The most recent proposal is to limit the expatriate stay, at least of the unskilled labour, to six
years only. Labour ministers submitted such a recommendation to the GCC leaders in December 2005
but it evokes various reactions (Arab Times, 14 December, 2005).
To sum up, in the years to come, in all the GCC states the employment of the nationals and
the labor migration will remain politically a very sensitive issue as it will cause further tensions
between the profit-driven concerns of the private sector, the indigenization efforts of the states and the
national security considerations. Moreover, a large number of foreigners residing in these countries
will bring new social and cultural challenges of consequences difficult to estimate, especially as the
naturalization of many foreigners will take place. Asians will continue to dominate the foreign
workforce at the expense of the non-Gulf Arab labor.