Govt efforts fail to decrease presence of expat workers
KUWAIT CITY, Oct 1: Despite the government’s efforts to decrease the presence of foreign workers in the public sector, the recent Central Administration of Statistics data (Statistical Work Sector) shows a 3.6 percent increase in the number of expatriates working in the government sector during the first half of 2023 compared to the same period the previous year, reports Al-Qabas daily.
According to reports, the statistics indicate that the count of expatriates working in the government sector rose from 90.9 thousand at the end of June 2022 to 94.2 thousand by the end of June this year.
Several years ago, the executive authority issued multiple directives to establish committees to reduce the number of expatriate workers in the country. The most recent of these initiatives was the Council of Ministers’ decision in May, to form a national committee to regulate demographics.
This committee, led by the First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, Sheikh Talal Al-Khalid Al-Sabah, involving 10 government agencies, seemed to take a more proactive approach to making concrete executive decisions on the ground.
Regarding the growth of non-oil economic activities and the acceleration of large, small, and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the country, recent official data revealed that the Kuwaiti private sector labor market accounted for more than half of the workforce, estimated at 56.3%.
The total number of workers in the private sector (Kuwaitis and non-Kuwaitis) has reached 1.619 million at the end of June, compared to 1.458 million at the end of June 2022, reflecting an 11% increase and the creation of more than 161,000 new jobs.
The statistics showed that out of 1.641 million expatriate workers, approximately 953,000 individuals, constituting around 58%, held intermediate or lower educational qualifications. These numbers do not include domestic workers.
In contrast, about 377,500 individuals held secondary school certificates and above, while around 420,000 had diplomas and university degrees and above.
The statistics, the results of which were seen by Al-Qabas, indicated that 80 percent of foreign workers in Kuwait, excluding domestic workers, are concentrated in five economic activities, which are as follows:
— 41.6 percent work in restaurants, hotels, and similar services activities.
— 14.3 percent in the construction sector.
— 10.2 percent work in the manufacturing industry.
— 7.2 percent are employed in administrative and support services
— 6.7 percent work in the wholesale and retail trade and vehicle repair sectors.
The statistics revealed that there is a decrease in the presence of foreign workers in some economic sectors, as a significant decrease is observed in the number of jobs in financial activities, insurance, arts, entertainment and amusement, and the information and communications sector.
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