‘77 pct of Kuwaiti citizens still prefer govt sector jobs’ – Fight for ‘Bedouns’ Hajj rights continues

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KUWAIT CITY, July 25: Recent information by the Central Bureau of Statistics points to futile efforts of the government in motivating Kuwaitis to seek employment in private sector, considering approximately 77 percent of the national personnel are working in public sector.

Statistics indicate 89,152 Kuwaiti men and women are employed in private sector while 343,340 are in public sector. It revealed that 14,628 Kuwaitis from both sexes were unemployed as of Dec 2016, and 76.8 percent of the total national personnel have joined public sector.

Meanwhile, a total of 1,483,284 Kuwaiti and expatriate personnel are working in private sector, of which the national manpower constitute 20 percent with 3.2 percent unemployment rate.

The chronological order of developments showed a steady increase in the number of Kuwaitis hired by private companies from 240,170 in 2012 to 245,666 in 2013, 256,608 in 2014, and 267,109 in 2015.

Officials of the Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs have held series of meetings with Saudi authorities to enable Bedouns perform the rites of the pilgrimage pilgrim. They assured the ministry will not relent on its efforts until approval is obtained for that purpose, reports Al-Qabas daily.

The daily quoting a source added ministry officials are relentless on breaking all barriers that may deny Bedouns the right of performing the rites of the pilgrimage by fulfilling all conditions set by Saudi authorities for the entry of Bedouns to the Holy Land.

He stated the ministry is coordinating with relevant sectors, particularly the Ministry of Interior and Ministry of Foreign Affairs to facilitate visa procedures to avoid repetition of last year’s incident to assist their departure.

Meanwhile, sources stated the first batch of pilgrims will depart for Saudi Arabia by air on Aug 20 and the last batch will leave on Aug 26. They indicated 44 caravans have been approved for this year’s pilgrimage, and prospective pilgrims are advised to patronize authorized caravans only to steer clear of avoidable stress.

By Najeh Bilal

Al-Seyassah Staff and

Agencies

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