Kuwait welcomes Pinoy workers

Kuwait has opened its doors to a new group of Filipino domestic workers on Monday following the arrival of an initial group earlier this month.

The new batch consists of around 50 female workers, with additional arrivals expected in the coming weeks as the country grapples with a significant labor shortage.

Bassam Al-Shammari, a specialist in Kuwait’s domestic labor market, said that the steady arrival of Filipino workers is helping to alleviate the persistent shortage of domestic staff, a challenge exacerbated by limited agreements with alternative labor-supplying nations.

The issue has long plagued Kuwait’s domestic labor sector, which relies heavily on foreign workers.

To recall, the first batch of 27 workers arrived in Kuwait last 14 September, but Al-Shammari cautioned that future deployments could face delays due to the Philippine government’s “blacklist and whitelist” system for recruitment agencies.

The issue has long plagued Kuwait’s domestic labor sector, which relies heavily on foreign workers.

The system, enforced by the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW), ensures that only approved agencies or those on the whitelist can facilitate the recruitment of Filipino workers, aiming to protect labor rights and prevent exploitation.

With an estimated 200,000 Filipino domestic workers currently employed in Kuwait, they represent about half of the total domestic workforce in the country.

However, the flow of new workers has faced disruptions in recent years. In February 2023, then DMW Secretary Susan “Toots” Ople restricted the deployment of Filipino domestic workers to Kuwait, limiting it to those with previous experience and banning first-time workers.

This was followed by Kuwait’s suspension of new visas for Filipino workers in May 2023.

The situation improved in June 2024 when Kuwait lifted its visa ban for skilled workers, including domestic workers.

The agreement between Kuwait and the Philippines allowed the deployment of experienced workers, in line with the earlier directive from the Philippine government.

In other news, the Philippine Embassy in Washington, D.C., confirmed that no Filipinos have been affected by Hurricane Helene, which has struck the southeastern United States.