Bangladeshi Labour Migrants in the Gulf: Coping with a Large Unmet Need for Social Protection

Abstract

Over the last few decades international migration has become more complex and diverse with temporary migration becoming increasingly popular. Migrant workers (those who migrate for employment) and their families account for about 90 per cent of the estimated total of 214 million international migrants in 2010. After the oil price hike in the first half of the 1970s, the Gulf states required various kinds of workers as they embarked on large-scale development projects. This created conditions for the migration of workers for temporary employment from different parts of Asia, including South Asia. The Gulf countries continue to remain major destinations for migrants from South Asia, who are mostly employed in the construction, domestic work and service industries.

The author acknowledges the support of Wahidur Rahman, Makfie Farah, Motasim Billah, Niaz Ahmed and Rigan Chakma, members of the Young Researchers’ Forum of Refugee and Migratory Movements Research Unit of Dhaka University, in conducting the fieldwork of the study.