Kuwait is facing an escalating labor crisis, as revealed in a mid-year report by the Public Authority for Manpower. In the first half of 2025 alone, the country recorded over 20,898 work permit complaints and 21,350 absenteeism and termination notices.

Out of these absenteeism reports, 7,827 cases were eventually dropped, while 843 were rejected due to employers being either defunct or nonexistent—raising red flags about phantom companies and labor exploitation.

The bulk of grievances stemmed from work permit issues, notably related to employer transfers, family reunification, and final travel cancellation requests, totaling 9,430 cases. Another 8,646 cases involved individual labor disputes, and 3,341 cases were escalated for field inspection.

A total of 1,362 workers were admitted into state-run shelters, including 1,252 women at Jleeb Al-Shuyoukh Women's Shelter and 110 men at the Hawalli Male Shelter. 15 children were also taken in—a rare disclosure that highlights child welfare concerns.

The “Ash’al” portal processed over 1.1 million electronic transactions, with 41.2% submitted directly by employees. Additional platforms processed thousands more:

• 16,100 requests through the “Sahel Business” app
• 154,608 transactions via the Labor Services Portal
• 81,272 inspection-related entries through the Inspection app

The “Fakhruna” platform recorded 27,144 approved transactions, while 65,412 Kuwaiti citizens secured cashier jobs under the Gate 3 and Gate 5 initiatives. Additionally, 3,252 training opportunities were provided to students.

Kuwait’s labor ecosystem is clearly under stress. The growing number of complaints and shelter admissions calls for stronger reforms, better oversight, and improved worker protections—especially for expatriate laborers. Digitization and national employment efforts offer a path forward, but more needs to be done.