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Expat remittances likely to plummet after labor cleanup

June 16, 2013

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Jeddah, Jun 16: Remittances from Saudi Arabia by expatriate workers to their home countries are likely to decline due to the new labor laws, according to Fadhel Albuainain, economist and banking expert.

“The launch of the new, accurate labor system and the implementation of the salary protection program in the future will help reduce the amount of transferred money out of the Kingdom by expatriates,” he said.

“There is no doubt that the nearly SR 110 billion sent out of the country so far is a big loss for the Kingdom's economy,” he added.

According to the recently released Migration and Development Brief 2012 of the World Bank's Migration and Remittance Unit, Saudi Arabia contributed the highest share of remittances in 2012. The amount was estimated at $ 24.18 billion, accounting for 39 percent of the GCC's total remittances, followed by the UAE, where remittances reached $ 18.21 billion, contributing to 29.8 percent of the GCC's total remittances.

The Kingdom is the largest among the GCC countries in both oil production and population. The Kingdom's remittance rate is the highest among the Gulf countries mainly due to the country's large expat population, estimated at 8 million by the General Department of Statistics.

Albuainain said he is optimistic about the recent move by the Labor Ministry to create a database for workers' salaries. This, he said, would reduce the remittance rate.

“Most expatriates with iqamas transfer their money officially through the Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency, which monitors the amount of money that each expat wants to send and compares it with his salary. If he transfers more than his salary, he will be investigated,” Albuainain said, adding that illegally transferred money is mostly sent by illegal expatriates who do not have iqamas.

“They send their money with the help of loan traffickers. In most cases, this money comes from an illegal source. However, if the Labor Ministry succeeds in arresting illegals, the illegally remitted amount will come down by SR 10 billion,” said Albuainain.

He said the Labor Ministry’s main challenge in the next stage is to control illegally transferred money.

The economist advised the Ministry of Kabor to minimize the number of illegal expatriates in order to decrease the amount of transferred money.

“We can provide a healthy environment for expatriates to invest in the stock market. Expatriates are now afraid of the stock market because of the huge losses it registered recently. When we activate this sector and provide a better working environment, we can attract them to invest safely in Saudi Arabia,” he said.

Hattab Al-Enizi, spokesman of the Labor Ministry, told Arab News that the wage protection program will officially start on July 1. It aims to include companies that have more than 3,000 employees, while smaller companies will be gradually included in the new system.

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coastaldigest.com web desk
July 6,2020

Dubai, July 6: In an attempt to make a comeback in the tourism sector amidst managing covid-19 crisis, Dubai is all set to welcome holiday-makers from foreign countries from July 7.

It said those entering would have to present certificates to show they had recently tested negative for the coronavirus or would undergo tests on arrival at Dubai airports.

Reassuring tourists of several comprehensive measures to prevent the transmission of the pandemic, Dubai Tourism urged global travellers to make the city that boasts world class health and safety standards "a must-visit destination."

Dubai Tourism hosted a virtual forum for stakeholders and partners to share its industry outlook ahead of the city's reopening to international tourists.

The forum, which was attended by nearly 2,000 key executives from the aviation, travel and hospitality sectors and across tourism touch-points, provided a first-hand insight into current and post-pandemic strategies that will help accelerate tourism momentum and position Dubai as a safe global destination.

Helal Saeed Almarri, director general, Dubai Tourism, said that the city has put in place a robust strategy to manage the pandemic with the key priority being to safeguard the health and well-being of citizens, residents and guests.

Dubai, which saw a 5.1 per cent in tourist traffic to 16.73 million in 2019, remains top of mind for travellers and ranks high in global Internet search rankings for tourist destinations.

Dubai Tourism has launched marketing activities designed to convey positive messages about travel in today's environment, Dubai's preparedness, high standards of quality and safety, unique experiences that await visitors and also address traveller concerns across every touch-point in their journey.

