Kuwait’s deputy prime minister and interior, Sheikh Talal Al-Khaled Al-Sabah, has instructed authorities to recruit expat workers from new countries, excluding those with a large expat community in Kuwait.
Countries from South Asia generally supply manpower to the middle east and every year millions of immigrants come to GCC countries in search of better employment opportunities.
Oil-rich Kuwait has been in the news for some time as it is trying to send thousands of expatriats back to their countries, and this resulted in labout shortages in some sectors.
This move aims to address labour shortages in specific fields and diversify labour sources, and it is part of the state’s efforts to tackle the “demographic imbalance problem” and fulfil the labour market’s requirements.
The Public Authority of Manpower (PAM) will coordinate with the foreign ministry to sign memorandums of understanding with new labour-exporting countries.
The Philippines’ delegation is expected to arrive in late May to discuss matters concerning sending specialised labour to Kuwait, and PAM will coordinate with concerned authorities to take the necessary steps as bringing workers from the Philippines will likely resume after the discussions.
The delegation will reportedly request eight hours of work daily and one day of rest weekly for domestic workers, and overtime pay if work exceeds this limit.