The death of a man from Kerala in an anti-tank missile attack by Lebanon near north Israel border has put the spotlight on Indians living in the Middle East, including Israel, and their jobs, livelihood, and safety.
The deceased, 31-year-old Pat Nibin Maxwell, had reportedly arrived in Israel from Kollam in Kerala two months ago, and was working on a farm at the time of the attack.
The other two injured Indians were identified as Bush Joseph George and Paul Melvin.
The Centre had yesterday advised around 18,000 Indians living in Israel to move to safer locations within the country amidst the war.
“In view of the prevailing security situation and local safety advisories, all Indians nationals in Israel, especially those working in or visiting border areas in the north and south, are advised to relocate to safe areas within Israel. The Embassy remains in touch with the Israeli authorities to ensure the safety of all our nationals,” the Indian Embassy in Israel said in a post on X.
Let us look at the data on Indians living in the Middle East.
In an RTI reply, the External Affairs Ministry last year said of the 1.34 crore NRIs, around 66% are in the Gulf countries, including UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman and Bahrain.
While 34.1 lakh NRIs live in the UAE, 25.9 lakh live in Saudi Arabia, followed by 10.2 lakh in Kuwait, 7.4 lakh in Qatar, 7.7 lakh in Oman, 3.2 lakh in Bahrain and 18,000 in Israel.
India received close to $123 billion in remittances in 2023, in which, UAE was the second largest source after the US. According to a report by the World Bank, the main factors for the increase in remittance inflow in India are the strong labour markets and the declining inflation in the high-income source countries of the West and Middle East. Furthermore, the report projects an 8 percent increase in India’s remittance inflow in the coming year.
Saudi Arabia was in the top position among Gulf countries that offered the most number of jobs in 2022. It is second to the UAE in the number of Indian expats living in a Middle Eastern country.
In 2022, Saudi Arabia provided 178,630 jobs to Indians. There was a five-fold increase in the figure as in 2021 and 2020 the numbers were 32,845 and 44,316 respectively. Kuwait was second, which saw a seven-fold increase in the number of jobs, in 2022, and Bahrain was at the last place with just 10,232 jobs offered.
An approximate 13,944 Indians trained at Skill India International Centres (SIIC) secured jobs in Saudi Arabia, minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar had informed Parliament last December, the Business Standard reported. Qatar came second with 3,646 skilled employed Indians.
According to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), nearly 50% of India’s migrant population works in Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) countries. An estimated 70% of the Indian population in this region comprises semi-skilled and unskilled workers while 20 to 23% of Indian professionals are in ‘white-collar’ jobs such as doctors, engineers, architects, chartered accountants, bankers and more.
Indians in Israel
After the attack on Gaza last October, work licences of more than 100,000 Palestinian workers were suspended by the Israeli government. Thus, Israel had allowed 42,000 Indian construction workers to migrate for work. The agreement was signed between Israeli foreign minister Eli Cohen and external affairs minister S Jaishankar.
The Haryana government in December advertised 10,000 positions for construction workers in Israel, including 3,000 posts for carpenters and ironworkers, 2,000 for floor tile fitters, and 2,000 for plasterers. The advertisement said the salary would be around 6,100 shekels (around $1,625) a month.
Uttar Pradesh also released a similar advertisement for another 10,000 workers, for which, recruitment drive began in Lucknow,
But there have been instances where Indian workers were caught in the conflicts of Middle East. In March 2018, India admitted that 39 Indian workers were killed after they were kidnapped by the ISIS armed group in Iraq. A group of 46 Indian nurses were freed in July 2014 by ISIL after more than a week in captivity.
Cost of Living in Israel
Times of Israel in August, 2023, quoting OECD, reported that the cost of living in Israel is more expensive than 76% of countries in the world. Some basic items such as milk, bread, and cheese are 58% to 70% more expensive in Israel compared to OECD countries.
The rent of a one-room apartment in Israel varies from $650-$750 to $450-650 depending on the area. The apartments are not equipped with central heating. One Israeli Shekel is equal to Rs 23.09. Expats who live in Tel Aviv Centre pay dearly for their accommodation, even the inter-city taxis are expensive, according to reports.
Caregiver Jobs in Israel
The job of a caregiver is considered an attractive opportunity for many Indians that offers a take-home salary of Rs 1.25 lakh a month, as reported by The Indian Express. The job offers overtime money to many employees, and the caregivers are entitled to leave on Sabbath from Friday afternoon to Saturday afternoon.
The caregiver visa is issued for four years and three months, and can be renewed. Once the visa is expired, the person has to leave the country, with a one-time amount that is offered to them.
A person who has completed an ANM (Auxiliary Nursing and Midwife) or GNM (General Nursing and Midwifery) can apply for the job of a caregiver. The caregivers are required to complete a one-month course in Hebrew. English-proficiency tests are not need for this job.
The migrants have been applying for job since mid-1990s when the Israeli government enacted a law in 1986 under which aged and disabled were entitled to receive home care, as reported by The Indian Express.
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