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Qatar Changes Labor Laws, Including Minimum Wage

Qatar on Sunday announced changes to its labor laws, including an increase of the minimum monthly wage by 25%, to 1,000 riyals ($275), and an end to a rule requiring employer consent to change jobs. The new minimum wage, which takes effect in six months, covers all workers. Ending the need for an employer’s permission to switch jobs goes into effect immediately. The announcement was made by the Ministry of Administrative Development, Labor and Social Affairs and is part of a series of labor reforms in the lead-up to the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Qatar has come under fire from human rights groups for its treatment of foreign workers building facilities for the event. Amnesty International’s head of Economic and Social Justice, Stephen Cockburn, praised the changes, calling them “a positive step” but adding that “there is much still to do.”