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Migration in the Gulf Cooperation Council Countries : Dynamics, Trends and Challenges

Khamzaev, Dilaver LU (2025) In Sociology of Law Series p.167-180
Abstract
The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries have experienced significant migration trends in recent decades, with a heavy reliance on foreign labour, particularly from Southern Asia. As of 2024, the GCC hosts 25 million migrants, with Southern Asians constituting a significant proportion. This demographic reality has shaped the region's socio-economic structure, with expatriates dominating the private sector workforce. GCC countries have developed complex migration policy frameworks, balancing labour market demands, economic diversification, and workforce nationalisation efforts. The Kafala sponsorship system remains a defining feature, binding migrant workers to their employers and limiting their autonomy. Despite recent reforms and... (More)
The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries have experienced significant migration trends in recent decades, with a heavy reliance on foreign labour, particularly from Southern Asia. As of 2024, the GCC hosts 25 million migrants, with Southern Asians constituting a significant proportion. This demographic reality has shaped the region's socio-economic structure, with expatriates dominating the private sector workforce. GCC countries have developed complex migration policy frameworks, balancing labour market demands, economic diversification, and workforce nationalisation efforts. The Kafala sponsorship system remains a defining feature, binding migrant workers to their employers and limiting their autonomy. Despite recent reforms and collaborations with international organisations to improve labour standards, structural inequalities persist. As GCC economies continue to evolve, the sustainability of their migration model will depend on effectively managing nationalisation, maintaining growth, and addressing the rights and welfare of migrant workers. Migration will remain central to the region's socio-economic fabric, with future policies shaped by economic shifts, geopolitical developments, and the ability to balance national interests with the realities of a globalised labour market. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
organization
publishing date
type
Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Gulf Cooperation Council, Migration, Labour, Policies, Economic development
host publication
Migration Governance Beyond the West : Historical Legacies, Contemporary Trends, and Future Trajectories - Historical Legacies, Contemporary Trends, and Future Trajectories
series title
Sociology of Law Series
editor
Eraliev, Sherzod
issue
1
pages
167 - 180
publisher
Media-Tryck, Lund University, Sweden
ISSN
1404-1030
ISBN
978-91-7267-494-3
978-91-7267-494-3
project
MARS: Non-Western Migration Regimes in a Global Perspective
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
a243e63c-c1e3-4da7-9543-d478f1a62cd1
date added to LUP
2025-08-21 17:59:43
date last changed
2025-08-22 10:26:11
@inbook{a243e63c-c1e3-4da7-9543-d478f1a62cd1,
  abstract     = {{The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries have experienced significant migration trends in recent decades, with a heavy reliance on foreign labour, particularly from Southern Asia. As of 2024, the GCC hosts 25 million migrants, with Southern Asians constituting a significant proportion. This demographic reality has shaped the region's socio-economic structure, with expatriates dominating the private sector workforce. GCC countries have developed complex migration policy frameworks, balancing labour market demands, economic diversification, and workforce nationalisation efforts. The Kafala sponsorship system remains a defining feature, binding migrant workers to their employers and limiting their autonomy. Despite recent reforms and collaborations with international organisations to improve labour standards, structural inequalities persist. As GCC economies continue to evolve, the sustainability of their migration model will depend on effectively managing nationalisation, maintaining growth, and addressing the rights and welfare of migrant workers. Migration will remain central to the region's socio-economic fabric, with future policies shaped by economic shifts, geopolitical developments, and the ability to balance national interests with the realities of a globalised labour market.}},
  author       = {{Khamzaev, Dilaver}},
  booktitle    = {{Migration Governance Beyond the West : Historical Legacies, Contemporary Trends, and Future Trajectories}},
  editor       = {{Eraliev, Sherzod}},
  isbn         = {{978-91-7267-494-3}},
  issn         = {{1404-1030}},
  keywords     = {{Gulf Cooperation Council; Migration; Labour; Policies; Economic development}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{1}},
  pages        = {{167--180}},
  publisher    = {{Media-Tryck, Lund University, Sweden}},
  series       = {{Sociology of Law Series}},
  title        = {{Migration in the Gulf Cooperation Council Countries : Dynamics, Trends and Challenges}},
  url          = {{https://lup.lub.lu.se/search/files/225843374/Migration_in_the_Gulf_Cooperation_Council_Countries_Dynamics_Trends_and_Challenges.pdf}},
  year         = {{2025}},
}