A United Nations report was just issued in which the Kingdom was cited as harboring the world's fourth largest emigrant population. Of the 213 million emigrant workers around the world, 3 percent reside in Saudi Arabia. That may be a small piece of the pie but it translates into some 6.3 million workers, a significant number in a country with a population of 22 million. Not only Saudi Arabia but other countries in the Gulf and the region should be lauded for opening their doors to those who have decided to search for a better life beyond their home countries' borders. The culture of emigrant labor has proven itself an economic engine not only locally but in various south Asian countries where monthly remittances to families there bolster foreign exchange markets. With such a large emigrant population, there will inevitably arise labor disputes and disagreements regarding contractual responsibilities. The legislation and the enforcement mechanisms are now in place to reduce abuses on the part of employers and malfeasance on the part of employees, so a concerted effort should see such problems continue to decrease over time. Just as importantly, there should be serious efforts made to integrate our emigrants into Saudi society as much as possible. It would be valuably instructive if more friendships and after-work alliances were built between Saudis and emigrant workers and executives. It would broaden the horizons of all Saudis and impart the best of Saudi culture to foreign workers. We allow so many foreigners in to perform a vast array of work, from the most unskilled to the most highly skilled, it seems that we are truly wasting their presence by assigning the status as “the other”. These people are lending immeasurable support to the development of the Kingdom and they, no doubt, bring more than just their professional skills to our shores. We should never forget just how valuable our emigrant population is. __
