| dc.description.abstract | The COVID 19 pandemic that began in the end of 2019 shattered the world economy. Big and small businesses suffered huge loss and some even collapsed., impacted every individual all over the world in one way or another and the migrant workers in Gulf are not an exception to this.
Every year millions of migrant workers from all over the world migrate to oil rich Gulf countries. Prospect of job employment accelerated by high economic growth attracted Gulf to be the main hub for migrant workers. However, with COVID 19, the job market in Gulf also suffered a huge impact and the migrant workers were fired or been laid off by the employers amid the pandemic. This created a huge economic, social, health and psychological impact on the workers.
Hence, in this study, I tried to analyze the impact the Nepalese labor migrants had to face with COVID 19. This study has focused on identifying the impact and coping mechanism against COVID 19 for Nepalese migrant workers in Gulf. I also looked upon the motivational factors for migrant workers to incur migration decision either staying at destination, re-migrate during the COVID 19 crisis or return back home amid the pandemic. Finally, I analyzed how the migrant workers minimized the net loss of resources, managed stress during the COVID 19 crisis at GCC and its role in inducing migration decision.
Following qualitative research method, I categorized the participants for interview into three different categories. I analyzed the impact on the migrants who decided to stay in Gulf even after losing their job. I also explored the impact on migrants who decided to return back to Nepal and looked upon the situation for migrants who decided to re locate to some other countries.
Migration theory was identified as the first theoretical domain that established the background and analytical context of this study. I incorporated Migration Network Theory as a guide to understand the role of migration network to overcome emotional, social and moral support during crisis along with the coping mechanisms. In addition, I also referred to theories of transnationalism to explore the role of the cross-boundary networks and social relations in migrants’ decisions. In addition, this study is also focused on Motivational theory of Migration and Conservation Resource Theory.
Impacts of COVID 19 is similar for all categories of migrants. Almost all the migrant workers had the same motive of moving to Gulf which was in search of better job opportunities and stable income. Similarly, all the migrant workers faced similar impact with COVID 19 as some of them were furloughed from their duties while several of them were fired. Some faced lower and delayed payments. This study has identified several coping mechanisms. However, the support from migrant networks and transnational practice helped them to cope up with the impact of the pandemic. Various motivational factors including their status of savings, travel restrictions during the COVID 19 pandemic, compulsion to earn, social ties to home country and uncertainty about the time frame of COVID restriction are identified as the most pressing issues to induce migration decision either to stay at the destination, remigrate to another destination or return back home during the hardship period of COVID 19. | |
