JEDDAH, 14 April 2004 — Dr. Ghazi Al-Gosaibi, the minister of water and electricity, has been appointed minister of labor, a Royal Court statement said.
Al-Gosaibi is succeeded as minister of water and electricity by Abdullah ibn Abdul Rahman Al-Hussayen.
Dr. Ali Al-Namlah, who was minister of labor and social affairs, has been named minister of social affairs.
Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Fahd made the new appointments on the recommendation of Crown Prince Abdullah, deputy premier and commander of the National Guard. The reshuffle comes after the Council of Ministers last month decided to establish a separate Ministry of Labor and abolish the Manpower Council.
“The Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs has been split into two separate ministries: The Ministry of Labor and the Ministry of Social Affairs,” the Saudi Press Agency said quoting a Cabinet decision on March 22.
Al-Gosaibi, a former Saudi ambassador to Britain, has held a number of different portfolios. His appointment as labor minister comes at a time when the Kingdom is intensifying its drive to find more jobs for Saudis.
The new labor ministry will also deal with labor disputes, employment in the private sector and labor visas.
The labor minister will chair the boards of the General Organization for Social Insurance, the General Organization for Technical Education and Vocational Training and the Manpower Development Fund.
The new Social Affairs Ministry will take care of social insurance and social care and development, SPA said. Charities and cooperative societies as well as social research and studies will also come under its jurisdiction, it added.
