New employment law effectively ends Qatar’s exploitative kafala system

Workers will be able switch jobs without employers' permission, but rights groups say measure does not go far enough

Workers in Qatar may now change jobs without needing to obtain their employers' permission, ending one of the most criticised elements of the country's labour system.

The government has also announced an increase in the minimum wage, but rights groups have said the measure does not go far enough, leaving low wage workers earning as little as 1 an hour.