KUWAIT: Recent Civil Service Commission (CSC) statistics showed that 23,902 citizens are registered on the waiting list for recruitment in the public sector, including 17,975 females and 5,927 males. It showed that only 15 out of 4,558 females and eight out of 2,537 males were directly nominated for a job without having to wait for their turn. Statistics also showed the presence of 12,066 vacancies in state departments including 10 for PhD holders, 21 for Master’s degree holders, 6,560 for BA degree holders and 2,853 for two-year diploma holders.

Official statistics released last year had shown that nearly 58 percent of unemployed Kuwaitis refuse to work in the private sector, preferring to wait until a public sector job becomes available. Almost 87 percent of Kuwait’s national labor force works in the public sector, according to the 2015 Labor Force Survey published by Kuwait’s Central Statistical Bureau (CSB).

The public sector remains the most attractive employer for a variety of reasons: shorter working hours, often less demanding work, all public holidays, benefits and perks not always available in the private sector and security since locals cannot be fired except in extreme circumstances. Unemployment among Kuwaitis reached 4.7 percent in 2015 according to the statistics.

Kuwaiti arrested in Saudi

For the first time since terrorist acts started in Saudi Arabia, a Kuwaiti and a Nepalese suspects were detained in Saudi Arabia over security cases, said the Saudi Interior ministry’s website, noting that the two suspects were respectively arrested less than two weeks ago. The website explained that no Kuwaitis or Nepalese suspects were arrested since the terrorist acts commenced in Saudi Arabia, adding that according to most recent statistics, 5,139 suspects belonging to 32 countries, including 4,298 Saudis, have so far been arrested in relation to terrorism. Statistics showed that Yemenis came second with 272 detainees followed by 220 Syrians, 76 Pakistanis, 53 Egyptians, 29 Sudanese, 19 Indian, 19 Turkish and 17 Chad detainees. In addition, the statistics showed that detainees included 16 Jordanians, 11 Bahrainis, eight Afghanis, 11 Iranians and Somalis, four Iraqis, four Bangladeshis, four Nigerians, three Ethiopians, three from the Philippines, three Lebanese, three Americans, two Qataris, two Mauritanians, two Emiratis, two Moroccans and one from Angola, Algeria, China, Kuwait, Burkina Faso, Canada and Nepal each. The website explained that 65 suspects were detained this month including 37 Saudis, 16 Turks, four Yemenis, one from each of Syria, Nigeria, Egypt, Bangladesh, India, Nepal and Kuwait in addition to one unidentified suspect.

Delayed wages

Upon direct instructions from Health Minister Dr Jamal Al-Harbi, Jahra Health Zone Director Dr Ahmad Al-Husseiny announced opening a wide-scale investigation to determine the reason of delaying the wages of bedoons working in medical registration. Husseiny added that minister Harbi was keen that all facilities be made to pay bedoon wages on time and follow faster systems to submit their payrolls to avoid any further delay.

By A Saleh