The impact of Workers’ Welfare Programme on the migrant workers: insights from Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup

For the past decade, FIFA’s decision to award World Cup hosting rights to Qatar has placed the country in the spotlight of international scrutiny and criticism, particularly for the treatment of migrant workers delivering infrastructure projects and venues for the upcoming mega event. The Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy (SC), chief body responsible for the successful delivery of the 2022 World Cup and post-event legacy, has taken steps beyond Qatar’s current labour law requirements and created the Workers’ Welfare Programme (WWP). It entails a unique and comprehensive approach to screening, auditing and retaining contractors that fulfil a specific set of requirements designed to protect migrant workers from abuse and provide them with working and living conditions of high standards. Currently, research on the effectiveness of this Programme as well as other efforts to protect migrant workers – both in Qatar and globally – is rather limited in its scope and depth. Existing studies mainly focus on post-event analyses with inadequate primary data collection efforts, failing to give voice to all parties involved. This study aims to bridge this knowledge gap by investigating the factors affecting the migratory construction workers involved in the preparations for the 2022 FIFA World Cup. It does so by examining the implementation of various aspects of the SC’s WWP and the extent to which it has impacted migrant workers and other relevant stakeholders. The study adopted a mixed-method approach to data collection and analysis by conducting a quantitative survey of migrant workers and juxtaposing it with findings from qualitative interviews with high level stakeholders. The results indicate that great strides have been achieved in improving different aspects of migrant workers’ lives such as their living conditions and workplace safety standards. However, a number of concerns remain to be fully resolved, including the illegal practice of levying recruitment fees, comprehensive training, salary satisfaction as well as access to healthcare. The study suggests a number of policy recommendations to effectively address the issues and preserve Qatar’s post-World Cup legacy