COVID-19 Fallout: Indians Working In Kuwait To Lose Jobs
The Coronavirus pandemic and the restrictions that have been put in place to stem its spread have drained the global economy. Kuwait, one of the world's richest countries, is also not untouched by it. Now the Kuwaiti government decided that migrant workers employed in the Ministry of Education would be replaced with Kuwaiti nationals.
According to a report published in Kuwait's local newspaper Al Rai, the ministry has said that by December, the list of expatriate workers for the financial year 2020-21 will be made ready and they will be replaced with Kuwaitis. Obviously, this decision will have an impact on Indians who work in large numbers in Kuwait.
With the onset of the pandemic, voices have been raised about reducing the number of migrant workers in Kuwait. Politicians and government employees are constantly demanding that the migrant workers be sent to their country and jobs be given to the Kuwaitis. Since then, Kuwait has been continuously altering laws to reduce the number of foreign workers. Out of 4.3 million population, Kuwait has only 1.3 million local residents, while the remaining 3 million people are expats. Statistics show that about half of migrant workers are Indians (1.5 million). Earlier, the Kuwait government had decided that work permits for 68,000 foreign workers over 60 years of age would not be renewed in January 2021. This figure also included a large number of Indians. If the Kuwait government sends back expatriate workers, it will prove to be a major setback for the Indian economy. After this, the decision comes into effect, when the migrant workers return from Kuwait, then the income that India receives every year will also decline. In 2018, Indians working in Kuwait strengthened the economy by sending $4.5 billion to India. According to experts, other Gulf countries are also oil-dependent like Kuwait and it is feared that they will also follow the path of Kuwait. If this happens, the Indian economy will suffer a major setback.
With the onset of the pandemic, voices have been raised about reducing the number of migrant workers in Kuwait. Politicians and government employees are constantly demanding that the migrant workers be sent to their country and jobs be given to the Kuwaitis. Since then, Kuwait has been continuously altering laws to reduce the number of foreign workers. Out of 4.3 million population, Kuwait has only 1.3 million local residents, while the remaining 3 million people are expats. Statistics show that about half of migrant workers are Indians (1.5 million). Earlier, the Kuwait government had decided that work permits for 68,000 foreign workers over 60 years of age would not be renewed in January 2021. This figure also included a large number of Indians. If the Kuwait government sends back expatriate workers, it will prove to be a major setback for the Indian economy. After this, the decision comes into effect, when the migrant workers return from Kuwait, then the income that India receives every year will also decline. In 2018, Indians working in Kuwait strengthened the economy by sending $4.5 billion to India. According to experts, other Gulf countries are also oil-dependent like Kuwait and it is feared that they will also follow the path of Kuwait. If this happens, the Indian economy will suffer a major setback.
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