The Future of Migration to Gcc Countries: Migrants’ Aspirations, Labour Reforms, and Politics

This book provides an in-depth exploration of the evolving trends in South-South international migration to the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries. It presents a comprehensive analysis of migration dynamics from the perspectives of nationals, non-nationals, policymakers, and prospective migrants. It highlights the multifaceted factors driving migration to the Gulf, including the transition from oil-dependent economies to knowledge-based industries and the shift from a reliance on low-wage migrant workers to the integration of highly skilled expatriates. It emphasizes the Gulf states as strategic destinations for the Arab and Asian middle classes, shaped by global dynamics such as the gig economy, cultural compatibility, and socio-economic instability in migrants’ countries of origin.

Furthermore, the book offers a critical assessment of migration policies, focusing particularly on the inadequacies in safeguarding low-paid migrants, while challenging the prevailing notion that migration to the Gulf is temporary and primarily economically driven. Through an examination of new employment patterns, migration flows, and concepts of transnationalism, the book interrogates the future trajectories of Gulf societies. It is an indispensable resource for scholars interested in the region’s transitions and future prospects.

Françoise De Bel-Air (Ph.D.) is a researcher and consultant on population data, policies and dynamics in Arab countries. Currently a senior fellow with the Gulf Labour Markets, Migration and Population program (GLMM) of the Gulf Research Center (Geneva/Riyad), she was posted at the French Institute for the Near East (IFPO) in Amman, Jordan, for several years and a part-time professor at the Migration Policy Centre of the European University Institute in Florence. Her publications include three edited volumes and over fifty book chapters, scientific articles and research papers on population issues in the Arab region.

Nasra M. Shah is currently a professor of Migration and Development at the Lahore School of Economics, Pakistan, and was professor of Demography at Kuwait University for over 30 years. She is the scientific director of the Gulf Labor Markets, Migration and Population Program. Labor migration, especially from Asian to oil-rich Gulf countries, has been a consistent and very prominent theme in her research. She has served on editorial boards of Asian and Pacific Migration Journal and Migration and Development. She is an author of over 100 professional papers and editor of 8 books.