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Foreigners make up about 10.5 million of Saudi Arabia’s total population of 34.8 million. Image Credit: Agency

Cairo: A decision to replace foreigners with Saudi citizens in jobs in three sectors will come into effect on Thursday, according to a media report as part of an employment policy in the kingdom dubbed “Saudisation”.

These sectors are those of customs clearance, driving schools and engineering technical jobs, the Saudi-owned TV network Al Arabia reported.

The step in the customs clearance sector aims to fully Saudise it by localising 2,000 jobs including those of the customs clearance clerk, categoriser, broker, translator and general manager, the report said.

As for the Saudisation of jobs in the driving schools, the Saudi government Human Resources Fund Hadaf has launched a programme to train and qualify Saudi job seekers as driving trainers to fill 8,000 jobs.

Meanwhile, the Saudisation of engineering technical jobs entails all related jobs. The decision applies to all private sector businesses operating in Saudi Arabia and employing five or more workers in the targeted jobs.

The Saudi Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development has already disclosed plans to Saudise 20 professions in several sectors and creating 378,000 jobs for Saudis seeking employment during 2021.

In recent years, Saudi Arabia has unveiled a series of initiatives to employ its nationals and replace foreign workers in several fields including education and telecommunications and real estate.

Foreigners make up about 10.5 million of Saudi Arabia’s total population of 34.8 million.