The troublesome Gulf: research on migration to the Middle East

"This review of recent research outlines changes in the composition and organization of labor supplies to the Middle East since the 1970s and indicates some effects on both sending and receiving countries. Before the recent Gulf war, Asians increasingly supplanted Arab migrant workers, entering the Gulf labor force through kinship networks, recruitment agencies and project-tied migration. At the national level, this emigration has sometimes led to severe labor shortages, as in Pakistan. Another effect is the impact of remittances on saving and investment behavior. A few detailed studies about countries of origin have provided insights into the push factors of the migration process; however, a major problem limiting research is poor survey and census data."