Kuwait tightens grip on private sector titles, tying jobs to education

• At a time when countries across the globe are striving to attract real expertise and skilled professionals, Kuwait’s Public Authority for Manpower is tightening control over private sector companies.

• Observers noted that if the Public Authority for Manpower’s standards were applied to Bill Gates and Larry Ellison, they would have been denied work permits in Kuwait’s private sector due to their lack of university degrees.

• Observers criticized the authority’s decisions for making Kuwait unwelcoming to skilled workers by requiring degrees for experienced professionals and causing confusion and loss of titles and privileges.

At a time when countries around the world are striving to attract real expertise and skilled professionals who can contribute to their economic and scientific advancement—regardless of whether they possess a formal certificate, which they may have missed out on due to unforeseen circumstances—the Public Authority for Manpower is assuming the role of a guardian over private sector companies, according to Al Jarida newspaper.

The authority has been altering workers’ titles by tying their professional descriptions to their educational levels. This approach has resulted in the denial of work permits to those who do not meet the high standards set by the authority, thereby depriving the labor market of experienced and skilled individuals.

Observers noted that if the Public Authority for Manpower’s standards were applied to Bill Gates, founder of Microsoft (market value over $3.113 trillion), and Larry Ellison, founder of Oracle (market value over $380 billion), assuming they began their careers in Kuwait, the authority would have denied them work permits in the private sector due to their lack of university degrees—all in the name of raising worker efficiency.

Observers were surprised by the authority’s persistent enforcement of a ‘decree’ with an unclear purpose, issued without any attempt to study its impact on the companies it affects, whose interests are ultimately tied to Kuwait’s prosperity.

They questioned, “Will the workforce be more concerned with the employer’s interests than the employer himself? Do they think businesses would waste money on workers who provide no value?”

The observers emphasized that the authority’s decisions are making Kuwait an uninviting environment for skilled workers. They pointed out that, under the authority’s logic, even a seasoned photojournalist with experience at The Washington Post or The New York Times would need a university degree to work, while someone holding that degree could work in the profession without any practical skill.

They asked on what grounds hundreds of professions, previously available to expatriate workers, were removed from the automated system.

Tens of thousands of workers were denied residency renewals under the same titles they had held for years, some for more than fifteen years. This decision, they explained, has caused widespread confusion among private sector companies, particularly in renewing workers’ permits (residency).

Workers lost their professional titles without an alternative solution, which not only stripped them of their titles but also jeopardized other privileges, such as driving licenses.

These observers stressed that such measures, which the Public Authority for Manpower has been implementing in recent years, extend their history of random and counterproductive actions. These measures, they argued, constitute an unacceptable interference in the operations of private sector companies, particularly long-established ones that have contributed significantly to the country.

The authority’s actions show a disregard for these companies’ interests and circumstances, and there has been no attempt to assess the impact of such decisions on Kuwait’s economy.

The observers added that while private sector companies fully support legal reforms that would improve the labor market and enhance the business environment, the reality of these unilateral decisions indicates a weak, struggling market.

They emphasized that it is illogical for government agencies to make such crucial decisions in isolation, as they exacerbate Kuwait’s regional isolation and limit the contributions of expatriate workers, pushing them to migrate to neighboring countries that welcome their expertise.

Meanwhile, the leaders of the Public Authority for Manpower continue to issue decisions that demonstrate a complete disconnect from the market’s real issues, harming not only the labor market but also the broader Kuwaiti economy.

They pointed out that these unwise decisions are exacerbating the shortage of specialized, professional, and technical workers. They cited the decision regarding ‘60-year-old’ workers, which forced thousands of experienced professionals and technicians, unable to bear the high fees, to leave the country. This exodus has created a significant gap that remains unfilled, as seen in the ‘tailors’ crisis, which has caused considerable harm to the private sector.

Observers called on Sheikh Fahd Al-Yousef, the Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Defense, and Minister of Interior, to urgently intervene to stop this ‘overreach’ by the authority, which threatens independent economic entities that comply with labor market regulations and the national employment quotas in non-governmental entities.

They urged against overemphasizing academic certificates, especially after this approach has led to widespread certificate forgery and buying promotions in the public sector. The observers expressed surprise that the authority now seeks to introduce this harmful practice into the private sector, asking, “Why repeat past mistakes?”