Kuwait Implements Strict Hiring Rules For Expatriates, Tightens Labour Market Regulations

Gulf Insider

10-05-2025

Kuwait has introduced new restrictions on the hiring of expatriate workers, tightening labour market oversight to ensure better alignment between academic credentials and professional roles.
According to media reports, the Public Authority for Manpower (PAM) has rolled out a regulation requiring pre-approval from PAM for certain job categories before applicants can obtain security clearance from the Ministry of Interior. The change is expected to apply primarily to workers whose positions demand security vetting.
While the new regulation signals a more selective hiring process, PAM confirmed that work permits will continue to be issued for doctors, engineers, and workers under government contracts from Egypt, as well as a limited number of exceptional cases.
The move coincides with a separate measure issued by Minister of Defence and Acting Minister of Interior Sheikh Abdullah Ali Al Sabah, who released Ministerial Circular No. 1/2025, effectively freezing changes to academic qualifications and job titles of expatriate workers hired on work permits or transferred to the private sector.
The circular, published on PAM's official X (formerly Twitter) account, is designed to regulate the labour market and prevent discrepancies between a worker's academic qualifications and actual job role.
Under the new rule, any request to amend an expatriate's academic record or professional title, particularly if it seeks to upgrade qualifications, will be rejected if the changes are incompatible with the original nature of the job for which the worker was hired or transferred.
The dual measures aim to ensure transparency, promote merit-based hiring, and expand job opportunities for Kuwaitis, who have long voiced concerns over displacement in the private sector.