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Project-Tied Labor Migration from Turkey to the MENA Region: Past, Present, and Future

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  17 May 2011

Ahmet İçduygu  and
Deniz Sert
Ahmet İçduygu
Affiliation:
Koç University, Istanbul
Deniz Sert
Affiliation:
Koç University, Istanbul
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Abstract

The geographic region of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) comprises one of the most fascinating immigration regions of the world, hosting millions of migrants and receiving thousands of new migrants each year. While the panorama of MENA's immigration arena is extremely diverse, this article aims to investigate project-tied, or contract-based, labor migration from Turkey, which occurs mostly through the long-established work of Turkish companies that engage in various construction and service-sector businesses. Taking the analytical context of migration system theory into consideration, the main aim of this essay is twofold: while it attempts to document the dynamics and mechanisms of contract-based labor migration from Turkey to the MENA countries, it also intends to elaborate on research about migratory systems between Turkey and the MENA region, mainly referring to macro-level factors affecting the relevant migration system.

Type
Migrant Workers in the Middle East
Information
International Labor and Working-Class History , Volume 79 , Special Issue 1: Labor Migration to the Middle East , Spring 2011 , pp. 62 - 80
Copyright
Copyright © International Labor and Working-Class History, Inc. 2011

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References

NOTES

1. MENA countries in this article include Algeria, Bahrain, Djibouti, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Oman, Palestinian territories (the West Bank and Gaza Strip), Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, and Yemen.

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56. Ibid, 21.

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59. Ibid.

60. Ibid.

61. Ibid.

62. For a detailed elaboration of this issue, see the OECD-SOPEMI Reports of Turkey by İçduygu.

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