MOSUL TIME RADIO
The head of the Strategic Center for Human Rights, Fadhel Al-Gharawi, confirmed that the number of expatriate workers, according to indicators, has reached one million foreign workers working illegally.
Al-Gharawi, confirmed The number of migrant workers, according to indicators, reached one million foreign workers working illegally .
Al-Gharawi added in a statement that the number of foreign workers registered with the Ministry of Labor reached 43,000 workers in 2024 .
He stated that the average salary of a foreign worker in Iraq is $700, while the minimum salary of a local worker is $270, noting that the unemployment rate for workers in Iraq compared to unregistered foreign workers reached 26 %.
He pointed out that the percentage of Iraqi workers between the ages of 15-24 years in 2023 is 34%, and the unemployment rate among them is 15.5%, while the 2022 numbers for the labor force reached 35% with an unemployment rate exceeding 16 %, while the 2021 numbers reached 36.8%. The workforce aged 15-24 years faces unemployment of 16.23% and an employment rate of 35 %.
Al-Gharawi pointed out that registered expatriate workers transfer hard currency outside Iraq worth $600 million annually, while unregistered (foreign) expatriate workers transfer $4.2 billion annually in hard currency in a scene that harms the national economy .
Al-Gharawi explained that the entry of foreign workers into Iraq is through smuggling or through human trafficking gangs, or they enter on a tourist visa, or they enter through investment licenses as experts, and most of them are unskilled workers, and most of them are from the countries of Bangladesh, Pakistan, India, and Syria .
Gharawi called on the government and parliament to amend the labor law and tighten penalties on companies, institutions and projects that attract unlicensed foreign workers .
He also called on the Ministry of Labor to activate the Resolutions (33) campaign regulating the registration of foreign workers. He also called on the Ministry of Labor and the Ministry of Interior to launch a continuous campaign to deport unlicensed workers, those who do not hold an official entry visa, or whose entry permit has expired for any reason. He also called on security institutions to pursue human trafficking gangs and enhance security and intelligence cooperation with Arab, regional and international countries to prevent the phenomenon of illegal labor. Legitimacy. He also called on the government and the Ministry of Labor to consider the year 2026 as a year free of unlicensed foreign workers.
