Kuwait's civil service commission has proposed wage increases of up to 330 Kuwaiti dinars ($1,190) per month for private sector employees after state workers were given pay hikes earlier this year.

Policymakers and economists in the major oil exporter have warned that growth in public sector salaries is unsustainable in the long-term. They say it also puts pressure on private sector wages and could fuel inflation, which reached 4.1 percent on an annual basis in March.

The government agreed to wage rises of between 25 and 30 percent for state workers after a series of public sector strikes which hit Kuwait's airport and shipping sector earlier this year. Private sector hikes had been expected to follow.

The rises for private sector workers will be based on qualifications in nine categories, state-run news agency Kuna reported late on Tuesday.

The most qualified workers - such as physicians, pharmacists and engineers - will get 330 dinars more a month. People without school education will get 50 dinars more, the agency quoted commission chairman Abdulaziz Al-Zaben as saying.

The wage rise will cost the private sector 90 million dinars a year, daily Al-Qabas reported. - Reuters