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The Gulf States in International Political Economy pp 167–186Cite as

Palgrave Macmillan

Migrant Labour in the Gulf

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Part of the book series: International Political Economy Series ((IPES))

Abstract

This chapter explores how the Gulf States developed into the largest recipients of inward labour migration, primarily from the Global South, in the world. It examines how the rise of dual labour markets, split between public/private sectors and citizens/expatriates, is linked inextricably to the political economy of the redistributive welfare state models that developed with the oil era. This has created a segmented workforce with pronounced hierarchies among both the citizen population and the foreign communities that make up the contemporary demographic pyramid in the Gulf. Although the scale of the demographic imbalance varies considerably across the six Gulf States, with Oman and Saudi Arabia having the lowest proportion of non-nationals and Qatar and the UAE the highest, they share certain characteristics in common. These include the hard truth that many of the region’s ‘mega-projects’ and development plans would likely not have been possible without the ‘cheap and transitory labour power’ of migrant workers.1

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Notes

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Rice University, USA

    Kristian Coates Ulrichsen (Baker Institute Fellow for the Middle East)

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  1. Kristian Coates Ulrichsen
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© 2016 Kristian Coates Ulrichsen

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Ulrichsen, K.C. (2016). Migrant Labour in the Gulf. In: The Gulf States in International Political Economy. International Political Economy Series. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137385611_9

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