Following regulatory reforms, there will be a scarcity of domestic workers
As a result of the intensive campaigns organized by the tripartite committee formed by the Commerce and Industry Ministry, Interior Ministry, and Public Authority for Manpower (PAM) ensuring strict compliance with recent decisions specifying recruitment fees for domestic workers, and the requirement to collect such fees through K-Net devices, indicate that the government will rely on Al-Durra Labor Recruitment Company for the recruitment of domestic workers and will be firm against the domestic labor recruitment offices.
In spite of the company's launch in 2016, the company failed to keep pace with the domestic labor market as required due to the growing demand, which raises further questions regarding its readiness to fulfill its role as required and the speed at which it recruits workers, especially since Filipino workers are no longer being recruited.
The Ministry of Commerce and Industry's official spokesman Abdullah Al-Haraz reiterated that all domestic labor recruitment offices must have K-Net devices. He warned that the necessary legal measures will be taken against any office without such a device. According to him, the goal is to prevent these offices from increasing their fees by collecting only the specified fees in accordance with the regulatory decisions. The offices that violated the regulations must modify their status, obtain K-Net devices, and adhere to the regulating ministerial decisions and Domestic Workers Law number 68/2015; and must comply with the specified fees. According to him, the Commerce Ministry's decision - number 2/2024 - amends the decision issued in 2022 regarding recruitment fees. As he pointed out, the recent campaigns aim to ensure the presence of K-Net devices in domestic labor recruitment offices; and if they are not available, the citizen should file a complaint with the competent authorities for action.
According to domestic labor experts Bassam Al-Shammari, the recent decisions will result in a scarcity of requests for domestic workers and difficulty in finding them. A number of factors could harm the domestic labor market, he told the daily, including the recent decision of the Ministry of Commerce, the lack of workers, and the suspension of recruitment processes by Sri Lankan domestic labor companies and labor recruitment offices. He pointed out that the local market needs around 5,000 to 6,000 female workers per month; indicating the owners of domestic labor recruitment offices will face a problem in continuing to recruit these numbers in light of the current conditions. He added the total number of domestic workers in the country now stands at 811,000 420,000 of whom are female. He said the main problem with female domestic workers is that the Kuwaiti labor market needs more female domestic workers due to the opening of new residential areas and urban expansion. The owners of domestic labor recruitment offices are waiting for the new government formation to present their ideas and suggestions in a way that protects the labor market, owners of domestic labor recruitment offices, and private companies.
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