Kuwait Private Sector Labor Law No. 6 of 2010 governs employment of 1.5M+ private-sector workers across the country. It covers working hours, overtime, probation, end-of-service, leaves, Kuwaitization quota, and PIFSS social-security for Kuwaiti citizens. The Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor administers enforcement, with Central Bank of Kuwait (CBK) overseeing WPS compliance. This guide covers every provision.
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Max 48 hours per week, 8 hours per day. Ramadan: 6-hour working day for Muslim employees (Article 65). Weekly rest: Friday and Saturday (both days — Gulf standard). Rest periods: 1 hour after 5 consecutive hours.
Day overtime: +25% (Article 65). Night overtime: +50%. Rest-day overtime: +50% plus day-off in-lieu. Public-holiday work: +100%. Max 2 hours overtime per day; cannot exceed 180 hours per year without ministerial approval.
Maximum 100 days probation (slightly longer than Egyptian 3 months but shorter than UAE/Qatar 6 months). Must be written in contract. Either party may terminate with 14 days written notice during probation. No EoS during probation period.
15 days per year for first 5 years + 1 full month per year after year 5 (Article 51). Based on LAST total salary. Resignation reductions apply (Article 51): less than 3 years = 50%, 3-5 years = 66%, 5-10 years = 100% with notice period served. Payable within 30 days of termination.
30 days annual leave per year (full, from first year — unlike Egypt which starts at 15). Maternity: 70 days total (30 days pre-delivery + 40 days post-delivery). Sick leave: tiered — 15 days full + 10 days 3/4 + 10 days 1/2 + 10 days 1/4 + 30 days unpaid.
WPS mandatory via Kuwaiti commercial banks (NBK, KFH, Burgan, Gulf Bank), overseen by Central Bank of Kuwait. PIFSS (Public Institution for Social Security): Kuwaiti citizens only — employer 11.5% + employee 7% + government 7.5% to PIFSS. Expats excluded.
If employee resigns in Kuwait: tenure < 3 years = 50% of EoS, 3-5 years = 66%, 5-10 years = 100% ONLY if required notice period served. This is distinct from Saudi (33/66/100% at 2-5-10 year brackets). Employer-termination = always 100%.
Mandatory Kuwaiti-citizen percentages by sector. Banking + insurance: ~50% target (highest). Oil & gas: ~30%. Telecom: ~40%. Retail + hospitality: ~10-15%. Falling below triggers visa restrictions + fines. Kuwaitization Decree No. 11 of 2017 strengthened enforcement.
Only Kuwaiti nationals enroll in PIFSS. Monthly contributions: employer 11.5% + employee 7% + government 7.5% of insured wage (with ceiling). Covers retirement, disability, survivor benefits. Separate from end-of-service. Expat employees have NO equivalent — EoS is their only severance.
All employers must submit monthly wage data to Central Bank of Kuwait via their WPS-registered commercial bank. Non-compliance: fines KWD 100-500 per employee per month + Kuwaitization tier downgrade. CBK publishes compliance reports.
Article 48 lists specific grounds for immediate termination without EoS: assault, repeated absence without cause, revealing employer secrets, drunkenness at work, falsifying documents, breach of safety rules causing injury. Must be properly documented with investigation.
Kuwait Private Sector Labor Law No. 6 of 2010, enacted in 2010 to modernize private-sector employment. It replaced the older Law 38/1964. Covers working hours, overtime, probation (max 100 days), end-of-service (15 days + 1 month formula via Article 51), annual leave (30 days), maternity (70 days), and worker rights. The Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor administers enforcement.
Both use resignation brackets but with different thresholds. Kuwait Article 51: < 3 years = 50%, 3-5 years = 66%, 5-10 years = 100% with notice served. Saudi: 2-5 years = 33%, 5-10 years = 66%, 10+ years = 100% unconditionally. Kuwait is slightly more generous at low-tenure resignation (50% vs Saudi 33%) but less generous at 10+ years.
Kuwaitization is the private-sector Kuwaiti-citizen quota system, enforced by the Public Authority for Manpower (PAM). Banking + insurance have highest targets (~50%); oil & gas ~30%; retail + hospitality lower (~10-15%). Non-compliance: visa processing slowdowns + fines + Kuwaitization tier downgrade. Decree 11/2017 significantly strengthened enforcement.
Yes. Kuwait WPS is overseen by Central Bank of Kuwait (CBK) and operated via commercial banks (NBK, KFH, Burgan, Gulf Bank). Employers submit monthly wage data; banks disburse to employee accounts + report compliance to CBK + Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor. Non-compliance: KWD 100-500 per employee per month. Different from UAE SIF or Saudi Mudad — AttendUX provides WPS-compliant CSV exports.
Yes, natively. All provisions pre-configured — working hours (48/week, 6h Ramadan), overtime (25% + night premium per Article 65), probation (100 days max), EoS (15 days + 1 month per Article 51 with resignation brackets 50/66/100%), annual leave (30 days from year 1), maternity (70 days), PIFSS contributions for Kuwaiti employees, Kuwaitization ratio tracking.
This page summarizes key provisions of Kuwaiti Labor Law No. 6 of 2010 for general informational purposes only. This is not legal advice. Labor laws are amended periodically; AttendUX makes no warranty about completeness or current validity. For your specific situation — including employment terminations, disputes, cross-border cases, or policy design — consult a labor-law attorney licensed in the relevant jurisdiction and verify with the Kuwait Public Authority for Manpower.
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