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Viewing cable 06KUWAIT1505, FROM CRADLE-TO-GRAVE: AN OVERVIEW OF KUWAIT'S WELFARE

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Reference ID Created Released Classification Origin
06KUWAIT1505 2006-05-01 11:47 2011-08-30 01:44 UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY Embassy Kuwait
VZCZCXRO9644
RR RUEHBC RUEHDE RUEHKUK RUEHMOS
DE RUEHKU #1505/01 1211147
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 011147Z MAY 06
FM AMEMBASSY KUWAIT
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 4212
INFO RUEHEE/ARAB LEAGUE COLLECTIVE
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 KUWAIT 001505 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE, SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR NEA/ARP, LONDON FOR TSOU, PARIS FOR ZEYA 
 
E.O. 12958:  N/A 
TAGS: PGOV ELAB ECON SOCI KU
SUBJECT: FROM CRADLE-TO-GRAVE: AN OVERVIEW OF KUWAIT'S WELFARE 
STATE 
 
REF: A. KUWAIT 613 
 
1.  (SBU) Summary and comment: With its immense oil wealth, the 
Kuwaiti Government provides Kuwaiti citizens, who do not pay taxes, 
with cradle-to-grave welfare benefits, including free health care, 
free education, public or private sector employment, and substantial 
housing assistance.  (Note: Kuwaiti citizens make up only one 
million of Kuwait's population of approximately 2.9 million.  End 
note.)  These benefits are enshrined in the Constitution: Article 11 
guarantees social security and medical benefits; Article 13 ensures 
access to free education; and Article 16 provides for employment. 
Such lavish benefits often curb Kuwaitis' enthusiasm for political 
and economic reform, and may have contributed to the Government's 
hesitancy to solve the problem of the Bidoon (stateless residents) 
through naturalization as this would be extremely costly.  With oil 
prices continuing to rise, these benefits are likely to expand.  End 
summary and comment. 
 
Cradle to Grave and Everything In Between 
----------------------------------------- 
 
2.  (U) All medical services in public hospitals, from routine 
check-ups to cancer treatment to prescription drugs, are completely 
free for Kuwaiti citizens.  The Government also pays for private 
medical treatment abroad, including full room and board for the 
patient and up to two escorts for the duration of the treatment (in 
some cases more than two years) if recommended by a medical 
committee in Kuwait.  In addition, all costs associated with 
pregnancy from prenatal care to delivery are provided to Kuwaiti 
citizens at no cost.  Funeral expenses are also free of charge. 
 
Not Your Average Wedding Present 
-------------------------------- 
 
3.  (U) When a Kuwaiti man marries, he is entitled to substantial 
Government housing assistance.  If he marries a Kuwaiti, he becomes 
eligible immediately.  If not, he becomes eligible after having his 
first child.  The Kuwaiti husband can choose from two options: a 
house or an apartment, each worth 60,000 KD ($205,000), or a plot of 
land and an interest-free 70,000 KD ($240,000) loan to build his own 
house.  While he must reimburse the Government, the monthly payments 
are very low: 60 KD ($205) for the housing, and 100 KD ($342) for 
the land and loan.  After ten years, he is also entitled to a 15,000 
KD ($51,000) loan to restore his property.  The average wait time 
for housing is between 10-15 years, though the Government is trying 
to reduce this to seven years.  While waiting, Kuwaitis are entitled 
to a monthly rental allowance of 100 KD ($342).  Kuwaiti women are 
currently not entitled to any of the housing loans.  (Note: There 
are credible reports of some men using the loans as money-making 
schemes, such as one father who arranged for marriages and divorces 
of his 18-year-old daughter seven times, splitting with the husbands 
the "land and loan" privileges that come with marriage (reftel). 
End note.) 
 
4.  (U) The property is registered in the names of both the husband 
and the wife after ten years or after five years if the property is 
fully paid off.  If the husband divorces his wife, she must leave 
the house if they do not have children.  If they have children, she 
can stay in the house to take care of them until her daughter is 
married or until her oldest son turns 26.  She is also required to 
leave the house if either she or her ex-husband remarries. 
 
It Pays to Marry Kuwaiti 
------------------------ 
 
5.  (U) An additional benefit provided to Kuwaiti men when they 
marry is a 4,000 KD loan ($13,700).  Half the loan is treated as a 
gift by the Government and the other half is refundable at a rate of 
20 KD ($69) per month.  This loan is only paid once: if a Kuwaiti 
man decides to re-marry, he will not be eligible for another loan. 
This loan is not given to Kuwaiti men who marry non-Kuwaiti women. 
 
A, B, C...PhD 
------------- 
 
6.  (U) Kuwaitis are entitled to free public education from 
kindergarten through high school.  The Government also fully funds 
university education in Kuwait for students who meet the minimum GPA 
set annually by the Ministry of Education and Higher Education.  For 
Kuwaiti students who demonstrate a financial need, the Government 
provides an additional 100 KD ($342) monthly stipend.  Legislation 
is currently being considered to pay this allowance to all Kuwaiti 
students.  Students whose high school GPA is in the top ten percent 
are eligible for full Government scholarships to study abroad, as 
are students pursuing concentrations not available at Kuwait 
University (KU).  For graduate studies, top students can pursue a 
Masters and/or PhD at KU with full Government funding.  This applies 
to both public and private school graduates. 
 
