Expat Jobs Lost in Dubai Due to COVID-19
Pandemic leaves Gulf’s foreign workers in limbo. According to United Nations estimates the U.A.E., having approximately a local population of 1 million, received more migrants than Canada and France last year. The appeal for foreigners was obvious. Bounteous wages with little or no tax would have been proved to be profitable for new pay scales. Expat Jobs after COVID 19.
But in the current situation, everything seems to be a dream as government budgets are ravaged, prospects are fading, travel is suspended, most shops are closed and construction put on hold. The International Labor Organization has warned that more than 1 billion workers around the world are at high risk of losing their job because of the coronavirus outbreak.
Lots of redundancies along with disruption to the economy has become something common in the present situation all over the world. Gulf countries are dependent on foreign workers across all sectors of the economy either its manual labor or form skilled to professional workers. Migrants occupy 90% of the population in the U.A.E.
Downturn
The Middle East is facing an economic downturn this year as the country is hit by a double blow from coronavirus closures and record low oil prices. COVID-19 outbreak has put everything into a danger zone. Now oil prices are unexpectedly low in the Gulf region. Moreover, the economic situation during the pandemic is worse, and unemployment and poverty are at its peak.
The local nationals of the state have been seen protesting for their rights by forcing the companies to fire the expatriate workers from the job rather than the local employees. Official unemployment data is not available however some Gulf airlines and other companies have said they are laying off hundreds of workers.
Many ex-pats are keen to stay and find work instead of going back because they are not sure to find well-paid work for themselves. Despite hardships, workers have managed to deliver billions of dollars in remittances homes, where employment opportunities are often less and not well paid.
The spectre of ex-pats being affected by the virus while the citizens are spare has cast light on some of the world’s richest countries which are wholly dependent on migrant labor to power their economies. Losing their jobs, facing high rates of infection, and locked up at work camps lots of ex-pats are bearing the unfair consequences of the coronavirus outbreak.
It is reported that most cases have been among foreigners, many of whom live in labor camps. Though Gulf states have offered healthcare to the patients still there are certain concerns among migrant communities that state authorities are unable to completely treat a large number of carriers in camps.
The Best Possible Thing Which Can Be Done in This Time
The Middle East should organize ways of getting them home safely. Hundreds of thousands of foreigners mostly Asians, have registered for repatriation. However, some of the countries like Pakistan, India, Egypt have taken the initiative of calling their peoples back to their home by providing them discounted flight tickets but the number of people leaving Dubai is significantly arousing a question in our minds that how such countries economy would progress when more than 90% of the labor class will leave?
