By B Izzak

KUWAIT: National Assembly Speaker Ahmad Al-Saadoun on Monday submitted a draft law calling to stop the appointment of expats in government jobs unless there are no Kuwaitis to occupy the post. The draft law also stipulates that total salaries and remuneration for expats in public jobs should not exceed that of their Kuwaiti colleagues. The bill calls for a total ban on the appointment of non-Kuwaiti employees through recruitment agencies. Under the draft law, a public job is defined as those in government ministries, bodies, departments and alike.

Article 2 of the draft law states that “public jobs are restricted only to Kuwaiti nationals” unless no Kuwaiti is available for the job. But the draft law stipulates to allow the appointment of non-Kuwaitis in government jobs with some limited exceptions. The government authority requiring employees must advertise the jobs on their websites, the Civil Service Commission website and in two local widely-circulated Arabic language newspapers. If no Kuwaitis with the required qualifications and experience apply for the jobs, then the concerned authority can employ expats.

The draft law stipulates that the monthly salary and renumerations granted given to expats must not be more than those offered to Kuwaitis occupying the same job. Employment contracts with expat employees should be limited to one year that can be renewed for a similar period, but after again advertising the job. Expat employees should not be given any type of allowances throughout the contract period. The draft law totally bans the appointment of expats in government jobs through recruitment agencies.

The bill also stipulates that when it becomes a law, it will apply to existing expat employees when their contracts run out. In the explanatory note, Saadoun says that despite the submission of several draft laws by MPs calling to speed up the appointment of Kuwaitis in government jobs, the appointment of expats in public jobs and sometimes in sensitive jobs that control key issues at the cost of Kuwaitis puts national security at risk and increases the number of unemployed nationals.