The World Cup and Migrant Labor

THE WORLD CUP AND MIGRANT LABOR

The gleaming stadiums and hotels built in Qatar since 2010 in preparation for the World Cup were constructed almost entirely by migrant labor. Qatar’s population is 3 million: 85% are migrants, mostly from South Asia, i.e., India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nepal. They do all the menial work including construction, cleaning, and kitchen work.

Migrant labor is recruited en masse by specialized companies, who charge more than $2,000 per worker. The charge is paid by the worker and is far more than is legally allowed ($75). In Qatar and other Persian Gulf nations construction workers routinely endure temperatures of over 100 degrees.

The minimum wage is $275 a month. Some return home sick (kidney disease is common), some dead: over 2,100 Nepalis alone have died in Qatar since 2010. Why do migrants volunteer for or even covet jobs under these exploitative conditions? They have no alternative. Employment opportunities are few and low-paid in their home countries. These workers are part of the low end of the “international division of labor.” Think of them as you watch the

World Cup in those gleaming stadiums.

(Source: The New York Times, 11/18/22)