Shift toward private sector employment grows among citizens
. . . as one-third of Kuwaiti job seekers choose non-government roles
The private sector is witnessing a noticeable rise in interest among Kuwaiti job seekers, with citizens opting for private employment accounting for roughly 37 percent of all those registered with the Public Authority for Manpower (PAM) from early 2025 through mid-November.
More than 6,200 Kuwaitis have applied for private-sector jobs during this period, compared to 10,500 who chose government positions.
According to PAM statistics, citizen demand for private-sector opportunities has risen by about 1,600 applications since the start of 2025—up from 4,562 cases recorded last year—signaling a clear upward shift toward careers in private companies and institutions.
The data showed that the total number of citizens registered as job seekers for more than six months — those currently unemployed, not receiving a pension, and not enrolled in any educational program — stands at approximately 29,000 individuals.
Educational segmentation of job seekers revealed the following that 34 are PhD holders, around 550 Master’s degree, 15,300 university graduates and 6,350 diploma holders.
In addition, there are approximately 3,400 high school graduates, with 54 percent having completed an additional two-year or longer course of study.
PAM categorized this group into four segments: general high school graduates, those with a one-year course, those with a two-year or more program, and high school graduates with one year of experience.
Among holders of intermediate certificates, PAM recorded about 2,400 citizens across five categories. The statistics also indicated 78 individuals with vocational or parallel education qualifications, followed by 468 job seekers with educational levels below intermediate.
This growing interest in the private sector aligns with national efforts to diversify employment pathways and encourage greater citizen participation in private-sector growth.
