JEDDAH, 8 November 2004 — Private employment and recruitment offices have sprung up as government agencies have proved to be ineffective or not effective enough in implementing Saudization. The Civil Services Department and the Office of Employment and Employees are the government bodies responsible for employment and recruitment — the former specializing in finding jobs for unemployed Saudis in the government sector and the latter focusing on the private sector. However, there is an increasing preference among the jobless for private placement agencies.

Unemployed Sari Hamad, 26, says: “I’ve applied to the Civil Services and the Office of Employment. Both attempts were useless. I waited for them to find me a job while other job hunters going to the private recruitment agencies were getting placed. If I’ve got to pay to get someone to help me find a job, then I’ll pay. I can’t afford to wait for too long.”

Many prefer government jobs because they are more secure as Saudis are hardly ever fired. The problem is that the Civil Services Department has limited schedules for job applicants that are once or twice a year while one could apply anytime throughout the year to the Office of Employment and to private employment agencies.

Nevertheless, these private employment agencies are thought to be seeking business more than offering a much-needed service. Different agencies have different registration procedures with applicants unaware of what is standard, legal or simply wrong. Arab News spoke to people who believed that the private employment agencies were taking advantage of the desperation of the jobless.

“I need a job desperately and am willing to go to any length to get a job or have someone help me get a job,” said Saad Fahd, a young unemployed Saudi. “I went to an employment agency, did all that they told me to do, paid, whatever. I didn’t bother to question their formalities or procedures.”

Ragia Abdul Aziz said, “I need a job badly and it isn’t easy because I’m a woman and already confined to a certain profession. I applied to a private employment company after waiting more than a year for the Office of Employment or the Civil Services to find me a job. I paid the private firm SR150 and they interviewed me as well. Two of my friends got jobs this way. Inshallah, I’m hopeful.”

She added: “I don’t understand how any employment agency can delay finding us jobs. We can’t afford to wait!”

Arab News contacted various employment agencies to find out about their procedures.

Abdul Aziz Al-Harthy, owner of Al-Wasila Al-Zatia Est. said: “We put together a CV for every applicant and if it’s only in Arabic it will cost the person SR50 and we keep his contract file for six months. For SR100, we put together a bilingual CV in Arabic and English and then we keep the file for an entire year. And when or if we manage to get them a job, we then charge them a fee.”

Among the difficulties they face the most are the lack of qualifications and credentials of applicants. Though a good percentage of them are high school, college or university graduates, there are many with intermediate or elementary qualifications and it is hard to find jobs for them. It is also difficult to find jobs for those who are above 35, Al-Harthy said.

The Human Resources Employment, Development and Training Company has a different procedure. Its general manager, Abdul Aziz Jastaniah, said: “We don’t take any money from the applicants when they come to us. We assist their development, train them and totally prepare him. After an applicant is successfully employed we take 15% or 20% from the employer and this commission that we take depends on the employee’s salary for one month and we only take this percentage once.

“The problem we face the most is refusal by companies to pay the specified single-time commission. We help the companies get employees and then they don’t pay us.”

Hamad Al-Ahmad, a job applicant, said: “Why is it that some agencies ask us to pay and then take a commission from the employer as well? Is it up to each agency to come up with its own policies? Or does the Labor Ministry give them official guidelines?”

Owner and general manager of another employment agency, the Academic Center for Employment Est., Abdullah Rashad Kateb, told Arab News: “Finding jobs for unemployed youth is something we do for the country, whether it’s helping the jobless or helping the companies.”

Asked about his company’s registration formalities, Kateb said: “An applicant pays SR150 for registration of CV. If the applicant is successful and satisfactorily employed he then pays us a quarter or half of the salary depending on his situation. This year alone we found jobs for not less than 150 people.”

Owners of several employment and recruitment agencies complained to Arab News about some companies that rip off applicants and do not deliver. They have demanded that the minister of labor come down on illegal and unlicensed companies.

Hani Khan is an applicant who is a high school graduate. He said: “I applied to an employment company and paid them SR150. And when I went back to follow up, I found that they weren’t delivering. They weren’t doing anything. And when I demanded my money back, they refused to pay anything claiming that the money was their service charge. Is this a standard procedure or are these companies ripping us off?”

Tareq Abdullah said: “I also applied to a company and paid SR150 and didn’t get a job. I waited for more than six months. They didn’t even call me. They just kept stalling with a new excuse each time I managed to get through to them. They used the excuse ‘we are trying to get a job just right for you.’”

According to the companies Arab News spoke to, the number of women using the employment agencies remains small.