Migration to Gulf for jobs drops 62% over 5 years
MUMBAI: Emigration clearances granted to Indians headed to the Gulf for employment have dropped by 21%, standing at 2.95 lakh during the 11-month period ended November 30, 2018, as compared to 2017.
The five-year outflow of Indian workers to Gulf peaked in 2014 at 7.76 lakh. Compared to that figure, the decline in 2018 is as high as 62%. These statistics are drawn from the e-Migrate emigration clearance data, which captures emigration clearances issued to workers holding ECR (emigration check required) passports.
During 2018, the largest outflow was to UAE, comprising 1.03 lakh (or 35%) of the total workers granted emigration clearances. This was followed by Saudi Arabia and Kuwait with 65,000 and 52,000 workers headed to these countries.
Qatar stands out by being the only country in the Gulf region where the number of workers shows an increase in 2018 as compared to the previous year. Nearly 32,500 workers headed to Qatar were granted emigration clearances as compared to close to 25,000 in 2017, which is a rise of 31%. “This could be because of increased labour requirement as the country prepares to host the football World Cup 2022,” says a Mumbai-based labour recruiter.