The forum highlighted the preventive measures taken so far against Covid-19 that have further elevated the UAE's standing as one of the world's safest countries. The UAE is globally ranked No.3 in testing per million of population. It was also ranked No.3 in an international survey that assessed satisfaction with governments' response to the pandemic.

Over 350 influencers were also deployed to take the Dubai story in 14 different languages to a global audience spanning 18 markets, which yielded over 21 million engagements across multiple social media platforms.

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News Network
July 28,2020

Dubai, Jul 28: A heart-broken father who lost his 19-year-old son in a tragic car accident during Christmas last year has sponsored the repatriation costs of 61 Indians stranded in the UAE.

 The special flydubai repatriation flight, chartered by the All Kerala Colleges Alumni Federation (Akcaf) volunteer group, of which he is a member of, departed from Dubai to Kochi on July 25 carrying 199 passengers.

 On this particular flight, I sponsored 55 air tickets," said TN Krishnakumar, a sales and marketing director. He had lost his son Rohit Krishnakumar in a car accident, which also claimed the life of the teen's friend, Sharat Kumar (21).

"All passengers who were registered with the Indian missions were also asked to register on the Akcaf volunteer group website. Each passenger was further vetted, after which we made home visits to ensure that all the applicants were genuinely in need of financial support and repatriation," he said.

Commenting on what inspired him to dedicate himself to community work, Krishankumar said: "When a situation like this comes up, you realise there is no meaning in money. I invested everything I made into my son, and that had crashed in front of my eyes. He was a third-year medical student at the University of Manchester in the UK and had returned home for a vacation when the accident took place. Since then, I have been involved in a lot of social activities. If I do not do this, there is no meaning to my existence."

Since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, Krishnakumar said the group has supported thousands of individuals in need of help. "We supported unemployed people with several hundred bags of grocery kits and other necessary items. We also supported Covid-19 patients by transferring them to the medical facility in Warsan, etc.," he said.

"I come from a very middle-class family. I got a scholarship to study in college, and I studied with the help of taxpayers' money. I have always wanted to give back to society. I have grown immensely in life and now is my time to give back.," he added.

Krishnakumar also sponsors the education of over 1,000 academically gifted school children in Kerala's government-aided schools. He is a life trustee at the College of Engineering Trivandrum Alumni Galaxy Charitable Trust and an active participant towards various educational causes.

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News Network
May 18,2020

Abu Dhabi, May 18: Bollywood superstar Salman Khan has recorded a special message for Indian expats in the UAE as the country fights the coronavirus pandemic.

Khan - one of the biggest stars of Bollywood for decades - enjoys a large fan following in the Gulf, which is why Abu Dhabi roped in the actor to record a special video message for expats, urging them to cooperate with authorities in the capital and the country as they carry out sanitisation and testing programmes.

In the video, tweeted by the Abu Dhabi Media Office on Sunday night, the superstar appeals to Indians in Abu Dhabi to become heroes by staying home (stepping out for essential work/errands only), following precautionary measures and simply 'do the right thing' by getting tested if they have any Covid-19-related symptoms.

Khan, who has shot his recent super hit films (Race 3) in the capital, assured expats that Abu Dhabi authorities will not leave the community in these challenging times as it is a hospitable city who takes care of all residents.

"Following preventive measures also protects your family from the virus - so do the right thing as heroes do," Khan concludes.

The second phase of Abu Dhabi's sanitisation and testing in labour areas is underway, which started on May 16. Special testing facilities have been set up in the city for this purpose that test thousands of workers everyday.

As of May 17, UAE has confirmed over 23,000 cases along with over 8,000 recoveries and 220 deaths.

The country recently made a breakthrough in treating Covid-19 by using stem cells to help with the recovery.

The UAE leadership has thanked citizens and residents for their cooperation and assured that the country will take care of everyone in the country - with food and medicines being the red line, and that there will be no shortage of either during the crisis. Stimulus packages have been announced to help businesses stay afloat.

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