Yemen-Labor Crisis

Yemen residents struggling to survive as work dries up amid deepening labor crisis

  • English
  • العربية
  • Español
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  • ID : 8477380
  • Dateline : Recent
  • Location : Yemen
  • Category : Other
  • Duration : 2'20
  • Audio Language : Arabic/Nats
  • Source : China Global Television Network (CGTN)
  • Restrictions : No access Chinese mainland
  • Published : 2026-05-01 22:42
  • Last Modified : 2026-05-02 16:51:26
  • Version : 2
  • ID : 8477380
  • Dateline : الأيام الأخيرة
  • Location : اليمن
  • Category : Other
  • Duration : 2'20
  • Audio Language : العربية/الصوت الطبيعي
  • Source : China Global Television Network (CGTN)
  • Restrictions : No access Chinese mainland
  • Published : 2026-05-02 16:03
  • Last Modified : 2026-05-02 16:51:26
  • Version : 2
  • ID : 8477380
  • Dateline : Reciente
  • Location : Yemen
  • Category : Other
  • Duration : 2'20
  • Audio Language : Árabe/Nats
  • Source : China Central Television (CCTV)
  • Restrictions : No acceso a la parte continental de China
  • Published : 2026-05-02 15:09
  • Last Modified : 2026-05-02 16:51:26
  • Version : 2

Yemen-Labor Crisis

Yemen residents struggling to survive as work dries up amid deepening labor crisis

Dateline : Recent

Location : Yemen

Duration : 2'20

  • English
  • العربية
  • Español


Sana'a, Yemen - Recent (CGTN - No access Chinese mainland)
1. Various of local people waiting for jobs by roadside
2. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Ahmed Muawadah, daily wage worker (partially overlaid with shot 3):
"Our suffering is that we sit here without work. Sometimes we spend a whole month without working, except for one day, or just one day every two weeks. Work is very limited, almost non-existent. I have nine children, and I only work one day a month. I cannot support them. Jobs have completely disappeared. If opportunities were opened for us, I and all the workers would work."
++SHOT OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE++
3. People waiting by road side
++SHOT OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE++
4. Various of people waiting for jobs by roadside
5. Various of building, signboard featuring "General Federation of Yemen Workers' Trade Unions"
6. Flags
7. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Abdul Karim Al, secretary general, General Federation of Trade Unions in Sanaa (starting with shot 6/ending with shot 8):
"There has been a significant decline in business activity as a result of the war, the blockade, and the disruption of work. Foreign capital has also left the country, and large companies have moved out of Yemen and stopped their operations. This is one of the main reasons."
8. Various of people waiting for jobs by roadside
9. Various of workers, machinery at construction site
10. Various of street scene, people


People in Yemen are struggling for survival as the country continues to grapple with a deepening labor crisis after more than a decade of war, with many lamenting the lack of opportunities which are leaving the livelihoods of many hanging in the balance.

As the world marks International Workers' Day on Friday, the situation in Yemen seems all the more poignant as millions of people are finding it increasingly hard to find any work at all.

In the crowded streets of the capital Sana'a, workers gather on street corners, waiting for jobs that may never come. Ahmed Muawadah is one of the many who are sitting here, watching passing cars, desperately hoping that one will stop and offer work.

"Our suffering is that we sit here without work. Sometimes we spend a whole month without working, except for one day, or just one day every two weeks. Work is very limited, almost non-existent. I have nine children, and I only work one day a month. I cannot support them. Jobs have completely disappeared. If opportunities were opened for us, I and all the workers would work," said Muawadah.

This individual story reflects a broader reality affecting an estimated eight million workers across Yemen. Many of them are hoping to receive a daily wage, but the challenges are mounting in an increasingly strained labor market.

Activity in key sectors such as construction and services has dropped sharply, largely due to the suspension of several international initiatives, including those backed by the World Bank. As a result, income opportunities have narrowed for those who rely primarily on daily wages.

Meanwhile, the widening impact of the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran and the disruption caused along the key Strait of Hormuz -- a key shipping route for global trade -- has brought more misery in recent weeks.

"There has been a significant decline in business activity as a result of the war, the blockade, and the disruption of work. Foreign capital has also left the country, and large companies have moved out of Yemen and stopped their operations. This is one of the main reasons," said Abdul Karim Al, secretary general of the General Federation of Trade Unions in Sana'a.

ID : 8477380

Published : 2026-05-01 22:42

Last Modified : 2026-05-02 16:51:26

Source : China Global Television Network (CGTN)

Restrictions : No access Chinese mainland

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