Nearly 58 percent of unemployed Kuwaitis refuse to work in the private sector, preferring to wait until a public sector job becomes available, according to government labor statistics released this week, reports Kuwait Times daily.

The data suggests that government efforts to encourage more citizens to work within the private sector – including through the distribution of matching stipends and other benefits – has largely failed. Almost 87 percent of Kuwait’s national labor force works in the public sector, according to the 2015 Labor Force Survey published by Kuwait’s Central Statistical Bureau (CSB), daily reported.

Kuwait’s Constitution guarantees all citizens work, under Article 41: “Every Kuwaiti has the right to work and to choose the type of his work. Work is a duty of every citizen necessitated by personal dignity and public good. The State shall endeavor to make it available to citizens and to make its terms equitable.”

The public sector remains the most attractive employer for a variety of reasons: shorter working hours, often less demanding work, all public holidays, benefits and perks not always available in the private sector and security since locals cannot be fired except in extreme circumstances.

Unemployment among Kuwaitis reached 4.7 percent in 2015 according to the recent statistics.