Kuwait to deport 360,000 expats in the short-term period

KUWAIT CITY - The government has laid comprehensive vision to address demographic imbalances in its meeting with Parliamentary Human Resources Development committee which outlined short term, medium and long term solutions.

The committee was represented by Minister of Social Affairs and Minister of State for Economic Affairs, Maryam Al-Aqeel where the committee will submit its report by end of this week.

The government vision included the deportation of 360,000 expats in the short term period which included 120,000 residence violators, 150,000 unskilled workers, and 90,000 over the age of 60.

As for the medium and long term solutions the government has set strategic directions and programs to address the imbalance in demographics which are based on four foundations. Kuwaitization of government and private sector. Development of human resources by recruiting intelligent expatriate workers. Deployment of technology and digital transformation. And demographic imbalances should have social, economic, cultural, urban and security dimensions.

The head of the Human Resources Committee, MP Khalil Al-Saleh, said, “Minister Al-Aqeel presented the government’s vision to address the demographics which focused on the need to distribute communities in Kuwait according to the descent system so that one community would not be overwhelmed by another, for security dimensions and ensuring stability.”

The committee’s member, Osama Al-Shaheen, stated that “all Gulf countries suffer from a high percentage of expat workers in their labor markets, with an average of 82.4 percent, which makes it a general regional challenge, in addition to being a local private.” reports Al Rai. He further stated that ” In 15 years (2005-2020), the Kuwaiti population growth rate was 55 percent, while the growth of expatriates reached 100 percent in the same period, according to the government report data on demographics.”

Dimensions of imbalances of the composition

Security: Inflating and concentrating on specific nationalities in specific areas. The high percentage of uneducated males.

Socially: The facts or conditions of abnormal behaviors. The number of males to females has tripled.

Economically: The high cost on the state as a result of subsidy policies. No knowledge or investment value added to marginal employment.

Culturally: Promoting a culture of dependence in work for expatriates. Entering extraneous customs and incompatible with the culture of society.

Urban: Damage to infrastructure, particularly health. Creating non-urban societies in the absence of workers’ cities.