Domestic workers more than quarter of expat workforce in country: report

‘Indians 44.7% of total, Philippines 24.5%’

KUWAIT CITY, March 3: The Al-Shall report shows domestic workers comprise over a quarter of Kuwait’s total expatriate workforce, with their numbers reaching around 790,000 by the end of the third quarter of 2023. This marks an 11.0% increase from the previous year. Among these domestic workers, there are approximately 364,000 male and 426,000 female workers, reports Al-Jarida daily.

In terms of nationality, Indian domestic workers are the most numerous among males, totaling around 251,000, while Filipino domestic workers lead among females, with approximately 193,000.

India is the dominant nationality among both male and female domestic workers, accounting for 44.7% of the total, followed by the Philippines at 24.5%.

The report highlights that four nationalities - India, the Philippines, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka - make up about 94.0% of the total domestic workers, with African countries representing a smaller fraction.

When considering all categories of expatriate workers, Indian workers alone reach around 880,000, comprising 30.4% of the total workforce and 35.9% of expatriate workers. Following India, Egyptian workers rank second with approximately 479,000, representing 16.5% of the total workforce. Kuwaiti workers come in third place with about 449,000, making up 15.5% of the total workforce.

The report underscores the significant contributions of various nationalities to Kuwait’s expatriate workforce, with the Philippines, Bangladesh, and other countries also playing substantial roles in the employment landscape.