Kuwait has experienced a sharp drop in the number of expats working for the government as the Kuwaitisation process gains traction in the kingdom.

Non-Kuwaiti employees in the public sector now number 81,917, a 28% drop from the 114,000 registered in 2012. The expats still employed by the government range from almost all over the world, with 4,273 Gulf nationals, 46,968 Arabs, 183 Europeans, 27,708 Asians, 207 Africans, 196 Americans and nine Australians, in addition to 2,273 bedoons, State Minister for Economic Affairs Mariam Al-Aqeel said. YoY there is a 4.5% drop.

The number of expatriate residents in Kuwait has fallen by approximately 30,000 in the first four days of May, according to local media reports.

The number showed that expats dropped by around 30,000 in the first four days of May"

Citing anonymous ‘official sources', the Kuwait Times reported that the figure comes from Ministry of Interior figures provided to the Public Authority of Civil Information that show expats who have cancelled their residency visas or were issued with new ones.

"The number showed that expats dropped by around 30,000 in the first four days of May," the newspaper quoted the source as saying.

Further, the sources explained that as of last Saturday, the total number of Kuwaiti citizens in the country was 1,412,264 (29.7% of the population) compare to 3,333,027 expatriates (70.3%).

The total number of residents in the country was calculated at 4,745,291.

In November, another Kuwait newspaper, Al-Qabas, reported that Kuwait could reduce its number of expats by at least 1.5 million over the next seven years as it aims to achieve a demographic balance with nationals.

Several countries in the GCC region have launched reforms aimed at curbing the number of expats in order to promote employment opportunities for locals. In Oman, the Ministry of Manpower has issued a ban on both issuing and renewing work permits for non-Omani individuals in nine job roles in the private sector. These include assistant general manager, administrative director, human resources director, personnel director, training director, follow-up director, public relations director, assistant director and all administrative and clerical positions.

The Ministry of Manpower has confirmed that it will no longer issue labour clearances to employers to hire expatriates under the relevant job titles. Pre-existing work permits for expats working in the roles falling under the job titles mentioned above will continue to be valid until the date of their expiry, but cannot then be renewed.

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