UAE still relies on Asian labor

UAE still relies on Asian labor

ABU DHABI (AFP): The United Arab Emirates (UAE) remains
heavily reliant on Asian labor despite the introduction of entry
curbs and calls for cutting the number of expatriate workers,
officials said yesterday.

Sheikh Taleb al-Qassimi, chief of the Ras al-Khaimah police,
said Arab labor was more secure than Asians given common
traditions and languages.

"But Arab labor is costly and we cannot impose it on the
private sector, which aims to make profits," he told al-Shuruq
magazine. "So long as the Asian workers meet the requirements of
the private sector, we cannot persuade this sector to replace
Asians with Arabs."

Independent estimates show around 70 percent of the UAE's
800,000-strong work force are from Asian countries, mainly India,
Pakistan, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and the Philippines.

The labor and social affairs ministry has repeatedly called on
local companies to recruit nationals to tackle the burgeoning
problem of unemployment caused by the graduation of a large
number of students from universities and training institutes.