JEDDAH, 18 January 2004 — Minister of Labor and Social Affairs Dr. Ali Al-Namlah yesterday dispelled fears that Saudization was meant to replace a large number of expatriates working in the Kingdom.
“Although there is currently a debate whether Saudization should mean creation of jobs for Saudis or replacement of expats, the whole issue should be seen from a practical point of view,” the minister said.
He was speaking on the opening day of the Jeddah Economic Forum on “The Human Resource Agenda: Supporting Rapid Growth.”
Dr. Abdul Rahman Al-Tuwaijri, secretary-general of the Supreme Economic Council, also spoke on the same subject and Minister of State Abdullah Zainal Alireza served as moderator.
The minister said there was no point in debating how to achieve Saudization. “My view is that jobs should be created for Saudis, they should be trained in those skills, and the replacement of foreign workers should run parallel with that.”
Dr. Al-Namlah said the Kingdom had five million foreign workers doing jobs, some of which could be done by Saudis. “We don’t need this huge number of foreign workers when our unemployment is as high as 6 to 9 percent. At the same time, there is no plan to get rid of foreign workers or replace them with Saudis. The idea is to create job opportunities for Saudis and qualify them for the jobs through training in different vocations and specialized skills. The reality is we’ve Saudized jobs that have not gone to Saudis,” he said, adding that the Shoura Council would address problems related to the labor law.
“Once that is done, there will be a qualitative leap in the job market and there will be no frustration, whether for employers or employees. All their needs will be met, including protecting employees’ jobs. Labor legislation will then be balanced in favor of both parties. One of the ways of encouraging private sector employers is to give them sops for employing Saudis — the right Saudis for the right jobs.”
Dr. Al-Tuwaijri said the Supreme Economic Council would come up with a definite plan. “There is no dispute about achieving maximum Saudization but what is of paramount importance is how to prepare young Saudis for various jobs that foreigners do.”
Abdullah Zainal Alireza said all issues related to the Saudi job market would be discussed in the Kingdom’s nine chambers of commerce and industry in the coming days. “We have to come up with a proper plan, as privatization will soon take place.”
