Companies facing Saudization jobs crackdown

Tuesday, 2 December 2008 7:24 AM

Saudi Arabia's labour minister has vowed to get tough with thousands of companies who are flaunting rules set out to help get local people into employment.

Ghazi Al-Gosaibi said the ministry was aware that many companies are breaking regulations regarding Saudization, the national policy that requires companies to reserve a proportion of jobs for Saudi citizens.

“There are thousands of major companies that are not abiding by the Saudization requirements and we are going to be serious now about this issue,” the minister said in comments published on Tuesday by Arab News.

He said one company was caught with more than 170 files of fake Saudi employees.

Al-Gosaibi also rejected the idea of a minimum wage, claiming that experts have said that setting a minimum wage would lead to more unemployment.

“I feel ashamed that there are 270,000 unemployed Saudi job seekers in a country that employs more than seven million foreigners,” he told the paper.

The minister said the global financial crisis would not affect jobs, considering the large number of development projects currently under way in the kingdom.

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Posted by: brian Wednesday, 3 December 2008 10:20 AM[UAE] - uae

Can His Excellency Mr Al Gosaibi advise how we can get Saudi Nationals to apply for jobs in the private sector with a fair working wage and ensure that these new employees actually carry out their roles to an agreed job description and with a good work ethic If so I will employ salesmen accountants and engineers immediately.

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Posted by: Yusuf Germino Tuesday, 2 December 2008 9:34 AM[UAE]

It can't be forced. The first thing Mr. Al Gosaibi should try to discover is whey are there files for fake Saudi employees. He has to dig deeper to the root cause, the main reason. Whould would an employer go through the trouble of paying non-functioning employees. Does that mean that he'd rather pay them but not let them report to office, than pay them and have them actually play an active participation in the organiztion. I understand his embarssment to say that there are so many unemployed Saudis. However, what is the Ministry doing to assist them, not just to find a job, but find a job where their qualifications and interest would be of good and productive use. Of the 270,000 unemployed Saudis, does the Ministry of Labor have record of each of their experience, their desired position and their expected salary? Does the Ministry have pertinent Data that could help them more effectively address the issue? I for one, dream of seeing Saudization happen. At least in my work, I know it can work. I belong to a department where 99% are Saudis, and I represent the 1% expatriate share. They are some of the most dedicated, passionate and hard working individuals I have met. They have career and personal goals, they have expectations, they have frustrations etc. just like everybody else. All they need is an opportunity where they could contribute, grow and learn. I guess the immediate responsiblity for the MInistry of Labor to help these unemployed Saudis are to make them employable, by providing them guidance and assistance in finding a suitable job where.

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