KUWAIT
The Chair of the Kuwait Civil Service Commission (CSC) has cancelled the contracts of 3,140 foreigners working in the public sector.
Ahmad Al Jassar said the cancellation was based on a CSC resolution on staff proportions for 2017-2018 as part of the State policy to replace expatriates with Kuwaitis in the Government sector.
He said the dismissed foreigners served in various Government Departments and bodies with independent budgets.
Kuwaiti officials said foreigners employed by the Ministries of Education and Health were exempt for the time being as their high numbers meant they could not be replaced easily.
Before the current dismissals the number of non-Kuwaiti Public Servants stood at 44,572 employed in 46 Government entities, the highest number being 25,948 in teaching and training.
Kuwait’s Public Authority for Civil Information said that the 3,205,385 foreigners living in the northern Arabian Gulf State made up 69.73 per cent of the total population.
Several lawmakers have been aggressively pushing for the introduction of far-reaching reforms that would address the demographic imbalance, reduce reliance on expatriates and boost employment opportunities for Kuwaitis.
However, Kuwait is facing a dilemma as it wants to ease pressure on the public sector and lure more of its nationals to the private sector.
Most Kuwaitis opt for Government jobs to benefit from the professional security they offer as they cannot be fired unless in extreme cases.
They are also attracted by less work pressure, more relaxed timings, fewer working hours and longer holidays.
According to Government labour statistics released in 2016, about 58 per cent of Kuwaitis refuse to work in the private sector and would rather wait for an opening in the public sector.
Kuwait City, 27 August, 2018
