During a recent event, Minister of Labor Dr. Ghazi Al-Gosaibi stated that his ministry was looking at several more trades for Saudization. They included barbers, tailors, plumbers and electricians. A committee was to be formed to study whether these categories could be quickly taken over by the locals.
Now as every committee goes, it’s going to take a while before any tangible methods are developed for a smooth transition of replacing foreign labor with the national pool. And before we hasten to put the cart before the horse, let us ponder over a few points of legitimate concern.
Do we have trade schools that produce barbers? Are there such institutions available that are churning out master Saudi snippers? Or do we as usual expect the Labor Ministry to hand out some sharp scissors to a bunch of hopefuls and expect them to refashion our head in a manner to behold?
And the same argument would apply to the other trades mentioned. There are no such institutions that I know of other than a few vocational schools that produce individuals who can possibly tell the difference between 110volts and 220volts. And such individuals are likely to wait in vain for the prospective Saudi customer.
And while the study is going on, there is another matter to dread. The ambitious staff at the Labor Ministry often takes Dr. Al-Gosaibi’s concerns immediately to heart, and start implementing laws before such laws are even on paper.
Who could forget the raid on travel agencies recently? Where travel agents were locked out of their offices? Or expatriate staff at supermarkets being bundled out and taken away. Am I going to witness a similar fashion of detention of my favorite barber when I am sitting in his chair? And with my hair half sheared?
Dr. Gosaibi has been in the news quite a lot lately. And his proclamations often send shivers across the business establishments. And while his intentions are worthwhile, the means that his staff often employs are what worry most businessmen or shop owners.
If I were member of this study group, I would suggest the following: Weed out the professional expatriate barbers and members of the other trades who merit a high qualification. Offer them the nationality on the condition that they become part of the teaching force. Open up institutions of training with such qualified individuals, and voila! You have produced a pool of fresh graduates in the different trades with superior talents, and with minimal effort or recruitment. A qualified national is worth the price to pay for such efforts.
Let us use the experience of those among us to help us out, before venturing out and bringing in more teachers. Currently, we do not have the facilities to absorb the high number of locals waiting to be qualified in the various trades and join the labor pool effortlessly. Nor should we be quickly inclined to send our children en masse to vocational schools out of the country.
With the wealth of their experience, the transference of knowledge from these willing expats (now Saudis) would fill the marketplace with a labor pool worthy of employment. This is a big country, and can easily absorb the few thousand individuals who choose to remain on this condition. And it would be for a worthy cause. Employers will hire Saudis. And would make some sacrifices in terms of higher wages. But to a degree.
The biggest impediment today to hiring most Saudis currently is their lack of experience and discipline. Through such masters, some would be reformed and turned into hopeful professionals. Be they tailors, plumbers, barbers, or electricians, we all need help. And how smoothly we get it is important.
