Kuwaiti Airways is heading to lay off about 1500 expats out of a total of 6000.
Citing sources Arab Times reports senior management has no intention to end the services of Kuwaiti citizens who have exceeded the age of sixty.
Kuwaitis or Gulf citizens or married couples married to Kuwaiti women and vice versa are not included in termination list to ensure the rights of employees and preserve Kuwaiti families.
The lay off comes in accordance with ongoing Kuwaitization plans, which had stopped since the government took precautionary measures to confront the COVID-19 pandemic in March.
Kuwait’s foreign workers constitute 70% of the population — over 20,000 expats have departed since March.
Sources said estimates of airline losses in the world during the current year will reach 314 billion dollars –the share of the Middle East region is about 24 billion, and loss of 1.2 million jobs in the sector in the region.
Foreign Brief adds: The separation of Kuwait’s migrant workers may be effective in mitigating COVID-19 in the short-term. However, this policy will significantly affect Kuwait’s struggling economy in the long-term. Expect a gap to appear in the Kuwaiti labor market, paving the way for the potential growth of the country’s shadow economy.
Meanwhile, Kuwait announced it will ease its full-time curfew to a 12-hour one during night –the interior minister said in a press conference after the cabinet meeting on Thursday.
The minister added that the curfew will be from 6 PM to 6 AM, starting Sunday.
The health minister said easing the curfew will be among the first phase in a 5-phases plan, each to last at least 3 weeks, to go back to normal life.
