Wake-up call

Exploitative Recruitment Risk to Migrant Workers in Qatar's World Cup Hotels

Ahead of the Qatar World Cup 2022 kick-off in November, with its accompanying influx of an estimated one million visitors, recruitment is ramping up astonishing speed. So too are the implications of this hiring surge for the plight of migrant workers staffing Qatar’s hotels. By the end of 2022, Qatar’s hotel market is predicted to increase by 50% to over 44,000 hotel rooms staffed by workers – mainly from South Asia, Southeast Asia and East Africa – pursuing employment opportunities promised by one of the world’s largest sporting tournaments. Many seek jobs in hospitality, security and transport, joining the two million workers who already live and work in Qatar, a country heavily reliant on its migrant workforce. Research has shown the payment of recruitment fees by migrant workers to be one of the region’s single largest drivers of abuse. Where companies do not recognise their responsibility to cover these costs, workers lack some of the most basic protections against exploitation and are often left struggling financially. With the World Cup a mere five months away, the opportunity to address the suffering of the workers who will ensure the success of the event is fading fast. Many workers are likely to face the consequences of recruitment fees for months or even years – long after the final match of the tournament is played. Hotel brands have a central role to play in this process and are obliged to commit to rights-respecting recruitment practices, both in the lead-up to kick-off and into the future. The report shows the results of a survey answered by 14 hotel brands representing a large amount of hotel properties in Qatar. The questions focused on the scale and scope of their operations in Qatar and during the World Cup, their commitment to the Employer Pays Principle, their human rights due diligence processes and fee payments.

Studies / Research / Report
Business & Human Rights Resource Centre
20 pages
Qatar
English
Migrant Workers
Labour Rights
Hospitality