Egyptian-American architect Nada Karim, who was due to start a new job in Dubai when the firm froze hiring amid the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), checks her phone at her house in Dubai, United Arab Emirates May 7, 2020. REUTERS/Ahmed Jadallah
DUBAI/RIYADH (Reuters) - A popular Saudi talk show host told private businesses this week it was their national duty to lay off foreign rather than local employees, warning that the dominance of Saudi Arabia's workforce by expatriates was a "real danger".
Khaled al-Oqaily's comments on his daily TV show encapsulated the dilemma faced by 35 million foreigners who form the Gulf's economic backbone: as firms shed jobs because of the coronavirus pandemic and oil price crash, and governments move to protect citizens' jobs and wages, should they stay or go?
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