His Excellency the Minister of Social Affairs and Labour to Al-Qabas: 3,000 jobs for Kuwaitis in cooperatives
The Minister of Social Affairs, Labor, and Social Development, Dr. Amthal Al-Huwail, affirmed the ministry’s commitment to advancing the implementation of the Kuwaitization policy, strengthening the presence of national talents, and empowering them across various sectors, in line with the state’s directions and Cabinet decisions.
In a statement to Al-Qabas, Al-Huwail said the ministry is working to implement the Cabinet decision aimed at providing at least 3,000 jobs for Kuwaitis in cooperative societies, distributed among supervisory and support positions, as part of a phased plan for job replacement in the cooperative sector.
She clarified that the ministry has made significant strides in Kuwaitizing supervisory roles within cooperatives, with 20 Kuwaitis appointed in the first phase and 48 in the second. During the current third phase, the ministry aims to appoint 70 Kuwaitis, with implementation continuing until the targeted supervisory positions are fully filled.
Al-Huwail added that the Kuwaitization plan has expanded to include support roles, and job opportunities for Kuwaitis will continue to be offered in successive stages, based on vacancies identified in cooperatives through an organized and unified mechanism that ensures transparency, equal opportunity, and the selection of qualified national talents.
She noted that she discussed the organizational structure, administrative frameworks, and employment contracts of cooperatives with the Union of Cooperative Societies, measures designed to regulate the labor market in the cooperative sector and achieve Kuwaitization targets. She emphasized the importance of immediately Kuwaitizing the position of Supply Branch Manager, supporting national cadres, and enabling them to fill these roles. She confirmed that the ministry continues to identify and progressively offer vacancies to citizens, both in supervisory and support positions, to achieve the set targets for job localization in the cooperative sector.
**Kuization Phases**
In this context, the Ministry of Social Affairs continues to implement phases of Kuwaitization for supervisory positions in cooperative societies, as part of a phased plan aimed at placing national talents in leadership and supervisory vacancies. These phases will continue sequentially until all designated positions in the cooperative sector are filled.
This plan aligns with a government target to provide thousands of jobs for Kuwaitis in cooperative societies, distributed across supervisory and support roles, thereby expanding employment opportunities for citizens and enhancing job replacement rates in this sector.
Supervisory positions include General Managers, Deputy General Managers for Commercial and Marketing Affairs, Deputy General Managers for Financial and Administrative Affairs, and Department Heads in various administrative, financial, and technical specialties.
Department Head roles cover specialties such as Purchasing, Legal Affairs, Accounting, Public Relations and Media, Invested Branches, Administrative Affairs, Technical Affairs and Projects, and Information Technology.
Experience requirements are set at 15 years for applicants for the position of General Manager, 10 years for Deputy General Managers, and 5 years for Department Heads, alongside a university degree appropriate to the nature of the job.
The selection process begins with screening applications and verifying eligibility, followed by specialized written tests and personal interviews, culminating in a public lottery among candidates with equal scores.
The Kuwaitization plan has also extended to support roles, with 45 positions offered across 15 cooperative societies, based on available vacancies in each society. Applications are open to citizens via the "Fakhrana" platform, in cooperation with the Public Authority for Manpower.
**Supply Branches**
Steps to expand the Kuwaitization of support roles include Kuwaitizing the Supply Branch Manager position in 12 cooperative societies, as part of a plan to Kuwaitize this role in all cooperative societies.
The new bylaws for regulating cooperative work, issued under Ministerial Decision No. 196 of 2026, have strengthened the regulatory framework for the Kuwaitization plan by establishing a committee tasked with monitoring its implementation in cooperatives and unions.
The committee includes representatives from the Ministry of Social Affairs, the Public Authority for Manpower, and the Union of Cooperative Societies. It is responsible for monitoring the placement of vacancies and determining the needs of cooperatives based on their administrative and financial status.
Phases of Kuwaitization for supervisory positions will continue sequentially, alongside the expansion of support job offerings, to fill designated vacancies and increase the presence of national cadres in the executive bodies of cooperatives.
The plan’s implementation is linked to each society’s needs, operational volume, and financial standing, ensuring job opportunities for citizens without imposing burdens that could affect the societies’ services or financial stability.
The plan aims to build a sustainable career path for Kuwaitis in the cooperative sector, based on qualification, training, and merit-based selection. It goes beyond merely filling vacancies, extending to preparing national cadres capable of developing cooperative work and enhancing services provided to shareholders and consumers.
