Kuwait set to allow expats to moonlight - ArabianBusiness.com
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Expats working in Kuwait’s private sector will soon be allowed to take up additional part-time work in a move designed to boost the labour force without increasing the population, the Manpower Public Authority has announced.
The practice, known as moonlighting, also would allow low-paid workers to earn additional income.
Scores of foreign workers already have informal second jobs, according to Kuwait Times, and the new rule will make it legal.
Expatriates working in the public sector already can seek additional part-time jobs in the private sector or nongovernmental organisations.
The decision is among several expected to be implemented in January under the country’s overhaul of labour laws.
Private companies have been suspended from directly recruiting foreign labour for several years, with exceptions, while a new Manpower Public Authority was created, moving the labour department from the Ministry of Social Affairs to a separate body.
The country has been attempting to rebalance it demography, with foreigners making up two-thirds of the country’s population of 4 million, and reduce pressure on ailing services and a housing shortage.
However, efforts to encourage citizens into the private sector have had minimal success.
Last year, the former social affairs minister declared Kuwait would cut the number of foreigners in the country by 1 million 2023.
Parliament is presently debating a proposal to limit expatriate visas to 10 years and cap the proportion of the total population that comes from one country to 15 percent.