RIYADH, 5 January — A study prepared by the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs on the recruitment of foreign labor for seasonal work has been sent to the relevant authorities for examination.
Ahmad Al-Mansour, undersecretary at the ministry, told Arab News that there are several sectors which require laborers in large numbers in particular seasons.
For instance, foreign drivers and butchers are required for a period of not more than three months during the Haj season and farms need laborers in great numbers — but, again, only when the crops are ripe for harvest. Once the harvesting is over, the laborers are not needed until the next season.
Though recruitment of laborers could happen according to specific terms and regulations, the seasonal laborers will not be exempted from the usual visa fees, said Al-Mansour.
The ministry is also studying the viability of issuing work visas directly from the labor offices under the ministry in different parts of the Kingdom. However, such a move would require close collaboration between the ministries of labor, finance, interior and foreign affairs.
The "one-stop" visa-issuing system, which will save a lot of time and effort for labor importers, can be implemented by linking all labor offices with the departments of labor recruitment affairs and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs via a computer network.
