Secretary General at the Government and Manpower Restructuring Program (GMRP) Fawzi Al-Majdali said the agency is working hard to create job opportunities for the national personnel in private sector in order to regulate and redirect the labor market to the right path of development. He revealed a recent study indicated a possible replacement of 80,000 expatriates with Kuwaitis in private sector in line with the Kuwaitization policy.

He added it’s impossible to ‘Kuwaitize’ all jobs directly, indicating the project is working toward gradual replacement of about 10 percent per year. He assured the project will not leave any stone unturned in cooperation with relevant departments, agencies, and non-profit organizations to encourage the national personnel in private sector. He stressed the project is in the process of attaining novel achievements with the establishment of national manpower development center to increase the rate of Kuwaitis in private sector.

He noted the program will train 5,000 employees, another 5,000 students, and 3,000 job seekers in its Reggae office. He declared 4,000 serious applicants are looking for jobs at this moment. He said the program is committed to eliminating the act of optional and willing idleness through the unification of salaries, reduction of subsidies and financial differences to ensure that things are well with the private sector. He declared the Public Authority for Manpower was still studying fixing the minimum wage of national manpower in private sector. He reaffirmed the project will attract the national manpower to some unattractive specialties and vocations, as well as scientific specialties by increasing support for them.

Acting Director-General of the Public Authority for Manpower Abdullah Al-Mutawteh said companies which sell visas will be administratively shut down and referred to the General Department for Interrogation, reports Al-Shahed daily. He pointed out the experiment of automated link with Egypt will end a lot of complications involving human trafficking. In the meantime, he indicated the authority has set up a special department to monitor the workers’ strikes following which the authority will get in touch with the concerned employer to get the salaries of the employees paid and the file of the company will be closed.

News Source: Arab Times    Heba Al-Taweel, Al-Seyassah Staff