The economic and psychological impact of COVID-19 on highly skilled Indian migrants: a case study of Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Already exposed to different socio-economic vulnerabilities across the globe, the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic accentuated the challenges faced by migrant workers. In this context, migrants working in the Gulf Cooperation Council countries are no exception. This study attempts to examine the economic and psychological impact of COVID-19 on highly-skilled Indian migrants working in Saudi Arabia. Based on a survey of 335 highly skilled Indian migrant workers, the paper underlines that more than half of them faced financial issues, salary reductions, cuts in employment benefits, reduction in saving levels and a decline in remittance flow. The Correlation test was conducted to assess the psychological impact of covid-19 on migrants. A significant relationship was found between the migrants’ perception towards government policies and mental health. Based on the findings, the paper underlines the need for favourable government policies to overcome the problems faced by highly-skilled Indian migrants in the Gulf region.