Gov’t Revises Expatriate Employment Rules, Removes Babysitters From List

The government has revised its amendments to expatriate employment regulations, removing baby sitters from the list of professions for which foreign employment will be phased out.

The regulations were amended earlier this week to ban foreign employment in several professions, including nurses, beauticians, teachers and accountants. Under the initial amendment, baby sitters were included among the jobs for which existing quotas would be cancelled and no new quotas issued after a two-year period.

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The inclusion of baby sitters drew criticism, with concerns raised that baby sitting was not a skilled profession and that the restriction could place an additional burden on households relying on such services. Following this feedback, the relevant ministry removed baby sitters from the list and republished the revised regulation in the government gazette on Wednesday.

Under the revised regulation, expatriate employment quotas will be cancelled and no new quotas issued after two years for hairdressers, beauticians, personal trainers, electricians, English-speaking guest relations officers, tour guides, accountants and imams.

Quotas will be cancelled after three years for divers, nurses, building inspectors, surveyors, site supervisors and pilots. A four-year period applies to electrical engineers and dive instructors, while quotas for housekeeping managers, human resource managers, front office managers, and primary and secondary teachers will be cancelled after five years.

The regulatory changes form part of broader government efforts to control expatriate employment and address illegal residency and work practices. Authorities have deported a large number of expatriates as part of ongoing operations to identify and take action against individuals living and working illegally in the country. Efforts are also under way to identify and shut down businesses operated unlawfully by expatriates.