Employment
Private sector labour law plus Kuwaitisation quotas
Law 6 of 2010 governs private sector employment. Kuwaitisation quotas by sector and a large sponsored migrant workforce shape the market.
Key rules
- Jurisdiction — Public Authority for Manpower conciliation, then the labour circuits of the ordinary courts.
- Deadline — 1 year to bring a labour claim
- Deadline — 3 months' notice for monthly-paid employees
Governing law
- Private Sector Labour Law, Law 6 of 2010
- Law 68 of 2015 on Domestic Workers
- Public Authority for Manpower Law 109 of 2013
In practice
Law 6 of 2010 improved end-of-service indemnity and leave entitlements and created the Public Authority for Manpower as the regulator. Kuwait was the first Gulf state to legislate specifically for domestic workers, in 2015, giving them a weekly rest day and a wage floor, though enforcement remains the persistent weakness. Sponsorship still governs residence, and while transfer between employers is possible it generally requires consent or a qualifying period, so Kuwait has moved less far than Qatar on mobility. Kuwaitisation quotas are enforced through the Manpower authority and determine hiring feasibility by sector.