Kuwait’s labor force grows 8.2 percent

KUWAIT: The latest labor force statistics in Kuwait issued by the Central Statistical Bureau (CSB) as of the end of 2022 indicate that the size of labor force in Kuwait increased by 8.2 percent and reached 2.037 million employees, excluding the number of household workers (1.882 million workers as of the end of 2021). Adding …

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KUWAIT: The latest labor force statistics in Kuwait issued by the Central Statistical Bureau (CSB) as of the end of 2022 indicate that the size of labor force in Kuwait increased by 8.2 percent and reached 2.037 million employees, excluding the number of household workers (1.882 million workers as of the end of 2021). Adding the household labor sector, which is about 753,000 workers, the total reaches 2.79 million workers (2.476 million workers as of the end of 2021).

Household workers constitute nearly 27 percent of total labor force in Kuwait as of the end of 2022 (24 percent of the total labor force as of the end of 2021), according to a report by Al-Shall Consulting, which cautioned that numbers of CSB sometimes differ substantially from those of the Public Authority for Civil Information (PACI). The average monthly wage of Kuwaiti male workers in the public sector is KD 1,910 (KD 1,874 end of 2021). The Kuwaiti female wage average is KD 1,337 (KD 1,312 end of 2021), a difference of 42.8 percent in favor of men’s wages.

The monthly salary average of non-Kuwaiti males in the public sector is KD 790 (KD 780 end of 2021). For non-Kuwaiti females, the average wage is KD 700 (KD 696 at the end of 2021), with a 12.9 percent difference in favor of males. The gender gap is more equitable in the case of non-Kuwaitis, the report mentioned. The average monthly wage for Kuwaitis of both genders in the public sector is KD 1,567 (KD 1,539 end of 2021). The same average for non-Kuwaitis is KD 744 (KD 738 at the end of 2021), a 110.6 percent difference in favor of Kuwaitis.

The monthly average wage of Kuwaiti males in the private sector is KD 1,380 (KD 1,529 at the end of 2021), which is 27.7 percent less than that of males in the public sector. The average for Kuwaiti females in the private sector is KD 822 (KD 974 at the end of 2021), which is 38.5 percent less than that of their female colleagues in the public sector. Undoubtedly, the government support leads to reduce the gap between the private and the public sector, the report pointed out. The monthly average wage of non-Kuwaiti males in the private sector is KD 306 (KD 305 at the end of 2021).

This equals 38.7 percent of the average salaries of their non-Kuwaiti colleagues in the public sector. The average monthly wage for non-Kuwaiti females in the private sector is KD 428 (KD 429 at the end of 2021), which is higher than the average salary of non-Kuwaiti males in the private sector by 40 percent, but lower than the average rate of non-Kuwaiti females in the public sector by 38.8 percent. In case of the overall wage average in both the public and private sectors, the monthly average wage of Kuwaiti males is KD 1,804 (KD 1,805 at the end of 2021) and KD 1,267 for Kuwaiti females (KD 1,263 at the end of 2021), with a 42.4 percent difference in favor of males.

The monthly average wage for non-Kuwaiti males is KD 319 (KD 319 at the end of 2021) and KD 485 for non-Kuwaiti females (KD 488 end of 2021), a 52.2 percent difference in favor of females. The monthly average wage for male and female Kuwaitis in the two sectors is KD 1,493 (KD 1,491 at the end of 2021) and KD 338 for non-Kuwaitis (KD 338 at the end of 2021). The figures above do not include household labor, which would have a significant downward impact on the non-Kuwaiti wage rates if taken into consideration, nor do they include the governmental support allocations to Kuwaiti workers in the private sector.

The number of Kuwaiti employees in the government sector according to the CSB is 371,000 workers, rising by 3.6 percent (358,000 workers by end of 2021), while the number of Kuwaiti employees in the private sector is 718,000 workers (722,000 workers by end of 2021), ie, increasing in the public sector and decreasing in the private secto,r which is contrary to the stated goals by the public administration. The Kuwaiti workforce is distributed between 83.8 percent in the public sector and 16.2 percent in the private sector. The percentage of Kuwaiti workers in the government sector according to PACI is 79.1 percent as of the end of 2022, and the difference is fundamental between the two government entities.

About 46.6 percent of Kuwaitis working in the public sector are university graduates, 4.6 percent have postgraduate degrees, 13.7 percent have diplomas above high school but below university degrees, and 20.8 percent are holders of high school certificates or equivalent. This shows that about 85.6 percent of government employees are holders of high school certificates and above. But the report pointed out the ongoing low productivity of the public sector is due to the crowded and unorganized work environment, incompatible educational and labor market requirements, poor education quality, or even the spread of fake degrees.

Approximately more than a quarter of total expatriate workers in Kuwait are household workers according to the CSB, totaling 753,000 at the end of 2022 (594,000 workers end of 2021), an increase by 26.9 percent. This household labor is divided between 347,000 males and 406,000 females. Indian male workers take the lead with 239,000 workers (196,000 at end of 2021), while Filipinos represent the largest female non-national workers at 199,000 (135,000 workers at the end of 2021). India has the highest share of household workers of both genders, constituting 44.8 percent of total household workers, followed by the Philippines with 26.6 percent.

Four nationalities, namely India, Philippines, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka constitute 94.9 percent of total household workers out of 10 nationalities. The six other nationalities form the rest, 2.8 percent as the highest and 0.2 percent as the lowest contributions. Three African countries are among the countries exporting household labor, led by Ethiopia at 1.1 percent, then Benin and Sudan at 0.6 percent and 0.2 percent respectively. Merging the numbers of household workers with other expat categories according to nationalities, Indians make up 835,000 workers (717,000 workers at the end of 2021), or 29.9 percent of the total labor force including Kuwaiti employees and 35.6 percent of the total foreign labor force, taking the lead in both cases.

The Egyptian labor force follows with a total of 483,000 workers (451,000 workers at the end of 2021), forming 17.8 percent of the total labor force and 21.2 percent of the total expat labor force. The Kuwaiti workforce comes third at 443,000 (430,000 workers at the end of 2021), forming 15.9 percent of the total labor force. This percentage might rise if the numbers include the military. The Philippines occupies the fourth position in total employment with 267,000 workers (200,000 workers at the end of 2021), about 9.6 percent of the total labor force and 11.4 percent of the total expat workforce. Bangladesh comes fifth with a total of 241,000 workers (235,000 workers at the end of 2021), making up 8.6 percent of the total labor force and 10.3 percent of total expat workers.

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