The Public Authority for Manpower (PAM) has expressed plans to stop issuing work permits to foreign nationals with university degrees unless they meet the required GPA standards set by the government.
ALSO READ: Employers Can Now Revoke Work Permits of Expat Employees with Criminal Records
The said initiative was driven by the state’s commitment in addressing the demographic imbalance in Kuwait and to restructure the local labour market opening more jobs for nationals. In line with these goals, Kuwait also plans to recommend and accredit foreign nationals’ degrees as a prerequisite to renewing residency visas, as shared in a report by Kuwait Times.
Kuwait Plans to only Employ Expats with ‘Good’ GPA
With the government’s attention set on addressing its demographic problems, more good will come out of it as the labour force will be composed of only highly specialized and skilled workers in the country.
ALSO READ: By the Numbers: Kuwait’s Labour Force
Furthermore, organizational decisions are being worked out to similarly address the issue of visa trafficking and to regulate the entry of unqualified labour in Kuwait, which is expected to be issued in the following months.
The prevalence of individuals, both national and expatriate, using fake certificates to land jobs in the private and public sectors have caused a stir among officials prompting them to impose ‘stricter’ regulations when it comes to accrediting workers across all sectors of society.
With the limitation on expats’ educational background becoming the main concern this time, one may think that there might be expressed preference for certain institutions which may become a bias for certain nationals who have available access to them.
However, with the prior issue regarding certification, it is important for the government to lay out a clear and fool-proof process in screening out the fake from the legitimate ones; and for this, a higher level of coordination among stakeholders would be vital.
ALSO READ: Kuwait Assembly Committee Eyes Total Kuwaitization by 2023