JEDDAH, 16 June 2005 — Many unemployed young Saudis have welcomed the Labor Ministry’s decision to Saudize jobs in gas stations and car service centers. They believe the move will result in more job opportunities for Saudi nationals.
“This is a good news,” said Hussam. “Gas stations make a lot of money and their owners should contribute to the development of society and solving the unemployment problem among youth.”
Khaled, a secondary school graduate, said he was ready to work in a gas station provided he got a decent salary. A decent salary would be more than SR3,000 a month plus medical insurance for himself and his family.
Samir, a young jobseeker, said Saudis were ready to work in gas stations or anywhere else. He emphasized, however, that the Labor Ministry should monitor gas stations to make sure they implemented the law.
On the other hand, Saleh Al-Zahrani does not like the idea of working in a gas station, saying that most of his friends and family oppose the idea.
Many companies which own gas station have already begun Saudizing jobs. “We have been appointing Saudis as gas station supervisors since 2003,” said Abdul Rahman Yamani, executive director of Naft. “We accept graduates of intermediate and secondary schools and provide them with refresher courses on all gas station activities,” Yamani said, adding that salaries were fixed in accordance with the educational qualifications.
He said his company was providing a salary of SR3,050 inclusive of all benefits to gas station supervisors. “We have given training to 38 Saudis. Unfortunately, only 16 of them remained with us,” he pointed out.
Muhammad Al-Harbi, owner of a gas station, was pessimistic about the decision and said it would fail like other Saudization plans. “I am sure that many of our young people do not want to work at gas stations since they would not be able to bear the heat,” he said, pointing out that Saudis are accustomed to air-conditioned houses, cars and work places.
