Wage Gap Between Migrant and National Workers is Increasing in MENA Region
The International Labour Organisation (ILO) in its report released on Monday warned that the gap between the wages paid to migrant workers and national workers is increasing each day in the MENA region. The ILO claimed that due to the pandemic this wage gap may widen further.
“What our report shows is that even before COVID-19 migrant workers suffered significant inequality and treatment in terms of wages. And we know that the wage gap not only has widened in the past few years, but migrants continue to be the subject of discrimination during this pandemic”, said chief of ILO’s Labour Migration Branch Michelle Leighton.
At a press conference held to present the findings of the report, Leighton said factors such as education, skills and experience explain much of the wage gap. However, discrimination tops the list. Migrant workers face discrimination in MENA countries, and hence, the wage gap.
“Therefore tackling discrimination and prejudices that are deeply entrenched in the workplace and our society is more important than ever. And addressing the migrant pay gap is not only a matter of social justice, but it's also important to reduce inequalities between women and men to reduce income inequalities between households”, Leighton said.
Moreover, women migrant workers earn less than male migrant workers. Female migrant workers face twice the discrimination and often work in domestic or care jobs only.
In high-income countries, migrant workers were often in precarious work, with 27 percent on temporary contracts and 15 percent working part-time, and they tended to work in agriculture, fishing, forestry, mining, quarrying, manufacturing, energy and water utilities, or construction.
But in poorer countries, where migrants tended to be skilled workers from richer countries who were sent on temporary work assignments, the pay gap was inverted, with migrants earning about 17.3 percent more per hour than locals. High-income countries are expected to suffer a huge wage depression in the next few months.