3asra "hah and =hilippe /argues, these migrants comprised more than

$( percent of the regions total population in %010, and their share is epected to

continue to grow over the net decade.

8erala (migrants in %ulf


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)ow many Indians work abroad &e have no answer to this Buestion even today.

)owever, available evidence indicates that the state of Gerala in India has the

highest number of emigrants in the >ulf countries.In order to make an assessment

of the emigrants from Gerala to the >ulf, the entre for 8evelopment "tudies

28"4 conducted four large-scale surveys over the last 10 years M in 1AAK, %00(,

%00D, and %00K. This essay is based on the Gerala *igration "urvey 2G*"4 %00K,

funded by the 8epartment of 3on-overnment of

Gerala, and the *inistry of verseas Indian ffairs, >overnment of India.% In this

survey, the sample sie was enhanced to 15,000 households from 10,000

households in the three earlier migration surveys. The increase in sample sie M

with a minimum of 1,000 households in every district of Gerala M is epected to

yield reliable migration estimates at the district and taluk levels in Gerala. These

estimates are made on the basis of answers to the following Buestion9 )as any

person who was a usual resident of this household 2))4 migrated out of Gerala

and is still living outside India Those who are still living outside India are called

emigrants. "imilarly, those who worked abroad and returned to Gerala are calledreturn emigrants.

3umber of 6migrants,


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Malayali ulf and the sending

state are slowly emerging. "ince 1AKA have been conducting ethnographic

fieldwork in India and in various >ulf states among women from the state of

Gerala. Geralites 2*alayalis4 long represented the largest demographic among >ulf

migrants, and Gerala is still the sian space en7oying the tightest links to the

region, thanks to a long history of transoceanic trade, marriage,and religious ties.

The first point to appreciate is that, as among males, the category of RmigrantS

woman immediately breaks down into so many sub-categories so as to become

practically analytically useless. *alayali women come from *uslim, hristian,and )indu families matriculation fails through to postgraduate degree holders,

housemaids to medical doctor-cum-hospital owners, working class through to

super-elite they hail from rural villages, small towns and big cities are employed

in business or as unwaged homemakers they are young dependent singles living

with >ulf-based families, working wives, and mature grandmothers running two

households M one >ulf and one Indian, between which they constantly shift.

*any Gerala women have been raised and educated in the >ulf, gone to Gerala for

a brief period of college, marriage, and childbearing, and then have returned to be

with their >ulf husbands, whether early, and with dependent children who will

themselves then become R>ulf kidsS or later on, once the children are less

dependent and can be left in boarding schools or with other relatives, or are of

college age. &hile men in the >ulf are always workers or 7ob seekers, providers

for natal or marriage families, many >ulf Indian women are dependent

homemakers. *enEs eperience and conversations revolve around contracts,

sponsors, work visas, wage rates, etc., but womenEs is more refracted through

marriage and children.


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In the >ulf, a matriculate rural woman will become aware of a wider range of 7ob

opportunities and skill reBuirements, and may have higher ambitions for her

childrenEs education and future employment than she would have back home.

&omenEs participation in family decisions about migration strategies, and their

opinions and wishes, tend to be epressed in terms of effects upon the entire

family, and to be very heavily future-oriented. ulfEs own ethnicied

and religious population segmentation. &hile many knew that *alayali women

were heavily represented in >ulf hospitals in nursing staff,C in the early days, these

nurses were overwhelmingly drawn from the hristian communities, where values

of education and female employment, and a strong orientation towards ideals of

being RmodernS and achieving material progress are strong, and where largely

)indu ideas about ritual pollution and female respectability through religious

segregation are less pronounced. The >ulf offered Indian hristian women M a

minority at home M chances to use their education, save money and find a

stepping stone towards further migration to the !nited "tates. bserving the

rewards, )indu and, recently, also some *uslim families are allowing their

daughters to work as nurses.


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Paradigm )hifts in India=s Migration Policy toward the %ulf

/rom fewer than %5K,000 in 1AD5, the migrant Indian population in the >ulf rose to

(.(1K million in %001 and is now estimated at over four million. Indian migrant

workers in the > countries belong to all three categories of labor9

14 professionals 2e.g., doctors, nurses, engineers, architects, accountants, and

managers4,

%4 semi-skilled workers 2e.g., craftsmen, drivers, artisans, and other technical

workers4, and

(4 unskilled laborers in construction sites, farmlands, livestock ranches, shops and

stores, and households.

Indian white-collar workers and professionals comprise only about (0Q of the

Indian workers in these countries the rest are semi-skilled and unskilled workers.

