Official figures obtained by Al-Seyassah newspaper showed the number of Kuwaiti employees at the Kuwait National Petroleum Company climbing from 5,979 at the close of the fiscal year on March 31 to 7,144 in early September. The total headcount at the company stood at approximately 7,634 during the latest count, producing the elevated nationalization rate. Al-Seyassah reported that the advance reflected successful execution of strategic plans aimed at filling key operational and administrative positions with qualified Kuwaiti nationals.
Informed sources who spoke to the newspaper indicated that approved candidate lists for positions across the Kuwait Petroleum Corporation and its subsidiaries have already been finalized after completion of testing and qualification procedures. Publication of the names is expected within days, after which successful applicants will begin formal appointment processes. The intake forms part of a wider push to inject fresh national talent into the energy sector and support long-term sustainability objectives.
A Zawya report published in September 2025 noted that Kuwait Petroleum Corporation had instructed subsidiaries to elevate Kuwaitization levels in tandem with plans to expand national oil production capacity to four million barrels per day by 2035. The corporation has maintained parallel directives requiring contracting firms to safeguard the employment rights of Kuwaiti workers. These measures include timely salary payments, performance evaluations and access to contractual benefits.
Separate industry data cited by Zawya recorded a decline in the Kuwaitization rate among contractor staff from 23 percent to 20 percent between the first quarters of 2024 and 2025, even as the absolute number of Kuwaitis in such roles fell by 246 to 5,236. The figures prompted discussions about raising the mandatory Kuwaitization threshold for private oil service providers from 30 percent to 60 percent. Roughly 13,000 Kuwaitis currently work in the private segment of the oil industry both inside and outside formal Kuwaitization quotas.
The latest KNPC statistics demonstrate continued progress in reducing reliance on expatriate labor within core state-owned operations. Al-Seyassah noted that the improved ratios align with broader government policies that have guided nationalization efforts across the hydrocarbons sector for decades. Senior officials have repeatedly stressed the necessity of building local expertise to manage strategic assets and ensure operational continuity.
Kuwait Petroleum Corporation formed a high-level committee last year chaired by its chief executive to address union demands on hiring, promotions and status adjustments for Kuwaiti staff. The committee’s work has fed into accelerated recruitment cycles that are now producing measurable gains at operating companies. Further announcements on additional intakes are anticipated in the coming months as the sector prepares for expanded upstream and downstream activities.
