Qatar and other GCC countries are not paying enough for skilled and unskilled workers in the construction industry, recruiters have said. 

The result: a shortage of such workers just as Qatar is embarking on several mega-projects, and a slew of delays that will make finishing such projects before the World Cup 2022 deadline difficult.

Gulf Times reports:

“Owing to low salaries, we are unable to recruit workers from the traditional labour-supplying nations in Asia,” said a senior engineer at a major construction firm.

The engineer said it is difficult to get trained and experienced workforce at the current levels of salaries…“As a result, a number of projects across the country are behind schedule.”

…Recently a (senior official at a South Asian embassy) said even unskilled construction workers in many parts of his country are drawing between $10-12 a day compared to less than QR800 (about $220) a month in Qatar.

Previously, the huge projects that Qatar and Saudi Arabia had planned were forecasted to result in a regional manpower shortage.

But it appears now that many Asian workers are forego migrating to the GCC already, instead entering the construction industry at home due to a lack of incentives abroad.

Meanwhile, summer hours that allowed workers to avoid working during the hottest part of the day finished on Aug. 31 – though forecasters say 39C (102F) temperatures are expected to continue for at least the next two weeks.

Thoughts?

Credit: Photo by Shell