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Kuwait is aware of the importance of expatriates to its economy, despite their displacement

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A report published by the “Asia Times” website stated that Corona’s impact was more profound on the Gulf economies than other countries, which has negatively affected the conditions of expatriate workers in these countries, Al-Rai daily reported.

The report stated that despite the recent exodus of expatriates in the region, the Gulf countries are still aware of the importance of foreign workers for their economies, as they are trying to achieve a reasonable budget that envisages any negative effects, noting that the third quarter of last year witnessed the departure of 257 thousand migrant workers in Saudi Arabia, with expectations of about 1.2 million leaving during the same year, while Oman recorded the departure of 45,000 expatriates last July, while Kuwait recorded during the last three months of 2020 the departure of 83,500 expatriates, after a wave of job layoffs in the public sector.

The report showed that the UAE, Qatar, and Bahrain also witnessed a decline in the number of expatriates, with the closure of shopping stores and the scarcity of jobs.

The report emphasized that the Gulf countries, including Kuwait, are still aware of the importance of foreign workers to their economies.

In this context, the regional immigration specialist for the South Asia region at the International Labor Organization in New Delhi, Shaparinath Nair, explained that in 2020, a law in Kuwait set certain quotas for the numbers of expatriate workers, indicating that with the presence of about one million Indian citizens in Kuwait, A large section of the population will have to leave if this law is implemented. He asked: If Kuwait did that, how would the local population be supported to do all the work?

The report also stated that the number of expatriates has increased in the region, reaching 88 percent of the total population of Qatar, 83 percent in the Emirates, and about 70 percent in Kuwait, according to data issued by the World Bank for the year 2018, indicating that these massive numbers of foreign workers have created a vibrant, culturally and socially diverse urban landscape across the region.

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