Working and living conditions of low-income migrant workers in the hospitality and construction sectors in Qatar : a survey among migrant workers through focus group discussions

Abstract

Migrants form 87 per cent of Qatar’s resident population and 95 per cent of its workforce, and 71 per cent of them are employed in low-income occupations. The country has a GDP per capita which is among the world’s highest. It also has a fairly good reputation regarding rule of law and justice, which has significantly improved in recent years, in particular since the embargo imposed on the country by other Arab countries. Yet, according to numerous reports by media, human rights activists, international organisations and academics, low-income migrant workers in Qatar can be subjected to poor conditions and their rights violated. In November 2017, the Government of Qatar and ILO signed a technical cooperation agreement to gradually ensure compliance with ratified labour conventions and achieve fundamental rights at work in a gradual manner during the period 2018-2020. Since this research was done in the period March-November 2018, it provides a neat ex ante picture of the situation in Qatar before the reform programme was implemented.