The highly skilled and technically trained professionals remain in great demand in

the government departments and public sector enterprises, and they also earn high

salaries and attractive emoluments. They also are allowed to bring their families.

hildren are allowed to stay with parents until their education is completed.

)owever, Indians, like all other e-patriates, are not allowed to acBuire citienship

through naturaliation. Life in general is comfortable only for the professionals and

white-collar workers in the >ulf. They are able to maintain contacts with

compatriots and nationals, form associations, and participate in socio-cultural

activities.


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fter the 1AA0-A1 >ulf &ar the number of low-skilled Indian workers in the >ulf

de-clined due to Indian government restrictions 2i.e., tight monitoring of the

6migration learance ulf. +et, the Indian

policy paradigm for migrants in the >ulf nonetheless can be said to have shifted

from protective@restrictive, to welfare@compensatory, to developmental@restorative.

The 1AK( 6migration ct, which replaced the 1A%% 6migration ct, has been

designed mainly to ensure protection for vulnerable categories of unskilled and

semi-skilled workers, and women going abroad to work as housemaids and

domestic workers. The ct provides a regulatory and legal framework in respect to

emigration of Indian workers for overseas employment on a contractual basis.!nder the ct, all R


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aimed at curbing the activities of, and protecting migrant workers from illegal

recruiting agents that operate clandestinely.

The new *inistry of verseas Indian ffairs, constituted in %00$, has taken the

initiative to bring about a paradigm shift by amending the 6migration ct 21AK(4

and introducing welfare measures to complement its protection ob7ectives, such as9

n e -governance pro7ect to modernie the offices of the =rotectorate of

6migrants 2which administers the 6migration ct and the associated 6ulf M who send large remittances back home but can

never hope to become naturalied citiens of the countries where they work

because of restrictive regimes M grants Indian citiens abroad the right to vote in

India elections.C The modalities for operationaliing this measure are being

worked out and are epected to be in place by the net general election in %01$.

These two ma7or policy measures aim to empower migrant workers to participate

in IndiaEs socioeconomic and political development rather than merely looking to

India for protection and@or welfare. The measures are complemented by the

introduction of =ravasi 'haratiya "amman awards to 15 overseas Indians each year

Rto recognie achievements of the Indian 8iaspora and their contribution to

strengthening of IndiaEs relations with other countries, promoting the honour and

prestige of India, and fostering interests of overseas Indians.


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%lobal trends may force many to return from %ulf

ccording to the article in newspaper RT)6 )I38!S on 10th?anuary %015

Gerala hief *inister ommen handy seeks government help to rehabilitate

Indians returning from "audi rabia. The 3itaBat law makes it mandatory for

companies in "audi rabia to hire one "audi national for every 10 migrant

workers over two million Indians are currently working in "audi rabia.

The woes of Indian immigrants in the >ulf countries seem to have multiplied with

the drop in oil prices, and there are indications that a large number may be forced

to return home.

Gerala hief *inister ommen handy said on /riday9 RThe global trends in

economy indicate that the employment opportunities in the >ulf sector may

diminish and reforms like 3itaBuat Oa law that makes it mandatory for companies

in "audi rabia to hire one "audi national for every 10 migrant workersP may force

Oworkers in the >ulfP to return to the home country.S

The region is the most important for India because seven million Indians live there.

Gerala alone accounts for ulf ountries,E G..

"hamsuddin, a 8ubai-based 3


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ddressing a gathering on the concluding day of the =ravasi 'haratiya 8ivas, *r.

handy said9 R&e must think about how we can rehabilitate those who are

returning to India and in what way we can make use of their epertise for their

benefit. The government of Gerala has chalked out a rehabilitation package, but

lack of resources is our problem in implementing it effectively.S

RIndian workers are living in pathetic conditions. Their labour is eploitedU They

are given hope and then cheated. India has not demanded the dignity of pay, like

the =hilippines. It would be difficult to hire /ilipino workers at a low salary, but

Indians get paid only 500-C00 dirhams,S =rakash "ebastian, a 8ubai-based

surgeon, told The )indu.

The issue of Indians languishing in !6 7ails was also raised at the session. "yed

kbaruddin, spokesperson of the *inistry of 6ternal ffairs, said India was

working with countries in the >ulf and elsewhere for a prisoner echange system.

It already had an arrangement with the !6, under which Indian prisoners could

be transferred to Indian 7ails for completing their sentence. n agreement had been

signed with "audi rabia, but it had not been ratified.


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C#'CL$)I#'

1. *igrant worker rights in gulf-ignored or upheld--

*igrant workers are engaged in every sector of development activity in the >ulf.

