Kuwait eyes deportation of 500,000 workers

DEPORTATION PLAN: Kuwait is reportedly planning to deport half a million expat workers. (AFP - for illustrative purposes only)

The Kuwaiti government is considering deporting about half a million foreign workers for violation of residency law and for lack of required skills, it was reported on Monday.

Most of these workers are jobless and are causing many problems to the Kuwaiti government, Kuwait-based Al Rai daily added citing people familiar with the situation.

The number of foreign workers in Kuwait is more than 2.35 million, or 71 percent of the local population, according to recent statistics, the daily reported, according to newswire Dow Jones.

Just about 18 percent of these workers are highly-qualified and have technical skills while about 8 percent of them are illiterate, which means that it is possible to dispense with large numbers of them since they don't meet employment requirements, the people told Al Rai.

Last week, it was reported that Kuwait was likely to arrest and deport close to 100,000 expatriates for being registered with bogus companies.

High ranking security sources in the state told the local Al Watan daily: "A relatively large number of private firms have been issued commercial licenses but do not actually have offices or business activities in the country."

The sources added that it was likely that the owners of the licenses brought expat manpower into the oil exporting country in return for money, without giving them the promised jobs in return.

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READERS' COMMENTS

Sponsorship system is behind this crisis
Posted by Mir Shahriar Ahmed, Dubai, UAE on Tuesday 30 June 2009 at 10:28 UAE time


Sponsorship system is behind this crisis. Poor unskilled Asians fall for the trap of better life & support family in lieu of high pre-payment and return empty hand with mounting dues. Again thanks to Bahrain for understanding the reality & scrapping the sponsorship system.

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