11,452 Kuwaiti nationals employed in banks; “Tawteen” continues to rise

Ahmed Maghrabi The Kuwaiti banking sector continues to strengthen its role as one of the most prominent employment gateways for national talent, as the latest quarterly statistics issued by the Kuwait Banks Association showed that the total number of national employees in the banking sector rose to 11,452 Kuwaiti men and women by the end of June 2026. This reflects the continued expansion of Kuwaiti workforce presence in banks and their investment in national human capital.

The new figure gains additional significance given that the proportion of national employees in the banking sector reached 79% by the end of March 2026, according to data from the Kuwait Banks Association. This percentage confirms that bank localization has long since moved beyond merely meeting regulatory thresholds to building a broad base of national talent within banking institutions.

The data reveals a major shift in the long-term structure of banking employment. The number of Kuwaitis working in banks was 1,543 in 2000, before surpassing 11,000 by the end of March 2026. This demonstrates the sector’s growing capacity to absorb national labor over more than two decades. Furthermore, labor market data referencing the Kuwait Banks Association’s figures indicate that banking sector employees account for approximately one-quarter of the national workforce registered in the private sector with the Public Authority for Manpower, excluding the oil sector and employees covered under Article 5 of the Civil Service Law.

Banking efforts are not limited to providing direct employment. The Kuwait Banks Association revealed that the total contributions of local banks in supporting national employment and encouraging Kuwaitis to work in the private sector amounted to approximately 380 million dinars between 1992 and the end of 2025. This underscores the sector’s extended role in supporting national employment policies alongside attracting talent within the banks themselves.

This trajectory is underpinned by a clear supervisory framework led by the Central Bank of Kuwait. Article 71 bis of Law No. 32 of 1968 concerning Currency, the Central Bank of Kuwait, and the Regulation of the Banking Profession stipulates that the proportion of national employees in a bank must not be less than 50% of its total workforce, or the percentage determined by the Council of Ministers under the National Employment Support Law, whichever is higher. Additionally, the supervisory directives for local banks include independent guidelines regarding the proportion of national employees.

However, the Central Bank of Kuwait’s approach goes beyond achieving numerical quotas, focusing instead on enhancing the quality of localization and expanding the presence of Kuwaitis across various job levels. The central bank has previously emphasized the importance of increasing the representation of national talent in senior positions, qualifying and training national employees to assume roles at different administrative levels, opening opportunities for specializations required by the sector, and reducing reliance on manpower supply companies to meet internal needs. The Central Bank has described the banking sector as the largest employer of national talent in the private sector.

In the same vein, the Central Bank of Kuwait issued a circular to local banks, stressing the localization of positions in senior and middle management and prioritizing national cadres for technical and administrative leadership roles, while simultaneously training and qualifying them for these positions. This makes the Kuwaitization policy more closely linked to career progression and advancement to management and decision-making roles, rather than merely increasing the number of Kuwaiti employees.

The national presence also extends to the female demographic. The latest available data from the Kuwait Banks Association at the end of March 2026 showed that Kuwaiti women constitute 86% of all female employees in the banking sector, indicating a broadening base of Kuwaiti women’s participation within banks and their presence at various functional and leadership levels.