Kuwait Petroleum focuses on hiring young citizens to retire more than 60 employees this year. world News

TL; Dr:

In a strategic overhaul with the aim of strengthening national employment in Kuwait’s vital oil field, Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC) has introduced a policy to phase out employees aged 60 and above. The decision reported by the Arab Times on August 2, 2025 marks a significant change in work and retention strategy and align with comprehensive nationalization efforts to increase the share of Kuwaiti citizens in the major economic fields.

What is Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC)?

Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC) is a fully owned national oil company of Kuwait, which was established in 1980 to strengthen all major hydrocarbons assets under an umbrella. Headquarters in the city of Kuwait, KPC operates in the entire oil and gas price chain – including exploration, production, refinement, petrochemicals, marketing and transportation. It manages several prominent subsidiaries such as Kuwait Oil Company (KOC), Kuwait National Petroleum Company (KNPC), and Kuwait Petroleum International (KPI), which makes it globally integrated energy enterprise that is about 7% of the world’s crude oil production. The KPC plays a strategic role in running stability, energy infection and national economic growth to suit Kuwait’s vision.

Set to start retirement of employees above 60

Under the new instruction, KPC and its subsidiary companies will not renew the contracts for personnel that have reached the age of 60, whether they are in technical, administrative or supervisory roles. An expansion will be considered only in rare and appropriate operating cases-and that too with the approval of top-level management. This blanket contracts marks a step away from the contract extension and introduce more performance- and the required retention policy.

National workforce was given priority

This initiative is a main part of Kuwait’s “Kuwaitikaran” drive, which is an ongoing effort to reduce the country’s dependence on migrant labor and ensure more job opportunities for their own citizens. Since oil is the backbone of the national economy, integrating qualified Kuwaiti citizens in all layers of the petroleum industry has become the top priority for government planners. KPC is now expected to increase its recruitment campaigns, especially young engineers and recent graduates have been targeted from Kuwaiti universities and technical colleges. These efforts will include outstream programs, training plans and onboarding support with the aim of equipping new higher to play an important role in both outstream and downstream operations.

Case-case review for essential personnel

While the general policy determines non-renovation beyond the age of 60, exceptions will be considered when specific employees keep important skills or institutional knowledge required for the ongoing projects. Even in such cases, however, the extension will only be provided by the heads of the department and after the final approval by the CEO or board-level leadership. KPC officials clarified that this is not a sudden or widespread defeat of experienced workers. Instead, the plan is structured to ensure a smooth transition where knowledge can be transferred from senior professionals to young employees. The long -term objective is to balance the inheritance experience with the innovation of the new era, which ensures both continuity and development in a rapid competitive global energy market. The phased rollout of this policy is expected to begin later this year. While the exact number has not been released on the affected employees, internal communication has already begun to inform eligible employees of adjacent changes. With the move, Kuwait joined other Gulf countries in the revaluation of public sector employment models to serve national goals amidst transferring economic mobility.