7.  (U) Students whose GPA is too low to qualify for KU can either 
 
KUWAIT 00001505  002 OF 003 
 
 
apply to the Public Authority for Applied Education and Training 
(PAAET) where the Government will fully fund their education, or 
choose to study abroad at their own expense. 
 
Working Nine-to-Five...Not! 
--------------------------- 
 
8.  (U) Kuwaitis are guaranteed employment.  The majority (95%) 
choose to work in the public sector, making the Government the 
largest employer in Kuwait.  Kuwaiti public sector employees are 
paid competitive salaries, ranging from 160 KD ($548) per month for 
entry level positions to 520 KD ($1,786) per month for senior civil 
servants.  Wage levels are not based on performance and the 
Government cannot legally fire Kuwaiti civil servants except for a 
criminal offense.  In addition, public sector employees receive a 
monthly allowance of 50 KD ($171) per child and a monthly social 
allowance, which depends on marital status and ranges from 165 KD 
($567) for unmarried, entry level employees to 368 KD ($1,264) for 
married, senior level employees.  Although men and women receive 
equivalent salaries, only men receive the allowance for children and 
women receive the social allowance at the unmarried level.  Many 
Kuwaiti Government employees also have managerial positions or 
financial investments in private sector companies. 
 
9.  (U) Kuwaitis applying for public sector employment must register 
their names with the Civil Service Commission.  If they are not 
provided a job after six months, their names are automatically 
referred to the Program on Restructuring Manpower and State's 
Executive Apparatus (PRMSEA).  PRMSEA helps them find a job in the 
private sector and pays them a monthly unemployment allowance until 
they find employment.  The unemployment allowance ranges from 100 KD 
($343) to 200 KD ($687) depending on marital status and 
qualifications.  Anecdotal evidence suggests that a significant 
number of young graduates are not working and have difficulty 
finding private sector jobs. 
 
10.  (U) Over-employment of Kuwaitis in the public sector has led to 
a phenomenon known as "masked unemployment," where large numbers of 
Kuwaiti civil servants hold Government positions without actually 
performing any job duties.  To combat this phenomenon, the National 
Assembly ratified in October 2000 a Government-sponsored "National 
Manpower Support Law," which is meant to encourage Kuwaitis to join 
the private sector; the law entered into force in May 2001.  As part 
of this legislation, the Government began paying for job skills 
training and for social and child allowances for Kuwaitis employed 
in the private sector.  Under this process, called "Kuwaitization," 
a certain percentage of those employed by private sector companies 
must be Kuwaiti citizens.  Percentages mandated by the Government 
vary by industry, ranging from 2% in manufacturing to 50% in 
banking.  Private sector companies that fail to meet these 
requirements are fined and prohibited from being awarded public 
tenders.  In addition, and perhaps as a result, Kuwaiti citizens are 
often paid higher salaries than employees of other nationalities in 
the same position.  The Government also recently launched a program 
to provide financial assistance to Kuwaitis starting their own 
business. 
 
And in Case We Missed Something... 
---------------------------------- 
 
11.  (U) The Government also extends additional benefits to certain 
categories of Kuwaitis who demonstrate a financial need.  From 
January to December 2005, for example, 63,337,277 KD ($217,586,578) 
was paid to Kuwaiti citizens (20,453 "cases" in all) in the 
following categories: 
 
- Kuwaitis older than 60; 
- "Families of students who are married and study at Kuwaiti higher 
education institutions until they turn 26"; 
- Blind Kuwaitis; 
- Kuwaiti orphans; 
- Kuwaiti widows; 
- Divorced Kuwaiti women; 
- Kuwaiti women "past the marriage age"; 
- Families of Kuwaiti inmates; 
- Families of "martyred" Kuwaiti military personnel; 
- Physically handicapped Kuwaitis; and 
- Kuwaitis unable to meet monthly loan installments. 
 
12.  (U) Kuwaitis receive many additional benefits, which are hard 
to calculate.  For example, most Kuwaitis have failed to pay their 
power and water bills since Kuwait's liberation from Iraq in 1991. 
To encourage them to pay their overdue bills, the Government wrote 
off 2,000 KD ($7,000) from each Kuwaiti's bill.  The Government also 
gave each Kuwaiti citizen a 200 KD ($685) grant in 2004 and a 50 KD 
($171) pay raise to Kuwaiti public sector employees in 2005. 
 
All about the Bennies 
--------------------- 
 
 
KUWAIT 00001505  003 OF 003 
 
 
13.  (SBU) The lavish benefits doled out by the Government affect 
Kuwaitis' enthusiasm for political and economic reform.  Sixty-four 
percent of Kuwaitis responding to a recent survey published in the 
Arabic daily Al-Qabas said the most important issue to them was the 
rising cost of living in Kuwait, which undermines the value of 
Government benefits.  Only ten percent said "political issues" were 
most important to them.  The extensive state welfare system may also 
affect the Government's willingness to resolve the longstanding 
problem of the Bidoon (stateless residents) through naturalization, 
since this would impose added welfare costs on the Government. 
(Note: It is estimated that more than 100,000 Bidoon live in Kuwait. 
 End note.) 
 
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For more reporting from Embassy Kuwait, visit: 
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/kuwait/?cable s 
 
Visit Kuwait's Classified Website: 
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/kuwait/ 
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LEBARON