Kuwait’s Ministry of Interior (MoI) has recently taken a significant step in its efforts to reshape its labour force composition by terminating the employment contracts of more than 800 expatriate workers. A significant proportion of these expatriates belonged to Arab nations.
The affected individuals have been provided a one-month window to wrap up their current employment commitments and make necessary arrangements.
This strategic move is in alignment with the government’s ‘Kuwaitisation’ plan. Kuwait has long been committed to addressing the issue of unemployment among its nationals and encouraging them to actively participate in both the public and private sectors. This policy aims to reduce the unemployment rate among Kuwaiti nationals by prioritising their employment over foreign expatriates in various sectors of the country’s economy. The overarching goal is to promote economic independence and create more job opportunities for Kuwaiti citizens.
Over the past several years, Kuwait has been actively intensifying its efforts to create more employment opportunities for its nationals and gradually reduce its reliance on foreign workers. The term ‘Kuwaitisation’ has become synonymous with this policy direction, which seeks to strike a balance between nurturing the local labour force and maintaining the diverse cultural fabric that expatriates bring to the nation.
