Cairo: A Saudi decree localising employment for postal services and parcel transport across the country has gone into effect as of Saturday as part of efforts to provide jobs for Saudis, the kingdom’s Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development has said.
In the first phase of implementation, the decree provides for full localisation of 14 postal services while exempting jobs of cleaning, loading and offloading labour, Okaz newspaper reported.
The decree aims to localise postal services including those of e-delivery, local and international transport of parcels, express mail and provision of postal room management, postal logistics and private postal services.
The step is part of the ministry’s efforts designed to provide “motivating and productive” working environment to Saudi citizens, boost their engagement in labour market, and enhance their contribution to the country’s economic development, the report said.
The ministry plans a package of incentives and support for the private sector to encourage them to employ Saudi citizens.
In recent years, Saudi Arabia has launched a series of initiatives to employ its nationals and replace foreign workers in several fields including education, telecommunications and real estate as part of a labour policy known as “Saudisation”.
In June, ministerial decrees were announced restricting jobs in certain sectors to Saudis only. They covered optics professions, customer services, licensed aviation professions including co-pilots and air controllers, sales outlets and periodic checks of cars.
Foreigners make up about 10.5 million of Saudi Arabia’s total population of 34.8 million.
