KUWAIT: Against the backdrop of the falling unemployment rate, the government has tabled a proposal to provide unemployed youth with a monthly KD 250 unemployment allowance. The news was welcomed by Kuwaitis who jointly voiced their approval of the proposal. Recently, MP Dr Muhammad Al-Huwaila submitted the draft of a bill to grant the allowance to young, unemployed Kuwaitis. The bill refers to youth who have faced difficulty trying to find a job but who have registered as unemployed with the Civil Service
Commission. "I agree [to the grant] provided that the recipients pay it back when they finally get a job," said a 38-year-old Kuwaiti man working in a private company in Shuwaikh.

It is something like giving assistance to an unemployed individual but the government should be responsible enough to not raise a population of lazy people waiting for alms from the government," he said. He was quick to point out that "it will be unfair for others who are working hard but getting almost the same amount.

During the global financial crisis last year, through the Manpower Government Restructuring Programs (MGRP), the Kuwaiti government granted a certain amount of money to people who actively sought employment but could not secure a job. The government provided an unemployment allowance to Kuwaitis six-months after they registered their names with the Civil Service Commission or the MGRP.

For some Kuwaitis, the proposed monthly allowance is fair for those unemployed youths whose lifestyles have drastically changed with the advancement of technology and the quickly changing times. "The problem with Kuwaiti youth today is that they are living in a society that really needs more. We understand that they need more money for personal use and that they need more money to cope with the rising price of commodities. So KD 250 is just fair," said a concerned citizen.

A Kuwaiti woman in her 30s said it was the right of Kuwaitis to get the needed support from their government, especially if there is no job to find. "The system is not exclusive to Kuwaitis, countries all over the world support their unemployed citizens. We deserve support from the government so we can all live peacefully with dignity and decency," she said.

The word amongst expatriates was similarly in favor of the move. An expatriate accountant said that being one of the richest countries in the world, Kuwait's government should really help their own people. He said that the first thing they should do is help them find employment. If they are not proficient, citizens should be helped with skill trainings and education. "It's their money they are spending to help their own people, why should we object to that? After all, they are not getting our salary. Why s
hould they be envied for something that is not reserved for us. Let the people of Kuwait enjoy their own money while they can still enjoy it, while they are still alive," he said.

According to information published by Al-Wasat, whose information came from the Public Authority for Civil Information, 14,265 Kuwaitis were reported jobless in 2009. The report indicated that the unemployment rate decreased to 4.2 percent, as opposed to 4.9 in 2008. The total number of unemployed Kuwaiti women in 2009 was 7,587 while their male counterparts were 6,678. The report revealed that the total number of employed citizens are 265,432 in the government sector while 63,000 Kuwaitis work in the priv
ate sector. Of those working in the public sector, 148,652 of them are men and 117,279 are women. - Kuwait Times