Kuwait pushes wider access to quality domestic workers - Filipinos, Sri Lankans top choices

He explained that the role of KUDLO includes representing the recruitment agency owners and informing the concerned authorities about the challenges and proposals, primarily the Public Authority for Manpower (PAM), in addition to holding regular meetings with recruitment agency unions in labor-exporting countries to discuss ways to strengthen cooperation and develop recruitment mechanisms. He stressed that the Domestic Labor Law of Kuwait is among the best in the region, as it protects the rights of all parties.

He said the law regulates the working hours, rest periods and weekly holidays, and guarantees the end-of-service benefits and return ticket for the workers in accordance with the regulations. He revealed that Kuwait signed memoranda of understanding for the recruitment of domestic workers with the Philippines, Sri Lanka and Ethiopia, while the neighboring countries have a bigger number of agreements, giving them more options for recruiting domestic workers. He pointed out that increasing the number of agreements will diversify the nationalities and lessen the challenges that the local labor market is facing. He said one of the difficult challenges encountered by domestic labor recruitment offices is the fixed recruitment fees for years despite the rising operating costs, ticket prices and fees in the sending countries.

He added that the lower fees received by the Kuwaiti agencies compared to other countries reduce their ability to compete in attracting younger and better-trained workers. He continued saying that overseas agencies prefer to deal with markets offering higher returns, which is reflected in the quality of the workers arriving in Kuwait. He said the majority of the available workers are from older groups, while the citizens prefer workers who are 23 to 34 years old, because they are more suitable for the nature of domestic work. He confirmed that KUDLO organizes three to four annual visits to labor-exporting countries to hold meetings with the relevant unions and authorities there, indicating that the signing of agreements remains the responsibility of government agencies. He disclosed that the most desired nationalities in Kuwait are Filipinos and Sri Lankans, while demand for Ethiopian workers is still limited. He said the recruitment fee for Filipino and Sri Lankan workers is KD750, compared to KD575 for some Africans.

He warned that hiring a domestic worker for someone other than the sponsor or making the workers work on an hourly basis outside the legal framework is a violation. He stated that the union immediately reports an advertisement or agency found to violate regulations to PAM. He urged the citizens to carefully read the recruitment contracts before signing and to adhere to all the clauses, including those related to working hours, rest periods, weekly day off and end-of-service benefits. He stressed that raising awareness on the rights and obligations of both parties contributes to limiting labor disputes. He pointed out that complaints regarding non-payment of wages, end-of-service benefits or other rights are handled by the Domestic Workers Department, which reviews complaints and ensures that each party receives their legal entitlements.

He asserted that the reputation of Kuwait is a major factor in attracting domestic workers, explaining that many female domestic workers prefer working in Kuwait due to the good treatment and respect for rights, which enhances the country’s standing with labor-exporting nations. He also warned against sheltering absconding workers, because this is punishable by law. He said medical examinations for domestic workers are conducted at centers accredited by the Kuwaiti Ministry of Health in the sending countries. He added that these examinations include basic medical checkups and screening for infectious diseases before completing travel procedures to Kuwait. He indicated that the expected arrival time of workers is around 20 to 30 days from Sri Lanka and about 45 days from the Philippines and Ethiopia under normal circumstances. He clarified that this period could be extended if there are additional procedures or examinations.