Deputy Director General of the Labor Protection Sector at the Public Authority for Manpower (PAM) Dr. Fahd Al-Murad has unveiled the plan of the authority to establish a shelter for male expatriate workers, reports Al-Anba daily. According to Al-Murad, this shelter is currently being prepared and Kuwait will be the first country in the region to provide such a facility.

The aim of the shelter is to protect the rights of male expatriate workers and address any problems that may arise between employers and employees. The shelter will also assist workers in meeting their needs and facilitate their return to their home countries, he explained. In another development, Al-Murad said the authority is currently working on launching the online ‘To Whom It May Concern’ certificate issuance service, which will allow attachment of this certificate to documents submitted to government agencies for tender participation.

Al-Murad revealed that the certificate will be available within a few days as part of PAM’s electronic services. He stated that the purpose of the ‘To Whom It May Concern’ certificate is to ensure that companies applying for tenders comply with Private Labor Law No. 6/2010, regulations and decisions. It also confirms that the company has no recorded serious violations that would hinder it from entering into contracts with government agencies, he added.

In other news, the Public Authority for Manpower, through the National Manpower Affairs Sector, is gearing up to implement regulations aimed at increasing the employment of Kuwaiti nationals in government contracts, as per Cabinet Resolution No. 1179 of 2023, reports Al-Jarida daily. This move is aligned with directives from the political leadership and the Council of Ministers to bolster the presence of citizens in the private sector while ensuring their job security and stability

The regulations are designed to incentivize young people to seek employment in the private sector by enhancing job security in government contracts and creating more opportunities for national cadres to gain scientific experience and develop technical skills. These contracts serve as mechanisms to boost the proportion of national workers in non-governmental agencies.

The implementation of these regulations is expected to curtail opportunities for unskilled and unqualified workers in the labor market while minimizing violations. Initial steps are crucial for the effective implementation of the regulations, with plans to expand their coverage to include contracts across various entities to further increase the proportion of national workers.

The draft regulation for Kuwaitizing government contracts was approved by the Committee for Adjusting Demographics and Labor Market Development last October. It mandates the Kuwaitization Unit to determine the proportion of national labor for each government contract based on its nature and available positions. The contractor must adhere to conditions stipulated in government contracts when selecting applicants, and the Kuwaitization Unit will announce available jobs.

Applicants with disabilities confirmed by the Public Authority for the Affairs of People with Disabilities are exempt from advertising procedures. Upon acceptance, the relevant authority must promptly provide the contractor with candidate data, and the contractor is obliged to complete recruitment procedures within 30 days of notification or the start of the government contract, whichever comes first.