Kuwait Faces Domestic Worker Shortage Ahead of Ramadan
Kuwait faces a potential domestic worker shortage, sparking urgent calls for new recruitment strategies.
- Publish date: Sunday، 19 January 2025
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Kuwait is bracing for a significant domestic worker crisis, with 105,000 contracts—equivalent to 25% of the nation’s female domestic workforce—set to expire soon. A large number of these workers have expressed no interest in renewing their contracts, leaving employers scrambling for solutions ahead of Ramadan.
Demand Soars, Supply Shrinks
Bassam Al-Shammari, an expert in domestic worker affairs, highlighted the slow inflow of new workers, warning that the situation is likely to deteriorate further. The mismatch between rising demand and dwindling supply is attributed to reduced cooperation from foreign recruitment agencies. Dissatisfaction with Kuwait's Ministry of Commerce pricing—half the cost compared to other Gulf nations—is reportedly causing recruitment offices to scale back their efforts.
Current recruitment costs range between 1,200–1,400 KD for Asian workers and 800 KD for African workers, while the Ministry of Commerce’s set rates are significantly lower.
Bureaucratic Delays Compound Issues
Al-Shammari criticized the delay in implementing Decree No. 174 of 2024, which established a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for recruiting workers from Ethiopia. Despite the agreement, visa channels remain unopened, slowing the process of bringing Ethiopian domestic workers to Kuwait.
He also pointed fingers at the state-run Al-Durra Company for Manpower, which had promised to flood the market with workers from countries like the Philippines at lower costs. He deemed these promises overly optimistic and an attempt to gain public favor rather than address the issue effectively.
Proposed Solutions
Al-Shammari suggested speeding up MoUs with labor-exporting nations to expand the pool of available workers. He also recommended offering flexible work options, such as part-time or daily contracts, to support the domestic worker market.
As Kuwait’s population grows and Ramadan approaches, the clock is ticking for officials to find a sustainable solution to avoid a full-blown crisis.
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