Ministerial Circular No. 1 of 2025
Public Authority of Manpower has issued Ministerial Circular No. 1 of 2025, which introduces strict regulations regarding the modification of job titles and academic qualifications for expatriate workers.
Key Provisions of the Circular:
Modifying a worker’s job title or academic qualification is now prohibited if:
- The change involves upgrading to a higher educational level, and
- The new qualification does not match the nature of the originally approved job.
This applies to:
- Workers recruited from abroad under specific work permits.
- Workers transferred from other sectors into the private sector.
Objectives of the Circular:
- Prevent misuse of the work permit system by upgrading roles post-recruitment.
- Ensure each worker performs the exact job they were initially approved for.
- Promote professional alignment and enforce labor market integrity.
- Support a unified framework for job classification across Kuwait.
Impact on Employers and HR:
- Job titles must be clearly and accurately defined during the work permit application process.
- Future requests to amend job titles or qualifications that involve a higher academic level may be rejected if inconsistent with the original job role.
- Workers transferred from government or semi-government entities cannot change to higher roles unless their original job nature matches the new one.
Action Required:
Future job offers and permit applications must reflect accurate and final job roles.
