‘PAM cancels some expat job titles’
‘Not qualified’
KUWAIT CITY, Nov 18: Public Authority for Manpower (PAM) has cancelled the job titles of thousands of expatriates who occupy supervisory positions in private sector companies after discovering that they are not highly qualified or their certificates are not accredited by Kuwait’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, reports Al-Rai daily.
According to informed sources, PAM has implemented a new condition for the renewal of work permits of highly qualified expatriate employees. They must present the original educational certificate that is attested by the concerned authorities in these expatriates’ countries of origin as well as the concerned authorities in Kuwait.
The sources revealed that some expatriates decided to leave Kuwait following the change of their job titles, while the titles of others have been changed from manager, for instance, to mandoub.
Meanwhile, the Fatwa and Legislation Department has officially addressed the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, requesting for the ministry’s suggestions and plans concerning the formation of a new committee which will be called, ‘National Committee for Organizing and Managing Population Structure,’ reports Al-Qabas daily quoting sources.
Sources explained this committee will differ (for formality purposes only) from those formed previously for a similar purpose as it will be established through an order from the Parliament, operate under the Parliament and followed up by parliamentarians.
Sources said the regulations governing this new committee will be enacted by parliamentarians in a manner that serves its purpose, water down all obstacles to its operations in the future, and implement its decisions.
Sources pointed out this is because the parliamentarians possess the tool to question and hold a minister political accountable if his ministry impedes the work of this committee, and implement solutions to the population structure problem.
Sources added the committee has two objectives – remedying the population imbalance in order to achieve economic and social security for citizens; and laying down a road map with clear, accepted and practical features that could contribute to efforts to address the population imbalance issue.
Sources disclosed that based on the proposal, the committee will have the mandate to lay down labor plans and policies to limit the number of expatriates to not more than 50 percent of the total population and not more than 25 percent for one nationality.
Sources added the setting up, implementation and completion of these
plans and policies should not exceed a period of seven years.
Another mandate of this committee is obliging the concerned authorities to link academic output with the targeted percentages of national manpower in the labor market. This is in addition to replacing expatriate manpower with nationals at a rate of not less than 10 percent annually in the government sector and not less than five percent annually in the private sector.
The committee will also issue organizational decisions obligating all institutions and companies to adhere to the specified national manpower percentage.
Finally, the committee will conduct media campaigns to enhance the culture of occupational, vocational and manual work, and encourage the Kuwaiti youths to work in these fields as alternatives to expatriates.