Kuwait Judiciary aims 100% Kuwaitization of workforce by 2030

Kuwait’s Minister of Justice, Counselor Nasser Al-Sumait, has reaffirmed the government’s plan to achieve 100% “Kuwaitization” of the judiciary by 2030, replacing all foreign judicial staff with qualified Kuwaiti nationals.

The initiative is part of broader reforms to strengthen the role of local talent in the justice sector and enhance the judiciary’s capabilities. The Ministry of Justice is working to ensure all judicial positions are filled by capable Kuwaiti professionals.

Al-Sumait said the process is already underway across all judicial departments, with steady progress being made. “The matter has been decided, and we are committed to achieving 100% Kuwaitization by 2030,” he stated.

He also confirmed that the Judicial Independence Law is under legislative review, with the aim of bolstering independence, efficiency, and alignment with modern legal frameworks.

These reforms are intended to empower national competencies and ensure the judiciary is equipped to meet Kuwait’s evolving legal and administrative needs.

Kuwaitization is gaining momentum across key private sectors in the region. For example,  the oil sector has achieved 100% national workforce rates already across major oil companies and the number of expatriates steadily declining. While the industry still relies on specialised foreign talent, the goal remains to maximise the presence of qualified Kuwaitis in key roles.

The Kuwaitization Policy, implemented by Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC) and its subsidiaries, aims to keep a 100% local workforce in key engineering and technical positions. Supporting this, KPC introduced the Manpower Contractors Kuwaitization Initiative in 2002 to ensure fair wages, benefits, and job continuity for Kuwaitis in the sector.

This is part of their long-term KPC Strategy 2040 to expand national talent integration across the industry. In 2024, KPC CEO Sheikh Nawaf Al-Saud Al-Sabah stressed the importance of fully nationalising the sector, focusing on increasing Kuwaiti employment and removing barriers to their career growth, while ensuring job security.

In addition to Kuwaitization, the Public Authority for Manpower, Kuwait is also tightening its recruitment process for foreign workers in technical roles such as medicine, engineering, law, education, accounting, and finance. The new rules require candidates to pass an online professional proficiency test and undergo rigorous verification of their academic credentials and work experience (three to five years) through official authorities and Kuwaiti embassies abroad.

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Furthermore, PAM has also introduced stricter rules for work permits, halting any changes to the academic qualifications or job titles of expatriates, particularly when a higher degree does not align with the original job requirements. This applies both to those already holding work permits and to those transferring to the private sector.

The Authority has also made it clear that any worker requiring security screening must first secure its approval before undergoing clearance from the Ministry of Interior, ensuring tighter oversight and compliance in the hiring process.