KUWAIT: Well-informed governmental sources said the Civil Service Commission (CSC) received responses from several government bodies in which they expressed difficulty in laying off expats working for fixed monthly payments, which had been requested by CSC to help Kuwaitize the government sector within five years. The sources added these bodies explained the expat workers get fixed low payments that do not overburden ministries' budgets and that they do jobs that Kuwaitis "do not or would not do," while that their employment does not contradict with citizens' employment if they apply for the job.

Further, the sources said that the concerned government bodies promised to keep such employment within minimal limits, to annually provide CSC with job numbers, tasks and salaries, as well as the finance ministry's approval. The sources also noted that CSC replied by emphasizing the need to lay off any of those expats in case of the availability of Kuwaitis to replace them. Meanwhile, the sources said 63 percent of the Jahra labor city construction has been completed, adding that the city is expected to be ready by next year and is one of six due to be built.

Disabled parking
Recent statistics by the public authority for the disabled said the total number of violations filed in 2018 against drivers for using disabled parking spaces was 11,500, while the number was 87,000 in 2015, 81,000 in 2016 and 37,000 in 2017. In another concern, the media department manager at the public authority for the disabled Doha Al-Khamees said the authority's educational sector will receive disabled citizens' scholarship applications from June 9 to 20, 2019.

Scholarship applicants
Assistant undersecretary for scholarships and cultural relations at the ministry of higher education Fatima Al-Sannan said registration for scholarship applicants will be on until June 20, adding that new majors had been added this year including aviation engineering, airport management and cyber security. Sannan added 2,000-3,000 students will be accepted in the program this year.

People born abroad
Kuwait was ranked second worldwide in terms of people born abroad, including Kuwaitis and expats. Statistics by Pew Research Center published by the Canadian Le Journal de Quebec showed 76 percent of Kuwait's population was born elsewhere, after the UAE, where 88 percent of the population was born abroad. The statistics showed Qatar came third with 65 percent, Bahrain with 48 percent and Singapore with 46 percent.
The study showed Sweden came first amongst Western countries with 30 percent of its population born abroad, followed by Australia with 29 percent, New Zealand with 23 percent, Canada with 21 percent and Austria with 19 percent. Further, the study showed 32 percent of Bosnians live abroad, followed by 28 percent of Jamaicans, 28 percent of Syrians, 26 percent of Armenians and 5 percent of Canadians. Expatriates make up 70.4 percent of Kuwait's population, according to the latest statistics.

By A Saleh