In spite of the government’s endeavors to reduce the presence of expatriate workers in the public sector, recent data from the Central Administration of Statistics, specifically the Statistical Work Sector, has disclosed a 3.6 percent rise in the number of expatriates employed in government institutions during the first half of 2023 compared to the same period in the previous year.
As reported by Al-Qabas, the statistics show that the count of expatriates engaged in the government sector escalated from 90.9 thousand persons at the end of June 2022 to 94.2 thousand by the end of June this year.
Several years ago, the executive authority issued multiple directives to establish committees aimed at reducing the number of expatriate workers in the country. The most recent of these initiatives was the Council of Ministers’ decision in May, forming a national committee to regulate demographics, led by the First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, Sheikh Talal Al-Khalid Al-Sabah, with the participation of 10 government agencies.
Notably, this committee’s actions seemed distinct from prior committees, showcasing a proactive approach in implementing concrete executive decisions.
In connection to the expansion of non-oil economic activities and the rapid growth of enterprises, official recent data revealed that the Kuwaiti private labor market constituted over half of the workforce at approximately 56.3%.
The total number of workers in the private sector (both Kuwaiti and non-Kuwaiti) reached 1.619 million at the end of June, compared to 1.458 million in the same period last year, signifying an 11% increase with more than 161 thousand new jobs being created.
The statistics demonstrated that out of 1.641 million expatriate workers, about 953 thousand, constituting roughly 58%, possessed intermediate or lower educational qualifications. This figure excludes domestic workers.
Conversely, individuals with secondary school certificates and beyond amounted to approximately 377.5 thousand, and those with diploma and university degrees totaled around 420 thousand.
These figures, compiled until the end of the first half of this year, excluded domestic workers and similar categories. These workers number around 788 thousand males and females, as per government records as of June 30, 2023. Furthermore, the statistics indicated that more than 41.6 percent of expatriate workers in the Kuwaiti private sector were concentrated in specific economic activities, such as hotel services, restaurants, and food supplies.
The statistics, seen by Al-Qabas, underscored that 80 percent of foreign workers in Kuwait, excluding domestic workers, were predominantly engaged in five key economic activities such as:
— 41.6 percent work in restaurant, hotel and similar services activities.
— 14.3 percent in the construction sector.
— 10.2 percent work in the manufacturing industry.
— 7.2 percent are employed in administrative and support services
— 6.7 percent work in the wholesale and retail trade and vehicle repair sectors.
The statistics showed that there is a decrease in the presence of foreign workers in some economic sectors, as a significant decrease is observed in the number of their jobs in financial activities, insurance, arts, entertainment and amusement, and the information and communications sector.