Kuwait Times, Saturday, May 06, 2023 | Shawwal 15, 1444
Kuwait eyes workers from new labor exporting countries
Kuwait :
First Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister
Sheikh Talal Al-Khaled Al-Sabah gave instructions to take steps that help open
recruitment of expatriate workers from new countries other than those that have
large communities in Kuwait. “The instructions include coordination with the
foreign ministry to sign memoranda of understanding with new labor-exporting
countries,” the Public Authority of Manpower said on Wednesday.
These steps are meant to help address labor shortages in certain fields, it
added, noting that these measures are in line with the state’s efforts to
address the demographic imbalance problem “by diversifying labor sources to meet
the labor market’s needs”.
PAM will receive an official labor committee from the Philippines late May to
discuss matters related to sending specialized labor to Kuwait. PAM will
coordinate with concerned authorities to take the necessary procedures regarding
the matter, as bringing workers from the Philippines will likely resume after
the discussions. It has been reported that the Philippine delegation will
request eight hours of work daily and one day of rest weekly for domestic
workers, and overtime pay if work exceeds this limit.
Meanwhile, the Central Agency for Public Tenders has approved a request by the
health ministry to award three tenders to provide medical support services to
all governorates at a cost of KD 57.1 million. The first contract is for the
provision of nurses to Hawally health zone at a value of KD 14 million. The
second contract includes the Sabah health zone and the Capital and Jahra
governorates at a value of KD 20.3 million. Both contracts were awarded to the
lowest bidder.
The third contract includes the governorates of Farwaniya, Mubarak Al-Kabeer and
Ahmadi, which was awarded to the third lowest bidder, conforming to the
conditions and specifications, at a value of KD 22.8 million. “The ministry is
in the process of receiving new batches of Indian, Bangladeshi and Filipino
nurses to appoint them in health centers that will be opened in the new areas,
as well as to fill any shortages in existing hospitals and centers,” sources
revealed to Kuwait Times.