Domestic labor constitutes 26.9% of Kuwait’s expatriate workforce
By the end of first quarter of this year, the number of domestic workers in Kuwait reached approximately 789,000, marking a 1.1% increase from the 780,000 reported at the end of Q1 2023.
• India tops the domestic labor figures for both males and females in Kuwait, accounting for 44.7% of the total, followed by the Philippines with 22.5%
The Al-Shall report indicates that domestic labor makes up approximately 26.9% of Kuwait’s total expatriate workforce. By the end of Q1 2024, there were about 789,000 domestic workers, according to the Central Bureau of Statistics. This represents a 1.1% increase from the 780,000 workers reported at the end of Q1 2023, as noted by Al Jarida newspaper.
This domestic labor is distributed among females, who number about 423,000 workers, and males, who number about 366,000.
The Philippines leads in female employment with approximately 175,000 workers compared to 205,000 at the end of Q1 2023, while India leads in male labor with about 248,000 workers as compared to 247,000 at the end of Q1 2023.
India tops the domestic labor figures for both sexes, accounting for 44.7% of the total, followed by the Philippines with 22.5%.
Overall, four nationalities—India, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh—account for about 93.3% of the total domestic labor out of ten nationalities. The remaining six nationalities make up the highest 4.4% for Nepal and the lowest 0.2% for Pakistan.
Among the ten countries exporting domestic labor, three are African: Ethiopia leads with 0.9% of the total labor, followed by Benin with 0.7%, and finance with 0.3%.
If we combine the numbers of domestic labor with other expatriate categories by nationality, the total number of Indian workers will reach about 889,000 as compared to 858,000 at the end of Q1 2023. This represents 30.3% of total employment, including Kuwaiti labor, and about 35.9% of total expatriate workers, placing it at the forefront in both categories.
Following in second place is Egyptian labor, with a total of about 476,000 workers compared to 489,000 at the end of Q1 2023. This accounts for 16.2% of total employment and about 19.2% of total expatriate workers.
They are followed in third place by Kuwaiti labor, with about 458,000 workers compared to 445,000 at the end of Q1 2023, representing 15.6% of total labor. This percentage may increase if military personnel are included in the figures.
As of the end of June, total Kuwaiti employment was approximately 506,400, according to the General Authority for Civil Information. This figure differs from the data provided by the Central Department of Statistics. The discrepancy might be due to the inclusion of military personnel and the unemployed in the higher number.
Bangladesh ranks fourth, with a total of 266,000 workersas compared to 246,000 at the end of Q1 2023, accounting for 9.1% of total employment and about 10.7% of total expatriate labor.
The Philippines ranks fifth, with a total of 240,000 workers as compared to 274,000 at the end of Q1 2023, or 8.2% of total employment and about 9.7% of total expatriate labor.
