PAM seeks int’l consultants help to develop nat’l labor in private sector

KUWAIT CITY, Sept 4: The government intends to seek the help of foreign consultants to develop the skills of nationals working in the private sector in view of the poor results of traditional approaches and parliamentary dissatisfaction, reports AlQabas daily.

Recent statistics showed an increase in the number of Kuwaitis looking for jobs and are registered at the Public Authority for Manpower (PAM), indicating the number of unemployed citizens reached 16,000.

Monitoring bodies have reported that the growing number of nationals employed in the private sector does not match the budget allocated for national labor subsidy which reached KD4.5 billion over the last 10 years; while the number of nationals working in the private sector reached 61,000.

State Minister for Economic Affairs Mariam AlAqeel disclosed that PAM is laying down a strategy to enhance the skills of nationals employed in the private sector in cooperation with foreign consultants.

Meanwhile, the Public Authority of Manpower has confirmed its keenness to implement international standards in the field of work and workers, and to protect their rights in line with the law, reports Al-Rai daily.

The daily quoting sources said the PAM also deports workers including domestic helpers if they are carriers of contagious diseases or if they are infected with AIDS or if the person is known to have past criminal record.

The daily disclosed one of the workers was recently deported because she was a carrier of AIDS. The daily said after the first result proved positive her blood re-examined which confirmed the disease.