The Kuwaiti Civil Service Commission (CSC) is standing firm in the face of growing calls to reverse its decision not to hire any more foreign workers for the public sector.
Its refusal to reverse course follows increasing agitation from municipalities who say they are losing crucial expertise which cannot be replaced by local workers.
“Whenever we receive this type of request, it will be rejected outright,” the CSC said in a statement.
The CSC warned that the public sector should not try to get around the rule by calling workers ‘advisers’ (under current rules genuine advisers can still be expatriates).
The announcement came after a proposal by Member of Parliament, Adel Al Damkhi that Kuwaitis should also have first refusal for adviser roles.
Mr Al Damkhi said openings for advisers should be first advertised in local newspapers.
“Then before advertising the jobs in the international newspapers, there needs to be proof that there are no Kuwaiti applicants that can fulfil the job,” Mr Al Damkhi said.
MPs are also calling on the Ministry of Trade to replace its remaining expats with Kuwaitis, children of Kuwaiti women or Bidoon (stateless people in Kuwait).
Last September, Minister of Public Works and Minister of State for Housing Affairs, Rana Al Fares (pictured), announced the termination of 400 expat employees in a number of different sectors of her Ministries.
Kuwait City, 21 October 2020
