Labour force of the United Arab Emirates

The labour force of the United Arab Emirates is primarily made up of foreign temporary workers, most of whom come from the Indian subcontinent and other parts of the Arab World and Asia. There is a sizeable number of Westerners, the majority of them being British and Americans.

There are very few anti-discrimination laws in relation to labour issues, with Emiratis being given preferential treatment when it comes to employment, even though they generally do not show an interest in working. Emiratis and nationals from developed countries are also given higher salaries compared to workers from other parts of the world. Expatriates who have lived in the countries for long periods of time are generally not given full UAE citizenship and are treated like those who have just arrived recently.

NPR reported that workers "typically live eight to a room, sending home a portion of their salary to their families, whom they usually don't see for years at a time." The BBC has reported that "local newspapers often carry stories of construction workers allegedly not being paid for months on end. They are not allowed to move jobs and if they leave the country to go home they will almost certainly lose the money they say they are owed." Additionally, most of the workers are forced to give up their passports upon entering Dubai, making it very difficult to return home. In September 2005, the Minister of Labour ordered one company to pay unpaid salaries within 24 hours after workers protested, and published the name of the offending company.

In December 2005, the Indian consulate in Dubai submitted a report to the Government of India detailing labor problems faced by Indian expatriates in the emirate. The report highlighted delayed payment of wages, substitution of employment contracts, premature termination of services and excessive working hours as being some of the challenges faced by Indian workers in the city. On 21 March 2006, workers at the construction site of Burj Khalifa, upset over bus timings and working conditions, rioted: damaging cars, offices, computers, and construction tools.

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