Local banks plan to increase the percentage of nationals amongst their staff to 80 percent by the end of this year instead of the current rates of 65-69 percent, well-informed sources said.
Such a step will be taken upon direct instructions from the Central Bank of Kuwait to enhance the private sector’s role in employing more national labor and providing more job opportunities for citizens, the sources added.
This move, which is based on article 9 of law number 19/2000 pertaining national labor support, is expected to provide 17,000 job opportunities for citizens in the private sector through mandating non-abiding bodies and companies to pay extra fees per expat employee hired beyond the number allowed, the sources noted.
Meanwhile, the government plans to use its powers to prioritize citizens’ employment in the private sector to end the problem of waiting for the Civil Service Commission (CSC) to provide enough jobs for citizens, Al-Anbaa daily reported yesterday. The report quotes a high-ranking parliamentary source who said that the Cabinet had issued immediate instructions to various ministries requesting detailed reports about jobs occupied by expats who could be replaced by citizens.
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The source also noted that the instructions included mandating the private sector to employ citizens in administrative, human resources, public relations and reception jobs within the next five years. The source noted that such steps will be taken upon the Manpower and Government Restructuring Program’s (MGRP) instructions to increase the number of citizens working for the private sector.
Expats older than 65 years
Health Minister Sheikh Dr Basel Al-Sabah ordered laying off expats older than 65, with the exception of doctors. Sheikh Basel set special conditions to renew the contracts of expats older than 65, including having excellent performance reports in the last two years, specialize in a field needed by the Ministry of Health (MoH), a request by the expat’s direct senior and to have the request approved by the hospital manager, health zone director and the related council. In another medical concern, Kuwait Municipality’s assistant director for structural plan affairs Mohammed Al-Zo’by said the social security authority’s Kuwait Medical City project was technically approved.
Contracted employees
Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs Anas Al-Saleh said the total number of non-Kuwaiti employees working on contracts with various government bodies is 78,317, and those working on monthly payments number 6,697, including 2,086 bedoons and 1,639 children of Kuwaiti women. Saleh said the Civil Service Commission (CSC) has decided to extend the service of non-Kuwaitis holding university degrees and older than the legal age for one non-renewable year only.
By A. Saleh
