KUWAIT: The Public Authority for Manpower (PAM) added a new section to its website which classifies job titles according to the academic qualifications job holders are required to have. And while the new system only specifies the academic level a job holder must have to be hired for any given job, Al-Qabas Arabic daily reported yesterday quoting informed sources that under the new qualification system, work permits can only be issued or renewed as long as the holder provides proof of academic qualification that matches the job title they are assuming.

The new service available on PAM's website allows employers to search according to the job title, job number in accordance with the GCC directory, and academic qualifications, Aseel Al-Mazyad, Official Spokesperson and PR and Media Director at PAM, said yesterday. Users should follow these steps: Enter the website: www.manpower.gov.kw; select 'information'; select 'jobs and qualification'. "By adding this service, PAM aims to simplify the search for those in charge to get the expected results in the shortest time possible," Mazyad added. The service is only available in Arabic for the time being, however.

Meanwhile, Al-Qabas also reported yesterday that PAM has decided to allow the transfer of workers from six sectors - industry, farming, shepherding, fishing, co-ops and free trade zones - to other jobs in the private sector. PAM has made things easier for business owners and employees amid the coronavirus pandemic, especially during the suspension of air travel, as it issued several decisions allowing the transfer of workers from sectors that were previously banned, Mazyad said. The ban had been lifted on March 3 to allow local firms to hire labor from inside Kuwait while outside recruitment remains closed. The ban was then reinstated on July 15, before being lifted against yesterday.

Workers' exodus

In other news, a report emerged yesterday suggesting that investors are leaving Kuwait in search of other opportunities in the Gulf, particularly after the decision not to renew work permits of residents who reach the age of 60. Meanwhile, the Al-Jarida daily report quotes statistics from the Public Authority for Civil Information which indicate that more than 42,000 foreign workers have left the private sector during the first half of this year. Sources quoted in the report said this is a logical result that proves that the country is moving ahead with making Kuwait a repulsive environment for those with rare specialties, qualified workers and professionals.

While the stats revealed that 42,334 residents left Kuwait, the newspaper reports that neighboring Gulf countries and others attracted some of them, particularly doctors and those with rare specialties who can contribute to their development. The sources warned against the continuation of such moves that may empty Kuwait of qualified labor and shake the stability of those remaining, especially as they see large numbers of their colleagues head to other countries where they feel they have job security. The sources called for putting an end to the labor exodus due to the danger it poses to the private sector and the entire national economy.