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Kuwait’s Public Authority for Manpower is preparing to introduce additional electronic monitoring measures in cooperation with the Central Bank of Kuwait to strengthen wage protection in the private sector. The initiative aims to ensure that employees actually receive the salaries owed to them, rather than merely confirming that employers have completed a bank transfer. It forms part of broader efforts to improve compliance with labour regulations, close gaps in wage payment procedures and protect the financial rights of both Kuwaiti and expatriate workers.

According to a report published by Al Rai newspaper on October 25, 2026, citing informed sources, the planned mechanism would go beyond checking whether a salary has been deposited into a worker’s bank account. It would also help authorities identify suspicious withdrawal patterns after payments are made. This is intended to address cases in which employers or company representatives withdraw money using workers’ bank cards, or pressure employees to return part or all of their wages after the transfers have been officially recorded as completed.

The sources explained that the additional system is expected to detect potential manipulation electronically and enable regulatory authorities to respond more efficiently. Among the practices of concern are employers withdrawing salary payments and subsequently handing workers smaller amounts in cash, despite employment contracts providing for higher wages. Authorities are also seeking to identify cases in which employees are compelled to withdraw their own salaries and return money to the company. Such arrangements can undermine wage protection even when the original salary transfer appears legitimate in banking records.

Separately, the Public Authority for Manpower has outlined an electronic wage verification process linked to the Central Bank’s wage protection platform. The process involves eight stages, beginning with an employer submitting salary payment instructions to its bank. The relevant information is then transmitted through the approved electronic system for verification against registered employee records. Once the information has been checked and approved, the receiving bank processes the payments and the results are reported electronically to the authority. This arrangement is intended to improve accuracy, reduce manual procedures and strengthen oversight of salary payments.

Published figures indicate that companies submitted 93,865 wage compliance requests during the first nine months of 2026, compared with 31,757 requests during the corresponding period of 2025. This increase reflects greater use of electronic procedures for monitoring salary payments and compliance. However, an important distinction remains between the existing wage payment and verification system and the additional monitoring of salary withdrawals that authorities are preparing to introduce. The latter had not been reported as fully operational at the time of the newspaper’s announcement.

Once implemented, the proposed monitoring measures could help protect employees against practices that deprive them of their contractual earnings and support earlier detection of suspicious transactions. Workers should retain their bank statements and salary records and use the appropriate official channels to report pressure to return wages to employers. Businesses, meanwhile, must ensure that salaries are paid in accordance with employment contracts and applicable regulations while monitoring official guidance on the next stages of implementation. The new withdrawal-monitoring mechanism remains a forthcoming measure rather than a newly enforced requirement for every company.

Source: Al Rai Newspaper and Kuwait Public Authority for Manpower.