ABSTRACT
The Initial impression one gleans from an encounter with the Kuwaitis is the strong sense of optimism and spirit of development that pervades all their activities. Just as Kuwait has moved to upgrade the training and capacity of its population to support a modern economy, so has it pursued the swift development of the economic infrastructure base in transport and communications. Economic growth without a sufficient base of social infrastructure leading to a quantity and quality of individuals required for the development processes is artificial and, at best, short-lived. The indigenous Kuwaiti labor force is marked by a number of characteristics and attitudes. The Kuwaiti attitude toward the government as a certain source of employment has taken the competitive edge off job-seeking which, in turn, has a dimming effect on the effort-reward relationship. The non-Kuwaiti businessman is often the retail merchant or subcontractor in the services sector.
