Kuwait may ban expats working in public sector

Kuwaiti authorities are discussing a move to stop employing expatriates in public sector jobs as part of a “Kuwaitification” policy.

In a report by local Kuwaiti newspaper Al-Rai, sources cited the Supreme Planning Council’s secretariat general suggesting that jobs in the public sector should be limited to Kuwaiti citizens, unless an expat is specialised in a “rare” skill that cannot be obtained locally.

The report also suggested implementing harsher measures to resolve other migrant related issues such as travel bans, immediate deportation procedures and reducing the amount of unskilled workers entering the country. The prospect of building labour cities to house expats as a form of controlling the expat population was also discussed. Six locations within the country have been recommended for building such cities and two have already been constructed.

The policy of “Kuwaiti-fication” is to apply measures in order to help balance the population structure in Kuwait and increase the number of Kuwaitis who are in employment. Currently more than 70 per cent of Kuwait’s population are expats. The policy has given private companies and governmental institutions leeway to fire and deport expat workers, putting them at an exceptionally vulnerable state. Other measures have been applied recently, including increasing residency fees to make it more difficult for workers to bring their families into the country.