A new study - Opens in new tab conducted by the Community Medicine Department of the United Arab Emirates University reveals that at least 25.1% of migrant workers are clinically depressed. The study was conducted on 318 labor camp workers using translated questionnaires. The abstract is available online - Opens in new tab, and the study will be published in the Immigrant Minority Health Journal next month.
The study also found that 6.3% of migrant workers entertain suicidal thoughts and 2.5% have attempted to take their own lives. The findings added to the growing collection of studies on the Emirate’s migrant workers; one such study conducted by the Dubai Police Department - Opens in new tab found the highest rates of suicide to be amongst Indians and other South Asians, who account for 90% of all suicides in Dubai. The conclusions corroborated an earlier study - Opens in new tab examining suicide patterns from 1992-2000, which found male expatriates to be the most likely to take their own lives.
The study was submitted to the Ministry of Labor with recommendations to legislate a minimum wage as well as a maximum 8 hour work day. Correlations between depression, wages and the number of hours worked, confirmed concerns voiced by migrant NGOs in the past - Opens in new tab. Given that long work days and low wages prevail throughout the Gulf, the consequences - as well as the proposed solutions - are likely pertinent across the region.