Envoy says no reverse exodus from Gulf
Jul 23, 2009
Source: THE HINDU

 THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Although the global financial crisis has had some impact on Indian migrants to various Gulf countries, there is no reason to hit the panic button, says Indian Consul-General in the United Arab Emirates Venu Rajamony.
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Making a­ presentation on the ‘Impact of financial crisis on Indian migrant workers in the UAE’ on the second day of the international conference on ‘Financial crisis in the Gulf and its impact on South and South East Asian Migrants’ at the Centre for Development Studies (CDS) here on Wednesday, Mr. Rajamony said there was no sign of a sudden reverse exodus of the Indian migrant workers on account of the financial crisis. On the contrary, indications were that the outflow of workers to various Gulf destinations would continue, though at a reduced pace.­

There are an estimated 5 million Indians in­ the Gulf. Of them 1.5 million are in the UAE — more than 50 per cent of them from Kerala. During 2008, the UAE remained the single-most important destination for Indian workers followed by Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar, Kuwait and Bahrain. Saudi Arabia could replace the UAE as the most important destination, as the Saudi economy has not felt the impact to any great extent.­