The number of expatriate labor forces in Kuwait increased slightly in one year according to recent statistics. However, the last three months of 2017 shows a drop in the numbers.

The total number of expat workers increased from 1,610,575 as of December 31, 2016 to 1,668,725 as of the end of 2017, according to statistics released recently by the Labor Market Information System of the Central Statistical Bureau.

As a result of 58,150 foreign employees entering the local market, expats’ percentage in Kuwait’s labor market increased slightly from 81.9 percent in late 2016 to 82 percent in late 2017, while the percentage of Kuwaiti workers dropped from 18.1 percent to 18 percent within a year.

On the other hand, the statistics show that the number of expat workers dropped by around 0.3 percent in three months as they had made up 82.3 percent of the market by September 30, 2017.