A recently published report reveals that intra-regional labour mobility is one of the major drivers of Arab development and socio-economic integration, Mona El-Fiqi reports The International Organisation for Migration (IOM), in collaboration with the Arab Labour Organisation (ALO), launched on 19 April at the Arab League a comprehensive report on intra-regional Arab labour mobility. The report, part of an IOM-ALO joint project to assist countries in the Arab region to manage human and labour mobility, finds that 5.8 out of 13 million Arab migrants worldwide reside in the region. The number of Arab workers in Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries is decreasing, from 72 per cent of Arab migrant workers in 1970 to 56 per cent in 1985, and from 31 per cent in 1996 to reach currently less than 25 per cent due to the increase of Asian migrant labour. However, the report underlines that the migration corridor between the Arab Mashreq (Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria and Yemen) and the Arab Gulf remains the most significant pathway for Arab labour, with two in three migrants from the Mashreq and Yemen working in countries of the GCC. In 2006, the total labour force in the Arab region, according to the report, represented 38 per cent of the total population. Some 70 million workers representing half or more of the total Arab labour force mainly work in four countries namely, Egypt, Sudan, Morocco and Algeria. Although the Arab region has achieved positive economic development in recent years, the unemployment rate increased to reach 14.2 per cent in 2009. "More than 14 million workers are jobless, a figure that is considered one of the highest rates in the world when compared to the international rate standing at six per cent," the report explained. The increase in unemployment in 2009 was due to the global financial crisis. The rapid growth of the labour force and the difficulty of finding job opportunities in home countries are the main reasons that lead to migration in the Arab region. The report also finds that Arab countries received an estimated $35.1 billion in remittance inflows, marking a 6.6 per cent decline from 2008, mostly due to the effects of the financial crisis. The Arab region remains a major source of remittance outflows, with almost $31 billion being sent by foreign workers in 2008. According to the report, the mobility of labour is considered one of the major drivers of development. "For countries like Egypt, Lebanon and Jordan, the total amount of remittances received from these expatriates are 40 to 190 per cent higher than the revenues made from trade between these same countries and the rest of the region," stated the report. The report explains that the positive aspects of migration could be better harnessed through the reinforcement of existing labour mobility management systems, making them more flexible and better able to respond to challenges, such as growing youth populations, high unemployment rates, the emergence of irregular and unsafe migration practices, and widening regional development and employment differentials. The report concludes with a set of policy recommendations, including the need to foster international cooperation and policy dialogue between sending and receiving Arab countries. The launch of the report was attended by government officials from 20 Arab countries along with representatives of regional organisations such as the Arab League. It was followed by a two-day workshop that aimed at examining the technical aspects of labour mobility and how to apply the findings of the report. The workshop also focussed on tools for the facilitation of labour migration, migration and development, and mechanisms to identify future practical initiatives to enhance the positive impact of labour migration.
