KUWAIT: A government team that was commissioned to study the population structure said it is unlikely to accept parliamentary proposals to set a quota for each expat community in Kuwait. It said such a plan is difficult to implement, as some nationalities still have security restrictions against their entry in the country, in addition to the large numbers of some communities. The local market's dependence on them makes it difficult to reduce their population overnight; rather this needs many years.

A report by the team included several recommendations, most important of which is to reduce the numbers of large communities by 100,000 every two to three years, starting with unskilled workers such as vendors, taxi drivers and those working elsewhere other than their official sponsors.

The study showed that a decrease of 120,000 workers in the marketplace during the pandemic does not mean a remedy of the demographic imbalance, because the exodus was random and included specialists. It also resulted in making the position of "loose laborers" stronger, in addition to complaints by some sectors about a shortage of workers they need, which led to an increase in wages.

Meanwhile, efforts are being made to arrest more than 150,000 residency law violators who do not want to leave the country despite the many opportunities given to them to leave without punishment or fines. The interior ministry has included Abdaly, Wafra and Kabd in their plans to crack down on loose and absconding laborers. The campaigns will be launched soon, without setting a date to ensure the surprise factor. Sources said the three areas, where mostly farm workers and shepherds work, are full of wanted individuals, and there is a need for warrants in case farms need to be entered and searched.