Though we have written about the problems resulting from expatriate labor and their security, social, political and economic impact on the state, nobody seems to listen. Despite the many statements they make about social problems resulting from chaos in the labor market and violations of the law that rarely exist in other civilized countries, those officials responsible for expatriate labor are not working hard enough on solving the problem.

The employment scene is full of unqualified poor-quality labor, visa trafficking, visitors visas turned into residency visas, labor desertion from sponsors and all kinds of crimes committed at a time when the government announced its intention to reduce the number of expatriate laborers from 60 per cent of local manpower to 45 per cent. Nonsense! The government has been talking about this ratio since 1986 when, as a member of a supreme planning committee, I took part in setting that plan.

What makes things even worse is that the majority of expatriate laborers are not required to present criminal record status certificates. They are not asked to provide them with other documents required by our ministries abroad prior to their arrival in Kuwait. There is no wonder that crime is on the increase, then!

Another part of the problem is that many citizens and illusionary companies have been bringing marginal laborers into the country and thousands of visitors visas have been transferred into residency visas for people who might not find decent jobs in Kuwait, and they eventually go down illegal paths to make a living. — Al-Rai