Introduction
Kuwait is a small Arab country that is located on the Persian Gulf between Iraq and Saudi Arabia. The population according to an estimate is around 2.6 million, with more than fifty percent population comprising of immigrants.
Social issues
Kuwait is predominantly a conservative country with controlled democracy. Under the kingdom rule, the ultimate power rests with the royal family of Kuwait. Some legislative powers nevertheless are assumed by the elected representatives. The social issues and problems vary from gender issues, a high proportion of the foreign workforce, joblessness to the environmental and ecological problems created due to rapid industrialization.
Among the frequently highlighted issues in the country, one is the low productivity among the local workforce due to the high influence of favoritism and nepotism in promotions and merits. As mentioned earlier, a high proportion of the workforce in the country comprises foreigners. The executive positions are mostly assumed by personnel from Europe and the USA, while almost whole of the labor and blue-collar jobs are taken by the workers from third world countries. To safeguard the interest of the native workforce, the government of Kuwait has long been following the policy of Kuwaitization. This process is aimed at favoring the local workforce to compete with the foreigners in every field.
The outcomes of this policy have been more unfavorable than favorable. The productivity among the local workforce is becoming low, because of the impression that productivity and performance are irrelevant in promotions for the natives. On the other hand, the motivation among the foreign workforce is low because the chances of promotions and appreciation are low whatever the performance level may be. (Stanley et al 1985). The high influence of the royal family in matters of state and business is also a vital reason behind this problem. Among the native population and workforce, a very high proportion is somehow related to or in contact with the influential people in the royal family. The favoritism and nepotism in favor of natives that arise thus are natural in this situation.
Apart from the above factors, the discriminatory policies regarding citizenship and other rights also create a level of low motivation among the foreign workers. The foreigners are not granted citizenship of the country. Rather they stay as working immigrants. The discriminatory attitude started after the 1991 Gulf war when the foreigners especially Palestinians were pressured and forced to leave the country. Later, the policies at the government level discouraged granting citizenship to any foreigner whatever the ethnicity. The state laws made it impossible for foreigners to get citizenship in any situation. The attitude was based largely on the conscious notion among the citizens that the immigrant workforce should not be granted the same rights as the natives. (Najjar 2008) This spoke greatly of the socially threatened identity of the natives due to the large influx of foreigners. This as a whole has had several implications for the foreign workforce. Among the primary ones have been the declining motivation level at the workplace and the stress of being fired and forced to leave the country at any time.
Conclusion
Although the oil-rich countries like Kuwait have seen rapid industrialization and growth in the economy due to large oil revenues and foreign investment, these countries have already seen the implications of strict state laws regarding foreigners, in case of incapability to face international competition and sustainability of the economy.
References
www.nationmaster.com
Immigrant Labor in Kuwait by Abd al-Rasūl ,Alī Mūsá, Keith Stanley McLachlan
El- Najjar, Hassan. “Discrimination Against Bidoons, Palestinians, and Other Immigrants in Kuwait By Hassan Ali El-Najjar” Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Sociological Association Annual Meeting, Sheraton Boston and the Boston Marriott Copley Place, Boston, MA, 2008.