Kuwait was the top choice for Gulf nationals moving within the GCC to work in the private sector in 2015, official figures show.
Statistics from the Information Department at the General Secretariat of the Gulf Cooperation Council show that a total of 16,000 Gulf citizens relocated elsewhere in the GCC for new private sector employment.
Kuwait received around 10,000 Gulf economic migrants and the UAE came second with 1,893, closely followed by Saudi Arabia, attracting 1,887, the figures showed.
Qatar’s private sector, meanwhile, attracted 959 GCC nationals, while Bahrain and Oman received 512 and 163 respectively.
The government sector in many Gulf countries awards equal treatment to Gulf citizens when it comes to employment. The latest figures showed a 50 percent increase in the number of GCC nationals in this sector, from 10,000 employees in 2006 to 15,000 in 2015.
Here again, Kuwait ranked first in attracting GCC nationals to work in the state sector, with more than 10,000 GCC, non-Kuwaiti employees. The UAE came second with 5,000, while in Qatar the number stood at 1,382.
In total, the figures showed that up to 25 million Gulf nationals moved within the GCC for either work or tourism in 2015, according to a report in Arab News citing the same data. This represents a 92 percent increase from 13 million in 2006.
Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and the UAE were the most attractive for GCC visitors, while Saudi saw the highest number of outbound moves, at 12 million people. Omanis were next, at 4.4 million, followed by Kuwaitis at 3 million, Bahrainis at around 3 million, Qataris at 1.3 million and Emiratis at 1.1 million.
Arab News reported that the statistics “positively reflect” the impact of social insurance coverage for Gulf nationals working in the GCC outside their country of origin.
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