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Volume :41 Issue : 2 2013
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Orientations of the Emerging Labor Force in Kuwait in both the Private and Public Sectors: A Geographic Analytical Study
Auther : Fatima Alabdulrazzaq
The problem of the labor force in Kuwait has been, in the past few years, at the forefront of issues facing the government; especially with the number of university graduates being constantly on the rise. Three sectors constitute the labor domain in Kuwait: the public sector (e.g. ministries, other public authorities, and the state-owned oil sector, etc.); the private sector; and the commercial companies and banks. The public sector counts for 93.7% of the labor force in Kuwait, offering relatively high salaries as well as fringe benefits, compared with what the private sector offers. This explains the reluctance of many Kuwaiti graduates to work in the private sector and their abandoning work there for the benefit of non-Kuwaitis, who meet private sector requirements and expectations. To make up for private sector unattractive and low salaries, and to encourage more Kuwaitis to join the private sector, the Kuwaiti government has been offering its citizens some good incentives, such as a social allowance, as well as special qualifying training schemes to suit them for work in the private sector.
This study aims to identify the reasons why Kuwaitis prefer work at the public sector over the private. The investigation has been carried out through a questionnaire put to 250 Kuwait University students, who form a significant size of any future labor force in the country.
Keywords: Consumer services, Expat labor force, The public sector, The private sector, Social allowance, Wholesale business, Retail business.