The number of expatriate workers in the Maldives experienced a huge boom in recent
years, increasing 188% between 2000 and 2011 to 79,777. This implies that an expatriate
worker is present in the country for every 4 members of the local population. Although
this large influx to the population contributes to economic growth by boosting consumer
demand and by providing human capital to meet shortfalls in local (available and willing)
labour, problems such as increased pressure on the already strained foreign exchange
market and detrimental effects on local employment are likely to be exacerbated. This
article looks at the characteristics of the expatriate workforce(defined here as the official
number of expatriate workers in the country) in the Maldives, and discusses the potential
benefits and problems their large and growing numbers could pose for the economy.