Saudis consider recruiting firms

Jeddah: Saudi Arabia's deputy minister of labour has said the ministry decided to create hiring companies to recruit workers who can be good targets for businesses in the kingdom.

Dr Abdul Wahed Al Humaid said this when he was asked about a study on the cancellation of the sponsorship system.

Recruiting companies will establish training centres in the countries from where workforce is brought to the Kingdom, he said during a contractors' meeting at Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry over the weekend.

"The advanced preparation of the workforce for the labour market in the Kingdom would then guarantee trained and qualified workers who would come here for targeted jobs with specific employers," he said.

"The word sponsor was taken out of the legal terminology of the Minister of Labour and has been replaced with the word employer," he said.

Any worker coming to the Kingdom should have known references back home while the employer here will be the sole responsible for the worker, he added.