KUWAIT CITY — About 158,000 expatriate workers have already left Kuwait during the last 100 odd days, many of whom have been laid off because of the coronavirus crisis, local newspaper report said.

Reports also said almost 1.5 million expatriate workers are expected to leave Kuwait by year’s end due to the economic slowdown because of the coronavirus pandemic which has forced companies to cut their workforce to save on costs and remain afloat.

Likewise, the government’s decision to lower the number of expats living in the country, through a new residency law, and its continuing Kuwaitization of jobs in the public sector also hit migrant workers.

The Egyptian and Indian expatriate communities were hit the hardest, the report said.

The draft of Kuwait’s new residency law would limit the number of foreign nationals recruited by companies each year and will include regulations based on their skills, Interior Minister Anas Al-Saleh was earlier reported as saying.

The Kuwait parliament aims to have the legislation ready by October, prior to the November elections. — Agencies