Expats have returned an epic fail in technical or educational competency tests in Kuwait.
The government’s Public Authority for Manpower has pulled the licences for 4,809 engineers who bombed their vocational competency test.
The authority’s evaluating committee has reserved judgment on another 1,591 engineers.
Teachers also had less than a first class result in their competency text.
From 1,380 taking the test, 753 failed despite the authority running workshops aimed at helping teachers sit their exam.
Kuwait is midway through a campaign to rely on fewer expats by offering public sector jobs to Kuwaitis rather than expats.
Rolling ban on expat employment continues in Oman
Expats failing the competency test cannot apply for a visa to live or work in Kuwait.
Gulf states that have traditionally relied on expat labour forces to run their economies have moved towards employing more nationals in recent years.
Oman has a positive policy to encourage employers to take on Omanis rather than expats and a six month ban on offering posts to expats has two months to run after a renewal in June.
“In case of non-compliance with the Omanisation rate prescribed and determined by at least 10%, the ministry will take the necessary legal action,” said a statement from the Ministry of Manpower.
The ban covers 87 business sectors, including the media, engineering, marketing, accounting, IT, and insurance.
Don’t bank on a job in Hong Kong finance
“An update will be issued regarding this decision once the six-month period temporary ban is completed,” said the ministry – which has now added carpentry, metal, aluminium workshops and brick factories to the blacklist.
Expats are also finding Hong Kong is shedding roles in banking and finance.
The city’s banking sector has been a top destination for high-flying expats for years, but a stellar shift in China’s financial markets towards Shanghai have cooled the number of opportunities.
Rather than recruit, Hong Kong banks are laying off staff and cost-cutting twinned with the uncertainty of the city due to the ongoing struggles mean expats are struggling to find jobs.
And the world of banking is shrinking as Deutsche Bank has announced a flurry of job cuts in key global markets.
