Seven out of ten Indians in Gulf want to quit jobs

Dubai, Feb 11 (UNI) Despite India's move to introduce minimum wages for expatriates, more than 69 per cent of the Indian workers are planning to quit their jobs this year.

According to a salary survey conducted by Arabianbusiness.com, workers from India and Pakistan were particularly dissatisfied with their current employment, with 69 per cent saying they were more likely to quit jobs this year. Only 16 per cent of Indian and 13 per cent of Pakistani workers said they were less likely to switch jobs.

More and more Indian companies like Larsen and Toubro were advertising in the Gulf offering better pay packages and asking Indian nationals to return home.

Gulf businesses might face a tough year ahead trying to retain staff, with more than two-thirds of employees indicating they were more likely to leave their job this year, the survey revealed.

Data from the first annual survey shows a sharp decline in job loyalty across the GCC, led by Oman, Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

Almost three-quarters of employees in Oman said were more likely to quit their job this year, with only 11 per cent saying they were more likely to see the year out in their present position.

In Saudi Arabia 69 per cent of employees said they were looking for another job, while in the UAE the figure stood at 68 per cent.

Bahrain registered the highest level of company loyalty, but over half of employees still said they planned to look for other work opportunities this year, compared to just 20 per cent that said they were more likely to stay put.

The attractiveness of the GCC for expatriate workers has taken a hammering in the last 24 months due to the rising cost of living and weakening of Gulf currencies linked to the tumbling US dollar.

Inflation surged to record highs across the Gulf last year, hitting 14 per cent in Qatar, 7.6 per cent in Oman, 6.2 per cent in Kuwait, 6 per cent in Saudi and 4.9 per cent in Bahrain.

Inflation hit a 19-year high of 9.3 per cent in the UAE in 2006, the last official figure. Some analysts have predicted inflation in the Emirates could surge to 12 per cent this year due to soaring real estate prices and the weakening dollar.

The dollar hit record lows against major global currencies last year, dropping almost 12 per cent against the euro and the Indian rupee, and 2.8 per cent against the British pound.

The most dissatisfied nationals in the UAE, however, were South Africans followed by UK nationals.

Over 7,000 Gulf employees have so far participated in the salary survey.

UNI XC SYU HS1444