Mass exodus from Kuwait leads to sharp decline in domestic workers

KUWAIT CITY - The recent statistics from the Public Authority for Manpower (PAM) revealed a sharp decline in the number of domestic workers in the country – which is akin to ‘mass exodus’ – as more than 83,000 residency permits were cancelled within two months due to expiration, non-renewal or workers leaving the country permanently, reports Al-Rai daily.

According to the statistics, the number of domestic workers decreased by 84,463 or 11.59 percent from February to April; indicating the total number of domestic workers registered in the Ministry of Interior as of April reached 636,525 compared to 719,988 in February.

In a related development, the Department for Regulating the Recruitment of Domestic Workers disclosed that the following complaints were filed as of April — 19 complaints from an employer against an office or company, 95 complaints from a worker against an employer, 162 complaints referred to the judiciary, 115 absconding complaints referred to the judiciary, 97 complaints from an employer against the worker and 32 passport-related complaints; while 123 complaints were settled amicably.