COVID-19: Kuwait set to revamp labour market rules due to pandemic
Decisions expected assessing employers’ needs of expat and national workers
Cairo: Kuwait is poised to take steps to reorganise its labour market prompted by economic impact of the global coronavirus pandemic, a local report said Sunday.
The Public Authority of Manpower will issue a series of decisions regulating the work market at the beginning of the new year after conducting a comprehensive assessment of the labour scene during the current year and the repercussions of the pandemic, Al Anba newspaper reported, citing a well-informed source at the state agency.
The expected decisions comprise estimates of employers’ needs of registered migrant and national workers as well as drawing up a plan of “Kuwaitising” a number of jobs, mainly the administrative ones, the source added.
The steps will also entail a study on increasing the numbers of Kuwaiti employees replacing expatriates in line with a law aimed at modifying the country’s population making-up, the source added.
Foreigners account for nearly 3.4 million of Kuwait’s over 4.8 million population.
In recent months, there have been increasing calls in Kuwait for curbing foreigners’ employment to redress a demographic imbalance amid accusations that migrant workers have strained the country’s infrastructure facilities.