Authority failure exposed upon huge influx of domestics to private sector
Close on the heels of the crisis of tampering with names of the private sector employees and linking the professional description of the worker to his academic level, the Public Authority for Manpower has once again proven its inefficiency in organizing the labor market in Kuwait. This was corroborated by “migration” of more than 30,000 domestic workers to the private sector, amid expectations that the number will rise to 40,000. Bassam Al-Shammari, a specialist in domestic workers’ affairs said, “The huge number of workers wishing to transfer confirms the imbalance that the labor market has been suffering from, for a long time.”
News details
More than 30,000 domestic workers in the local market benefited from the decision of the First Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Defense and Minister of Interior Sheikh Fahad Al-Yousef, allowing the transfer of domestic workers to the private sector according to specific controls and conditions. Labor experts expect the number of workers who will benefit from the transfer decision to exceed 40,000 workers, especially since the deadline for the decision to take effect ends on September 12.
As reported by Arabic daily Al Jarida, sources at the Public Authority for Manpower believe that the enormity of these transfers reveals the private sector’s urgent need for workers, and also indicates a major flaw in the “manpower” procedures that have besieged economic sectors, with decisions that have limited the ability to bring in workers, confused resident workers, and pushed a large portion of them to leave the country.
Bassam Al-Shammari, a specialist in domestic workers’ affairs, told Al-Jarida, “The huge number of workers wishing to transfer to the private sector confirms the imbalance that the labor market has been suffering from for a long time, and the scarcity of workers, especially professional and skilled workers, which has prompted hundreds of business owners and private companies to use the services of these workers.” Based on the increasing need for labor, in conjunction with the Manpower Authority’s tightening of recruitment procedures, Al-Shammari appealed to Minister Al-Yousef to extend the transfer period by two additional months, or to allow it permanently, similar to neighboring countries that allow it, in order to fill the severe shortage of labor.
Positive Outcomes
Al-Shammari said, “The most prominent positive aspects of the decision are reducing thousands of domestic workers leaking into the private sector. The market is witnessing severe shortage of workers as a result of the repercussions of the “60-year old workers” decision, and the resulting departure of thousands of craft and professional workers; which created a parallel market through the use of domestic workers to fill this shortage; in addition to the excessive regulation in bringing in new workers.”
He added, “There is another important positive aspect of the decision, which is the decline in labor disputes for hundreds of domestic workers who will benefit from the transfer, which will result in reducing the pressure on the Manpower Authority’s expatriate workers’ shelter center.” Al-Shammari stressed the necessity of opening the door to transferring expatriate workers from and to all sectors without restrictions, in a way that restores balance to the labor market and achieves the lofty vision of transforming Kuwait into a global financial and commercial center.
Signing memos
On the other hand, the transfer of domestic workers would double the shortage in this sector, which prompted Al Shammari to call on the relevant government agencies to accelerate the pace of signing a memorandum of understanding with countries exporting domestic workers and to start bringing them in as quickly as possible, in anticipation of any emergency that would negatively affect the market. It is worth noting that the aforementioned decision allowed the transfer of workers to Al-Ahli Bank of Kuwait starting from July 14th until September 12th, on condition that the employer approves the transfer, and that the worker has been residing with him for one year, with a fee of KD 50 collected for the transfer, in addition to KD 10 for each year.
