Ideological Shifts and Social Impacts: A Study of Labour Migration from Pakistan to GCC Countries

Abstract This research aims to explore the socio-economic impacts of labour migration from Pakistan to GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) countries. Labour migration is a complex and dynamic process which involves multiple factors. Today, it is considered a natural process that happens in every state as a source of cultural diversity and financial contribution. Specifically, the study looks into changes of family ideology of labourers’ families and socio-economic impacts of remittances generated from labour migration on Pakistani society and the families of migrant workers. Primarily, the study focuses on the region of Gujranwala, as the home of the largest number of migrant workers with rural backgrounds in Punjab, Pakistan. The study follows a mixed method approach: a survey and focussed group interviews are used to explore the impact of labour migration in the specific region of Punjab. Fifteen focus group interviews were conducted from the families of labourers and a sixteenth was conducted after data saturation; similarly, 100 participants of surrounding families were selected through convenient sampling. From the interviews major changes in family ideology were children education, migration to cities, purchase of property and religious funding. The quantitative results show that the society (of a particular region) experienced significant impacts in terms of status transformation and breakdown of socio-ethnic hierarchies.