GCC's immigration policy in the post-1990s

The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) is one of the hotspots of contractual workers in the world. The migration influx into the Gulf commenced after the mid-1970s when the region witnessed the first oil boom, leading to a massive augmentation of oil wealth. Consequent to the economic surge, the resource-rich monarchical states embarked upon large-scale construction and developmental activities. Such activities necessitated a huge workforce, especially of ‘blue collar’ workers, which the native GCC labour markets could not fulfil. Consequently, the bloc pursued an ‘open door’ demographic policy, inviting a large workforce from outside the region.