The Public Authority for Manpower (PAM) is organizing a database with details on all expats who have reached the age of 60 years and above, and who have qualifications up to a high school diploma or less, and the equivalent certificates, Al Rai said.
This is to implement the decision to halt all transaction from issuing, transferring and renewing a work permit, starting from next year.
Al-Rai daily said, quoting an official source in the authority that the total number of expatriate workers aged 60 and over, who hold a high school diploma or less, is 68,318 workers, stressing “the importance of the decision that comes within the government’s vision to address demographic imbalances, and its impact on the labor market.
Regarding those whose work permit has expired during this period, the daily clarified that “at the present time the worker can renew and transfer for a period of only one year, provided that all procedures halt once the decision enters into force on 1 January 2021. The daily revealed that the goal is to give the worker some time to complete all formalities within in the country, and these expats leave the end of 2021 at the latest.
In response to the decision, a group of unions and business owners appealed to His Highness the Prime Minister to work to change the decision, seeing as many of them are business owners and involved in commercial activities as partners with citizens, in addition to having experiences that can be utilized for training and supervising a new generation.
The daily reports, quoting informed sources, that there is talk of setting controls and exceptions for the 60 year old ban, and they are expected to be announced before the decision comes into effect. According to reports members of this category who have families inside the country will be granted transfer permission to join family visas with the condition to abstain from work.
On their part, a number of expatriates expressed concerns that this decision will force their parents to leave the country, and shared their fears that this decision would lead to separation of their families, as it didn’t take into account the status of their young children who were linked to their residency sponsorship.
A number of expatriates stated that this decision will impact the social, cultural and security aspects of the expat community in Kuwait, as many believe that with the departure of elderly parents, only bachelors will remain. The presence of the elderly has a significant social role to play among the family.
This decision comes within the government’s vision to address the demographic imbalance and its impact on the labor market.
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