Kuwait labor market tops 3 million workers, govt remains largest employer of citizens
- Nearly half of Kuwaiti private-sector workers concentrated in three industries
- Government employs 74% of Kuwaiti workforce
- 47.6 percent of citizens work in 3 activities in the private sector
- Indians remain largest expat workforce
- Average monthly salary for Kuwaitis reaches 1,592 dinars
Kuwait’s labor market continued to expand during the first quarter of 2026, with total employment standing at 3.065 million workers, while the government remained the largest employer of Kuwaiti nationals, according to the latest quarterly labor market report issued by the Central Statistical Bureau (CSB).
The report, covering data up to March 31, 2026, showed that 435,600 Kuwaitis were registered as insured workers, with 322,100 citizens (73.9%) employed in the government sector, reaffirming the public sector’s dominant role in national employment.
The report found that 47.6% of Kuwaiti citizens employed in the private sector are concentrated in three key economic activities. Financial and insurance services account for 20.5%, followed by wholesale and retail trade, including vehicle repair (13.8%), and professional, scientific and technical activities (13.3%).
The private sector employed 44,500 Kuwaiti nationals, representing 10.2% of the total insured Kuwaiti workforce, including 27,200 men and 17,300 women.
Women continued to play a significant role in Kuwait’s labor market. The number of insured Kuwaiti women reached 247,400, compared with 188,100 men, meaning women accounted for 57% of the total insured Kuwaiti workforce.
Excluding domestic workers, total employment reached 2.28 million workers, up from 2.21 million a year earlier, representing annual growth of 3.1%. The private sector remained the country’s largest employer, accounting for 58.7% of total employment, followed by the domestic labor sector (25.5%) and the government sector (15.8%).
While 83.1% of government employees are Kuwaitis, expatriates continue to dominate private-sector employment, with 65.6% of all non-Kuwaiti workers employed in private businesses and 29.8% working as domestic workers.
The report showed that overall employment growth was driven entirely by expatriate workers. The number of non-Kuwaiti workers increased by 4.8% year-on-year to 1.85 million, while Kuwaiti employment declined by 3.3%, falling from 450,200 to 435,500 workers. Kuwaitis represented 19.1% of the workforce outside the domestic sector, compared with 80.9% for expatriates.
Indian nationals continued to represent the largest expatriate workforce in Kuwait, with 580,400 workers, accounting for 25.5% of the labor force excluding domestic workers. Egyptians ranked second with 467,500 workers (20.5%), followed by Kuwaitis with 435,500 workers (19.1%).
Other major expatriate communities included workers from Bangladesh, Nepal, Syria, Pakistan, the Philippines, Jordan and Sri Lanka. Including domestic workers, the total number of Indian workers reached 887,060, maintaining India’s position as Kuwait’s largest expatriate community.
Among government institutions, the Ministry of Education remained the largest employer with 145,700 employees, followed by the Ministry of Health (77,800), the Ministry of Electricity, Water and Renewable Energy (35,600), Kuwait Oil Company (11,200), Kuwait Municipality (8,336), the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (7,511), the General Administration of Customs (7,086), Kuwait University (6,919), Kuwait Airways (6,663) and Kuwait National Petroleum Company (6,195).
The report also showed that the average monthly salary for Kuwaiti workers reached 1,592 dinars, including 1,625 dinars in the government sector and 1,432 dinars in the private sector.
For expatriate workers, the average monthly salary stood at 352 dinars, comprising 729 dinars in the government sector and 326 dinars in the private sector. Average monthly salaries for Kuwaiti men reached 1,877 dinars, compared with 1,376 dinars for Kuwaiti women.
Educational attainment among Kuwaiti workers also improved. The proportion of Kuwaitis holding university or postgraduate degrees rose to 56% in March 2026, up from 54.5% a year earlier. Among expatriate workers, 15% held university or postgraduate qualifications, while 2.7% were classified in the “read and write” category.
The report highlights Kuwait’s continued reliance on expatriate labor, particularly in the private and domestic sectors, while underscoring the government’s dominant role in employing Kuwaiti nationals and the growing educational qualifications of the national workforce.
