During the recent parliamentary deliberations on the 2025/26 Budget Framework Paper for the Ministry of Gender, Labour, and Social Development, Alex Ruhunda raised an alarm over the significant outflow of women to Arab nations, particularly from the Buganda region.

Ruhunda reasoned out that the mass migration of young women was creating a demographic imbalance, leaving young men struggling to find partners.

“There was a concern about the exodus of our girls, especially here in the Buganda region, to the Middle East. The young men are finding it very difficult to marry because the majority of women are being taken out,” Ruhunda said.

The Fort Portal Central legislator questioned whether the current policies, which prioritize labor export, adequately address the long-term social implications of this migration.

The rising migration of Ugandan workers to the Middle East has become a topic of national concern, with recent data revealing the trends and implications of this phenomenon.

Most Ugandan migrants heading to countries like the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Qatar, and Saudi Arabia are young adults between 20 and 40 years old; approximately 80% are male and 20% female.

Nearly all migrants, 99%, have completed at least primary school, while 21% hold undergraduate degrees or higher. Among degree holders, many work in specialized sectors such as security (43%), hospitality (25%), transportation (25%), and construction (16%).

Most of the workforce is concentrated in the UAE (54%), Qatar (34%), and Saudi Arabia (8%), while smaller numbers are found in countries like Kuwait, Bahrain, and Oman.

For female migrants, domestic work is the primary employment avenue. Despite the economic benefits associated with this migration, such as increased household incomes through remittances, there are escalating concerns regarding the social and economic outcome of this movement.

Ruhunda called for government intervention to regulate the flow of migrants, suggesting mechanisms to ensure a balance between meeting international labor demands and addressing local socio-economic challenges.

While labor migration has alleviated unemployment and contributed to household incomes through remittances, reports of exploitation, abuse, and difficult working conditions for Ugandan workers in the Middle East remain prevalent.

Advocates are now urging the government to strengthen protections for migrants and develop policies that consider both economic benefits and the societal impact of migration.

As Uganda grapples with these challenges, the debate continues on how to strike a balance between the opportunities presented by labor migration and the need to preserve the social fabric of the nation.