The Demand for Migrant Workers
An Article By Evelyne Mugisha
The migrant labour sector in Uganda has grown by leaps over the past 10 years. This is a result of the ever rising unemployment and under-employment levels (particularly for the youth) in the country. There is a 13.3% unemployment rate among the youth[1] and is on an increase by 2.44% every year. Naturally, people have grown desperate for employment to ensure survival in a volatile economy.
Meanwhile, the Gulf States have a very high demand for unskilled labour, which explains the big number of people flocking the Middle East for readily available and casual jobs. Every year, an average of 24,086 Ugandans go to the Gulf States in search of employment. In the last six years, 126,873 migrant workers have gone to Saudi Arabia, 19,671 to the United Arab Emirates, 4,520 to Jordan, 4,420 to Iraq, and 8,089 to Qatar according to the Ministry of Gender Migrant Labour Report published this year.[2]
The migrant workers are employed as housekeepers, caregivers, security guards, cleaning crews for companies, waiters and/or waitresses, etc. These workers earn between $200 and $500 per month which is significantly higher than what domestic workers in Uganda earn ($26) in a month.
Many migrant workers in the Gulf States have shared stories of exploitation, trafficking, torture, and slavery, among others atrocities. Some have experienced these at the hands of their employers, labour agencies, co-workers, and many other avenues. There has been media coverage of such incidents in Uganda, laws enacted to protect migrant workers, and agreements reached with some of the Gulf States, like Saudi Arabia, for the same reason.
Historically, there have been several challenges locally in the fight against the plight of migrant workers in the Middle East. Some migrant labour agencies have found and exploited loopholes in the immigration system allowing them to fake travel documents and workers’ personal details. The result has been underage migrant employment, human trafficking, kidnapping and forced labour. Media houses have been hesitant to shed light on the issue of migrant workers for reasons ranging from bribes from the labor agencies to avoiding the cost of covering these stories.
But it's not all gloom for migrant workers. There have been many success stories of people that went to find employment in the Gulf States. For instance, some people have been able to buy and develop property in Uganda from their earnings in the Middle East. In the subsequent articles, we shall share these stories in detail.
[1] https://thepalladiumgroup.com/news/Youth-Unemployment-in-Uganda-Has-Been-Misdiagnosed
[2] https://www.monitor.co.ug/uganda/business/markets/24-086-ugandans-seek-jobs-in-middle-east-every-year-3788710
About the Author
Evelyne Mugisha is an intern for Rain Collective for the upcoming Summer, assisting with research and articles that focus on trafficking of persons from her home country of Uganda to the Middle East and Northern Africa. Residing in Kampala, Uganda, she is the first born of 6 children and recently completed a Bachelor of Laws degree course at Uganda Christian University. She awaits graduating in July of 2022 and is currently doing an internship with S&L Advocates, a law firm in Uganda. She will join the Law Development Center in September for the Bar course.
Evelyne is passionate about human rights law, international law, and commercial law. She hopes to build a successful career in litigation in these areas. In her free time, she loves reading (fiction, African literature, poetry, and history) as well as signing, traveling (to see lakesides, waterfalls, mountains and to national parks and zoos!), debates, cooking, and hanging out with her friends. She also loves live band performances by her favorite singers.
Rain Collective is excited to have Evelyne working with us over the next few months and sharing “A View From Uganda” which will feature both short and comprehensive articles from her research in the region.