Expatriate labour markets in rapidly globalising cities: reproducing the migrant division of labour in Abu Dhabi and Dubai

ABSTRACT

This paper studies the processes through which skilled international workers are differentially attracted to and incorporated in the rapidly globalising cities of Dubai and Abu Dhabi, thereby reproducing the migrant division of labour in these cities. This is accomplished by presenting results from a large-scale employment survey of foreign and local firms in these cities, as well as key informant interviews conducted with representatives of these firms. Most significantly, it is in global city labour markets that firm employment practices intersect with state regulatory frameworks and local employment structures, and thus, where skilled international migration flows are localised.

KEYWORDS:

• Migration
• Abu Dhabi and Dubai
• migrant division of labour
• expatriates
• global cities

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

ORCID

Michael C. Ewers http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1240-0522

Ryan Dicce http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7903-2221

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by Fulbright-Hays Doctoral Dissertation Research Abroad (DDRA) Grant [Award # P022A080026].