Saudisation to provide jobs for thousands

With unemployment running at around 20 per cent in Saudi Arabia, the Kingdom is faced with the daunting task of finding employment for its ever growing number of youth.

By announcing to nationalise the work force in 22 new categories, authorities in Riyadh are once again indicating that they are serious in resolving this issue.

In a country where over seven million people from all over the globe are present earning their livelihood, the spectre of high unemployment among the nationals is perplexing to many.

In order to provide gainful employment to its own nationals, the Saudi government seems to be working on the strategy of replacing some of these expatriate employees with Saudis. Will this strategy work?

Ahmad Abdulrahman Al Mansour, the Undersecretary of Labour and Social Affairs says once the newly announced professions are Saudized, thousands of job opportunities would be opened up for the Saudi nationals.

He cited, for example, that the airline and travel agency ticketing sector employ mostly expatriates and that Saudization of this sector alone would provide many jobs to the young Saudis.

The decision also applies to 600 Haj and several hundred Umrah offices employing thousands of expatriates. These will have to be replaced by Saudi nationals now.

Dr Abdul Wahed bin Khalid Al Humaid, Secretary General of the Saudi Manpower Council, which also made this recommendation to the government, said: "The new move comes within the framework of the government's keenness to care for the national workforce in terms of training and unemployment."

The Saudi decision would mainly affect the expatriate workers from the sub-continent and some Arabic speaking countries like Egypt and Sudan.

Many of them, who may be affected by the new regulations, are worried about their future prospects. Many of these expatriates have been living in the kingdom for decades now.

For them to get back to their respective countries and start afresh is indeed not a very rosy proposition.

While talking to Gulf News, some of the employees of the Umrah offices, near the Pakistani school in Al Khobar, expressed anxiety over their future. These Umrah offices are catering to a large number of expatriate population.

Many of those employed at these offices appeared extremely worried that when their residence permit would go for renewal, it may not be renewed.

Many of these Haj and Umrah offices cater to people from South Asia. "A large number of pilgrims from South Asia are generally old, weak and in some cases not very literate as well.

"They now may find it more difficult to communicate with someone not able to understand and speak their language," an employees at one of these offices told Gulf News yesterday.

Earlier, when jobs at the jewellery shops in Saudi Arabia were nationalised, it was found difficult to implement it in full in one go.