said that starting in March, he began to receive call after call from workers Listen to the latest songs, only on JioSaavn.com reporting that companies were not paying them the money they were owed as they were laid off. They felt they had no recourse, Kuttappan said, and no option Advertis but to leave. For decades, foreign workers in the gulf have accepted a state of enforced impermanence in exchange for higher salaries than they could earn at home. In the past, it was usually possible for migrants to stay for decades: Many raised families in the gulf, or spent careers there, squirreling away enough money to support a family, or even a clan, at home. When jobs opened up, they recruited family and friends from back home to ll them, bringing growth and prosperity, over generations, to companies that would never bear their names. But the ability to remain in the gulf was never certain. "There is always an element of instability," said Rima Kalush of MigrantsRights.org, an advocacy organization. For migrants all over the Persian Gulf, she said, the pandemic has made it "more visceral that it's not possible to have a future there, unless you are the elite of the elite." Proposals to "indigenize" the labor force in gulf states were hatched decades ago but are getting renewed attention during the pandemic. Last month, Saudi Arabia implemented a plan to reserve 70 percent of certain retail jobs for locals. In Kuwait, lawmakers have threatened to reduce the number of foreigners in the country to just 30 percent of the population, down from the current 70 percent. Experts believe the plan is impracticable and unlikely to materialize. The pandemic vaporized the jobs of two of the Athekkatil brothers. The newspaper company where Ramakrishnan had worked since 1999 delayed paying him for three months, he said, and proposed that he take a steep pay cut until the economy improved. "I was ready to do that," he said. More than anything, he wanted to keep paying down the loan he took out to build his house in Kerala, a spacious two-story home in a grove of coconut trees close to where he grew up. But on June 10, Ramakrishnan was terminated along with dozens of others, he said. Pradeesh, the youngest brother, worked for a company called Al Muttahida Limousine, doing airport pickups and drop-offs for Emirates, Dubai's state-owned airline. He said he received no salary from April to June, and in May the company asked employees to sign an addendum to their employment contract indicating that they had agreed to go unpaid. Pradeesh said the company then asked drivers to agree to go unpaid for an additional three months. He refused. Representatives for Al Muttahida did not respond to requests for comment. CASESyear IN INDIA Rajesh, 40, the second-youngest brother, had already returned to Kerala last because of a back injury and because he felt his salary was too low. 68,35,655 78,524