Kuwait eases curbs on transfer of workers in small and medium-scale enterprises

Cairo: Workers at small and medium-scale enterprises (SME) in Kuwait can now transfer to a new employer in the same sector just after the end of a year, according to a media report.

The relaxed rules, however, make the transfer conditional on the current employer’s approval, Kuwaiti news portal Almajilis reported, quoting unspecified sources.

There was no immediate comment from Kuwaiti authorities.

In recent months, Kuwait, a country of 4.9 million people mostly foreigners, has taken several steps to boost labour mobility.

Starting from this month, expatriates hired from abroad to work at government projects in Kuwait became able to transfer their labour permits outside this sector, but after meeting a set of conditions.

They include the expiry of the government contract or the end of the project; submitting a report to the Public Authority of Manpower issued by the contracting government agency or the owner of the project stating that it has ended and that the workers are no longer needed; and the passage of one year after the recruitment of the workers, Kuwaiti newspaper Al Rai reported.

Two other conditions are an approval from the employer on whose registration the worker is listed; and paying an extra fee of KD350.

Earlier this year, Kuwait announced a grace period, allowing domestic workers to transfer from Visa 20 (domestic sector) to Visa 18 (private sector). The transfer opened on July 14 and ended on September 12.

As a result, around 55,000 domestic workers have joined the private sector, capitalising on the transfer aimed to offset a shortage in house labourers.

The transfers were expected to largely contribute to reducing the shortage in house workers in Kuwait.