KUWAIT CITY, Dec 12: Global Finance magazine says Kuwait has managed to keep unemployment rate at 2 percent since 2010, and landed third place internationally among the countries with minimal unemployment rate after Belarus, which occupied the first position by 0.5 percent and Thailand with 0.8 percent, reports Al-Seyassah daily.

Statistics released last June indicated some 10,692 citizens were unemployed. It also pointed to nearly 326,271 citizens working in government sector while 93,000 are employed in private sector. According to statistics issued by the Public Authority for Civil Information (PACI) 174,000 male citizens are employed in government sector together with 152,000 female citizens, while 48,000 male citizens are employed in private sector with other 45,000 female citizens.

For his part, businessman Abdullah Al-Kandari said the private sector is capable of solving the issue of unemployment in the country, but it first needs to get rid of obstacles that slow down its progress. He wondered about the future of multibillion projects the private sector was supposed to execute, adding the state cannot ask private sector to solve the issue of unemployment and at the same time ignore its demands.

By Najih Bilal and Agencies Al-Seyassah Staff