Pre-Departure Processes of Overseas Labor Migration: The Case of Ethiopian Women Migrating to Saudi Arabia for Domestic Work.
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Date
2025-03-01
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
This study examined the pre-departure process of Ethiopian women migrating to the Middle East
(Saudi Arabia) as domestic workers by examining the ways information is gathered, the processes
of recruitment, preparation (training and orientation), deployment, the roles of various actors, and
challenges faced during the process. A qualitative research design was adopted by using purposive
and snowball sampling. Data was collected through in-depth interviews with 10 migrant workers,
5 Ministry of Labor and Skills (MOLS) officials, and workers. Key informant interviews were
conducted with 11 informants from 6 private overseas employment agencies (POEAs), 3 informants
from the Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) center, and 2 brokers.
Document analysis were also used to gather data. The data was finally analyzed using a thematic
analysis approach. The findings show that the pre-departure phase involves different processes,
such as gathering information through various means. Moreover, the pre-departure process
involves potential migrant workers registering on the Ethiopian Labor Market Information System
(E-LMIS). The pre-departure process involves mandatory steps facilitated by the E-LMIS platform,
including online registration, biometric identification, and obtaining a Labour ID and QR code for
tracking and verification. Potential migrants without a Certificate of Competency (COC) must
undergo domestic worker training at TVET centers and pass a COC test. The recruitment is often
facilitated by POEAs through the musaned platforms if the destination country is Saudi Arabia,
after securing job opportunities contract signing will be followed. Furthermore, medical
examinations, visa processing, and further document processing facilitated by POEAs and
submitting all required documents to the E-LMIS for review and evaluation to obtain approval to
work overseas. The evaluation is done by MOLS. However, challenges include potential migrant
workers’ information gaps, reliance on brokers, and geographical concentration of services.
POEAs, TVET, and MOLS also face different challenges during the process. Generally, the recent
reforms of labor migration have contributed to better and safer labor migration. However, there
are still some challenges in the recruitment, training, and deployment process for overseas labor
migration to the middle east countries specifically Saudi arabas as a female domestic worker.
Key words: Pre-departure process, Overseas Labor migration, Domestic Workers, Recruitment.
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Keywords
Pre-departure process, Overseas Labor migration, Domestic Workers, Recruitment.