JEDDAH, 1 March 2006 — Like anyone who isn’t into self-flagellation, Ahmad Al-Shoaib doesn’t like waiting in lines, filling out forms, or otherwise wasting his time wandering from one office to the next in a quest that often seems byzantine by design.
In an interview to Al-Madinah Arabic newspaper recently, he had one simple request for the Ministry of Labor. “I appeal for decreasing bureaucracy from these different departments,” he said.
A number of people have complained about the long hours spent obtaining licenses and visas for foreign workers. This is a process that sometimes takes so long that employers end up paying fines for expired paperwork.
They also say there is a lack of clear mechanism for Saudization, a process that is supposed to replace the need for foreign staff. They complain that even acquiring licenses for Saudi employees can be a lengthy process. They say that none of these procedures involve going simply to one department.
While the government clearly wants to expedite the Saudization process, the newspaper reported that many employers also complain that young Saudis are simply not qualified, that they haven’t been adequately trained.
“We face a lot of difficulties when dealing with the Labor Office, especially when we need to recruit foreign workers,” said Al-Shoaib. “Our need for foreign workers is there because of the lack of trained Saudi workers. Small businesses encounter difficulties from the government. Connecting the dots from different departments within the Labor Office to renew business licenses can take a long time. Delays occur because of the complicated procedures of following up with the different government departments: the Traffic Department, the Municipality, the Social Insurance Department, the Chamber of Commerce, the Ministry of Commerce, and so on.”
Employers say they are also finding it difficult to work with the Labor Ministry to place Saudi youths. “One major problem we face from the Labor Office is its inefficiency to provide us with qualified Saudi employees,” said businessman Abdullah Alsairafi. “We are required to provide Saudi youth with jobs but we rarely find well-trained or adequately experienced Saudis for these jobs. Sometimes we receive some Saudis through the Labor Office and they end up leaving their jobs after a month or two, which is bad for businesses. I call for our Saudi youth to get trained and enroll in workshops to develop their sense of responsibility and discipline.”
A Labor Office official in Taif, Awaad Al-Joaid, said much of his feedback from employers focuses on the problems related to recruiting foreign workers, and not so much problems with renewing licenses. Delays in hiring foreign workers, he says, often occur when employers are seeking additional visas beyond their legal quota. This, he says, is a process that requires the Labor Ministry’s Recruitment Committee to study these additional applications.
As for issuing licenses and permits for workers in general, the Labor Office in Taif reports no complaints; the procedures have been computerized and streamlined in recent years. Licensing is always an easy process to complete, says Al-Joaid, but only when all the required paperwork is presented.
Al-Joaid pointed out that his office in Taif has increased the number of computers to help expedite the processing of licenses and permits. “Now a person can be issued a new business license in less than 10 minutes,” he said.
