Expatriate Insurance News: Kuwait's foreign workforce 'declines for second year'
22/03/10 14:41
Kuwait's expatriate workforce has declined for the second consecutive year as a result of the global financial crisis, a report has found.
The expat labour force stood at 1.77 million in 2007 then dropped to 1.75 million in 2008. Last year the total number of expatriate workers was 1.74 million, the Kuwait Times reported.
However, the total expat population rose to 2.37 million last year due to larger expatriate families.
More than two-thirds of the country's population consists of expatriates, with Kuwaitis making up 32.1 per cent, the report revealed.
The country's foreign workforce saw a drop in 2008, the first time it had happened since Kuwait was invaded by Saddam Hussein's Iraq army in 1990.
An economic boom triggered by high oil prices in the region saw Kuwait's expat workforce increase by between 150,000 and 200,000 a year from 2003 until 2008, but the economic slowdown prompted many of the country's companies to lay off foreign workers.
People who are thinking of moving to Kuwait could consider taking out overseas health insurance to help with unforeseen medical bills.
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