Analysis of the determinants of foreign labor preference in small industrial enterprises and middle schools in Erbil governorate: applied study for the year 2021

Abstract

This study aims to present the determinants of foreign labor preference and to show its types in small and medium industrial enterprises in the Erbil governorate. The research reached a set of conclusions, including:

• There is a commitment to work and accuracy on the part of foreign workers compared to local workers because most foreign workers do not accompany their families, and therefore it is easier for them to commit to work. The end result reflected negatively on local employment and led to an increase in unemployment, especially among the youth in the Erbil governorate.
• There is an increase in the skill of foreign workers compared to local workers, although most of them have previous experience in the work of those small and medium industrial projects in the governorate of Erbil.
• There is a decrease in the wages of foreign workers compared to the wages of local workers because the wages of foreign workers are linked to the exchange rates of the Iraqi dinar to a degree when it is converted into the currency of the foreign country, it constitutes a large amount. The summary of the research presented a number of proposals, including:
• Elimination of informal small industrial projects in Erbil governorate by the Syrians, which negatively affected the activity of official small industrial projects in Erbil governorate.
• Working on enacting a special law related to foreign labor by the National Assembly (Parliament) to address the random migration of foreign labor to the Kurdistan Region - Iraq.
• It is the responsibility of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry to work to protect small and medium industrial enterprises from competing with imported foreign goods, whether through customs taxes or by providing the necessary support for such projects.