KUWAIT: The Kuwait Vision 2035 development plan focuses on fostering a dynamic private sector that drives economic growth alongside the public sector, diversifies income sources, and creates quality jobs for Kuwaiti nationals.
Central to this effort is “Kuwaitization,” ensuring the integration of national talent into private sector employment while balancing market needs with national development goals. On challenges and decisions in this regard, Director of Public Relations and Media at Kuwait’s Public Authority for Manpower, Mohammad Al-Muzaini, told KUNA that the development plan includes legislative measures to increase the proportion of Kuwaiti employees, specialized training programs, and incentives such as higher fees for hiring foreign workers in positions that can be filled locally.
These challenges also include the need for rare or specialized skills, longer private sector working hours, and the attractiveness of public-sector benefits like job security, maternity leave, patient attendance leave, and other benefits.
Al-Muzaini highlighted initiatives to reduce wage gaps, revise labor support policies, and engage educational institutions to prepare students for private-sector careers through awareness programs, curriculum adjustments, and mandatory internships. The Public Authority for Manpower has also proposed incentives for private companies to create more opportunities for Kuwaitis and has established a Labor Relations Department to protect employees’ rights, he pointed out.
Muhannad Mohammad Al-Sane, Member of the Board of Directors of the Kuwait Direct Investment Promotion Authority (KDIPA), stressed the private sector’s historic and ongoing role in Kuwait’s economic growth, including banking, finance, real estate, and services.Al-Sane noted that Kuwaiti youth are well-positioned to lead and innovate in these sectors.
For his part, Former Finance Ministry advisor Mohammad Ramadan added that while wage disparities are less decisive than job security, enhancing private-sector opportunities, regulating pay scales, and linking foreign labor fees to employment of Kuwaitis can make private employment a more viable and attractive option. The Expert emphasized that a carefully planned and well-executed Kuwaitization policy can expand job opportunities without compromising private-sector productivity. — KUNA