They contribute substantially to the economic growth of labor receiving countries.

Ironically, however, migrant workers are considered to be a threat to national

security. *eanwhile, migrants are often eploited by unscrupulous employers,

recruitment agents, and others. The international norms and standards are often

violated in order to promote individual interests. change in the mindsets and

policies of >ulf governments is urgently necessary and long overdue M a change

that not only acknowledges the economic benefits of hosting migrant laborers, but

that also recognies, respects, and works to ensure the rights of migrant workers.

%.Gerala 6migrants in >ulf

GeralaEs >ulf connection is so strong that even during the current global crisis,

both emigration and remittances seem to be resilient. ccording to our recent study

conducted for the >overnment of Gerala, even at the peak of the recession in the

>ulf, when 1D(,000 emigrants returned to Gerala, %(A,000 emigrants left Gerala to

work in the >ulf, resulting in a net migration of CC,000. "imilarly, the total cash

remittances that Gerala households received in %00A registered a modest increase

of DQ.

(.The impact of remittances on Gerala is manifested in household consumption,

saving and investment, the Buality of houses, and the possession of modernconsumer durables. ulf, which is home to a large ma7ority of emigrants from Gerala, has figured

prominently in this eBuation.


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$.=aradigm "hifts in IndiaEs *igration =olicy toward the >ulf

ver the years, Indian policies with respect to labor migrants in the >ulf have

evolved from a narrow emphasis on protection@restriction to the implementation ofwelfare initiatives, and most recently to developmental@restorative measures. It is

still too early to gauge the impact of the developmental measures, which are in

their infancy. *aimiing their impact will, of course, depend on the etent to

which migrants avail themselves of these measures. 'ut it also will depend on a

change of attitude toward >ulf migrants who, unlike many IT professionals and

other talented Indians who are considered a source of pride, have been regarded

merely as a burden. In addition, it will reBuire that the interests of the stakeholders

in the >ulf be eamined, and that innovative programs to involve them in IndiaEsdevelopment be implemented effectively.


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Recommendations

'ased on the detailed study of the Indian migrants in the >ulf, discussions with

eperts and practitioners and observations made during a field trip to the region,

the following recommendations are being made9

1. !ndertake more collaborative pro7ects vis-N-vis labour@migration management,

such as the one undertaken under the aegis of the bu 8habi 8eclaration with the

=hilippines and the !6, in all the > states. This would go a long way in

strengthening both the bilateral as well as collaborative multilateral processes to

better manage labour migration to the region.

%. *ake use of latest technology to manage the migrantsMsmartcards can be

instituted for all migrants, especially for those holding 6< passports. Thisdigitised smart card is essentially a tool, somewhat akin to the uniBue identification

2!I84@adhaar card but with information of relevance to the migrant in the

destination country. ll relevant information pertaining to the migrant, including

passport details, recruitment, validity of the contract, terms of employment,

insurance, medical details, whether return fare has been paid or not, etc., should be

stored in the card. digitied copy of that information should be shared with all

Indian embassies in the region, which can further share relevant information with

the concerned host government.


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5. formal initiative to identify the skills that would be reBuired in future in the

>ulf states and creation of training facilities at home to provide relevant skills to

prospective migrants should be considered at the earliest. This will have two

advantages9 on the one hand, the training will build much-needed skills and on the

other, in the long run, it will ensure a more or less permanent@recurring demand forIndian migrants. 'asic knowledge of nutrition, hygiene, language, etc., would go a

long way in ensuring the suitability of the Indian migrant for the demanding >ulf

labour market. This will increase the proportion of skilled workers as against

unskilled workers migrating to the >ulf states and will also enhance their social

profile in the region.

C. ontingency plans to evacuate Indian migrants from the >ulf states in times of

emergency must be formulated at the earliest. This must include nomination of a

central authority to formulate contingency plans creation and updating of database

of migrants in various countries establishment of channels of communication for

passage of information through a community network in the host countries

identification and earmarking of state-level coordinating agency earmarking of air

and sea-borne resources for transportation identification of evacuation centres in

various countries and relief camps in countries not affected by internal or eternal

conflict and agreements with host and neighbouring countries for assistance in

evacuation of migrants from affected areas. ll the agencies of the state who will

have a role in the evacuation process need to be involved in drawing up the plans.The central and the state governments should also have contingency plans in place

to provide temporary relief, including employment and health facilities, to the low-

earning returnees to rehabilitate them till they find gainful work at home or abroad.


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"ibliography >

migration to gulf

Documents