Egyptian Workers

For decades, Egyptians facing low wages and unemployment have migrated to the oil-rich Persian Gulf states to support relatives at home. But the economic downturn has reversed that flow.

Like millions of Egyptians over the decades, Amin left his native land to work in the Persian Gulf. In 2005, he was hired as a construction engineer in Dubai, the boisterous and glittering financial hub of the United Arab Emirates. But when the global financial crisis hit hard this year, skyscrapers stood unfinished and Amin was fired.

"The last four months have changed the face of my whole life. I had a job that I was more than content with. I was making plans for my and my kids' future and I simply thought it was going to last forever," said Amin, 29, who has returned to Cairo with his wife and two children. "Unfortunately, I was wrong."

At least 75,000 Egyptian expatriate workers have returned home from Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and other Persian Gulf countries since October, according to a report by the Egyptian Education, Training and Employment Observatory, which tracks how the worldwide downturn is affecting the job market.

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