Expatriate Workers Are Leaving Saudi Arabia in Droves - Bloomberg

Expatriate Workers Are Leaving Saudi Arabia in Droves - Bloomberg:

Saudi Arabia’s expatriate workers are leaving the kingdom by the thousands, and the exodus may not yet be over.

As companies struggle with slower business and authorities impose more fees on foreigners, the biggest Arab economy is losing some of its allure to expats who once flocked to a country awash with petrodollars.

The number of foreign workers declined by 6 percent to 10.2 million in the first three months of 2018 compared with a year ago, taking the cumulative drop over the five past quarters to about 700,000, according to official data released this month. The losses in the first quarter were in sectors including construction -- usually dominated by low-cost laborers -- as well as trade and manufacturing.