Migrants workers flock to Qatar

IF any country encapsulates the life of the foreign worker, then Qatar is it.
A few decades ago, the tiny Gulf state was the region’s most sleepy outpost, known for pearl trading and not much else.
Now, it boasts a modern capital city, enormous industry thanks to its vast gas reserves, and is gearing up to host the World Cup in 2022.
This phenomenal development has only been possible because of one key resource: migrant workers.
Qatar is a country that has been built by foreigners – a veritable army of workers have been brought in to build its bridges, run its companies and clean its streets.
In the past decade, Qatar’s population has tripled.
But for every five people living there, only one is a native Qatari. Put simply, Qataris are outnumbered in their own country.
The reason migrant workers flock there is opportunity.
For lower-paid workers, Qatar offers something life in Asia or Africa cannot, namely a job, regular income and the ability to support a family back home.
For white-collar workers, Qatar offers better career prospects, higher salaries and tax-free living.
Everyone has their price and, as long as Qatar continues to pay, migrant workers will continue to arrive.
Dhan Baruwal is from Nepal, and went to Qatar when he was just 18.
He began life as an unskilled labourer but has now worked his way up to become utilities supervisor on a construction site in Doha.
He is honest about why he went there – money was the main lure, he says.
“In Nepal, even if you find a job, you can only earn US$150 a month,” he says. “But here, I can get US$700 a month. That’s why I like it.”
Like most migrant workers, Baruwal, now 24, is supporting his family back home.
Two younger sisters and a brother are going to school, thanks to his regular cash transfers home, and his parents – who as teachers earn very small salaries – are being supported too.
For others, life in Qatar is a stepping stone towards something better.
Dan Pascut left his native Romania a year ago because of the poor economic situation, and says there are simply not enough good jobs for all the graduates the country is producing.
Pascut holds a masters degree in business management but, for now, is content to work as a valet parker at a five-star hotel.
“For me, this is just the first step,” he says. “Working in a hotel chain, you get a lot of opportunities. The hotel industry offers the chance to start low, but to grow within the company and put into practice everything you have learned at university.”
Pascut finds it difficult to be separated from his family and he misses traditional Romanian food but, like most people in Qatar, he does not plan to go home any time soon.
“If my contract finishes, I will look again for work abroad,” he says. – BBC