According to a 2015 ILO report, Qatar is among the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries in which the ongoing or planned large-scale infrastructure projects lead to high demand for low-skilled workers. More than 60% of migrant workers in Qatar have not completed secondary education.
In Qatar, as in other GCC countries, migrant labor recruitment is a major industry. Regardless of laws, recruitment costs that migrants face remain largely unregulated. Increasing and unregulated recruitment costs leave room for abuse and exploitation, among other illegal practices.
If in the 1990s and early 2000s, most migrant workers in Qatar and other GCC countries came from other Arab states, nowadays, Asian workers are increasingly perceived to be “more obedient,” “less expensive” and “manageable.” The rising demand for Asian workers is also related to the perception that they generally migrate without dependents, as opposed to Arab workers arriving with families and aiming at permanent settlement. Perceptions of Asian workers greatly influence the recruitment process. For example, employers may expect Filipino workers to be fit for administrative positions due to their English skills and the good reputation of training organizations in the Philippines. Similarly, Pakistanis have a reputation of being good drivers, Indians are associated with skilled labor, whereas Ethiopians, Vietnamese and Cambodians are assumed to be willing to work for lower remuneration.
In GCC countries, including Qatar, recruitment is directed by the Kafala (sponsorship) system, which requires migrant workers to have an approved sponsor. Officially, Qatar prohibits the confiscation of travel documents; however, some sponsors may still request migrants’ passports. The ILO report cites a 2013 study, showing that 90 per cent of low-income workers in Qatar had their passports confiscated. This hinders freedom of movement and gives unreasonable power to sponsors over foreign workers. As in other variations of abuse and exploitation, the negative consequences of the Kafala system are more risky for low-skilled workers, especially women, than skilled workers, especially if the latter come from Western countries.
The Kafala system is highly criticized by non-governmental and not-for-profit organizations. The Qatar Foundation’s latest report outlines the working conditions of migrant workers, especially those who work on major infrastructure projects needed for the 2022 Fifa World Cup. A 2014 report of the Foundation highlights several problems in the recruitment system. Firstly, regardless of bilateral labor agreements listed above, these negotiations focus on the supply of labor and largely overlook the recruitment process and the need for ethical practices. Secondly, as mentioned above, migrant workers have to pay significant recruitment costs, amounting to up to $5,000. Thirdly, contractors often pay labor-supply companies, rather than the employees directly, rendering the recruitment and remuneration more ambiguous. Finally, the contracts, if signed at all, are often hidden from workers and/or altered through substitutes with lower wages and worse conditions than previously agreed. The report also focuses on problems with law adherence, since illicit practices like visa trading are still common.
However major changes to Qatar’s labour laws following global campaigning led by the ITUC, have now eliminated the kafala system which tied workers to their employers, and a non-discriminatory minimum wage for all migrant workers is now in place. Other reforms include the establishment of a labour disputes resolution mechanism, transparent contracts of employment, measures to stop recruitment fees and the establishment of joint employer/worker enterprise committees where the workers elect their own representatives.
Find out more about the degree of respect for workers rights in this country based on ITUC Global Rights Index here.