KUWAIT: Owners of commercial licenses can transfer their files with the relevant manpower authorities to the ‘small businesses’ categories according to the conditions applied to open small enterprises, a local daily reported yesterday quoting a source at the Public Authority for Manpower.

However, his business should not be in fields banned from the small businesses’ categories, which include contracting, consulting, tobacco, elevators, taxis, car rental, cargo, exhibitors, among others.

A small business owner is allowed to recruit a maximum of five workers for every five square meters in his facility with a minimum of 10 workers, the source said, adding that each license is granted a maximum of 100 workers, while each employer can have a maximum of five licenses and 500 workers registered under his or her sponsorship. A small business owner can recruit workers from outside Kuwait, while a worker in that case can transfer to another small business three years after his original recruitment. — Al-Anbaa