Dr. Al-Gharawi reveals 1 million illegal workers in Iraq, urges reform
Shafaq News/ On Tuesday, the head ofthe Strategic Center for Human Rights, Dr. Fadel Al-Gharawi confirmed that there are currentlyone million illegal migrant workers in Iraq.
Al-Gharawi told Shafaq News Agencythat “43,000 foreign workers are registered with the Ministry of Labor in 2024.”
“The average salary for a foreignworker in Iraq is $700, compared to $270 for a local worker,” he said, highlighting“a 26% unemployment rate for local workers versus unregistered foreign workers.”
Al-Gharawi further noted that “in2023, 34% of Iraqi workers aged 15-24 are employed, with a 15.5% unemploymentrate. This compares to 35% employment and over 16% unemployment in 2022, and36.8% employment with a 16.23% unemployment rate in 2021.”
Moreover, he noted that “registeredexpatriate workers transfer $600 million annually out of Iraq, whileunregistered workers send $4.2 billion, impacting the national economynegatively.”
“Foreign workers enter Iraq throughsmuggling, human trafficking, tourist visas, or investment licenses as experts.Most are unskilled and come from Bangladesh, Pakistan, India, and Syria,” heclarified.
In this context, the specialist urgedthe government and parliament to amend the Labor Law and impose stricterpenalties on companies that hire unlicensed foreign workers.
He requested the Ministry of Labor “toenforce Resolutions (33) for foreign worker registration and to collaboratewith the Ministry of Interior on a campaign to deport unlicensed workers andthose with expired visas,” calling for “intensified efforts against humantrafficking and improved security and intelligence cooperation with Arab,regional, and international partners.”
Additionally,he recommended declaring “2026 as the year free of unlicensed foreign workers.”
