Job surplus
Iwas not surprised by the numbers that were published in some local newspapers about the availability of more than 19,000 jobs for Kuwaitis, compared to the number of people wishing to work in government and private sectors which is estimated at around 18,000. The truth is, to the contrary of what is being published, it is true that there is a surplus, but it is only on paper because the mood of the job applicant is a decisive factor. The ‘mood’ of some people who choose to wait until their preferred job opportunities become available is what controls the number of job applications, and not the official numbers that are announced by the Civil Service Commission.
So, the Management and Government Restructuring Program; the state department that oversees the state’s labor support program, still has a mission and a role to play towards securing jobs for the government employee, as through it the citizen can secure the accepted limit for his living. Here, we must differentiate cases of employment between those working in the public sector and those who work in the private sector. The salary the public sector employee receives will differ from what he will receive in the private sector. For example, if a private company pays him KD 500 for a job based on his academic qualification, the same employee will be entitled to a KD 700 allowance paid by the government as labor support. This means that his academic qualification entitles him to an allowance that exceeds his basic salary.
Everyone knows that the law forces private companies and establishments to designate certain percentage of its labor for Kuwaitis, so we see a large number of them receiving salaries without working, and this phenomena produces two problems: First is that among Kuwaitis who work in the private sector, there are some who do not report to work, and the second is that some employers encourage employees to be non-productive members. This happens when you hear the employer saying, “come sign in then go home, and you will receive your salary at the end of month,” because, at the end, he does not want his services. The private sector establishment needs nonKuwaiti productive employees, and whoever says otherwise, we tell him this is the market and these are its conditions.
My point being, the labor support program contributes to securing a guaranteed future for our children and provides them with a salary that gives the guaranteed family stability. Maybe, as the case is, what is required is a review of employment management and method, and what should be taken into consideration is the proportionality between the market place and educational graduates, so that we do not have employment accumulation in unwanted specialties.
We have disguised unemployment, sure, and we must admit that and attempt to reform the base, and fill true jobs with required specialties, provided that it is met with productivity that fits the job and fulfill the correct formula that is built on the market needs, with national labor that carries out its duties according to the rules. — Translated by Kuwait Times