Although the presence of organized criminals like the mafia is not common in the Kingdom, nevertheless we still use the word to describe the monopoly certain groups have on certain occupations in the job market. It is very common to find some jobs particularly occupied by people of certain nationalities. For instance, people from Southeast Asian countries have a tendency to drive taxis in the Kingdom. Similar trends can be seen among goldsmiths, grocers, tailors and IT technicians. In fact, the same trend can be seen among people who wash cars and buy and sell metal scrap.
However, there is only one field, which incidentally pays extremely well, that is dominated by people of a single Arab nationality without any competition. That is the advertising market. According to the Dubai-based International Advertising Association, in 2005 Saudi Arabia spent more than $800 million on advertising. Just imagine this huge amount of money, which would increase even more in the next few years because of the massive projects that are presently being undertaken in the Kingdom.
The essence of successful advertising is to create and innovate ideas and then to market them. In my opinion, this type of work fits exactly with the mindset of Saudi youth, who are capable of creating and innovating what suits their community. In order to be able to utilize our youth, all we need is to have media and communications departments in our colleges or to establish institutions to teach the art of advertising. The same thought has been given to other industries such as the tourism and hotel management sectors. Individuals have been trained in these fields to become competitive and creative.
While the Labor Ministry is fighting interest groups to ensure the process of Saudization and is working toward eradicating unemployment, it would be a good idea if it also looked into these activities in coordination with other ministries, governmental bodies, and chambers of commerce and industry. The ministry has to prioritize its goals to serve the Saudi citizen and find vacancies in advertising companies and institutions.
We should have more knowledge of what our society accepts and expects in the advertising market. Do you think any of the television advertisements have given a minimum thought toward understanding the Saudi family? Haven’t you ever burst into laughter because of the costumes featured in certain TV ads or the way that people appearing on television desperately try to imitate the Saudi accent?
I believe it is about time that we took an effective decision in prioritizing our goals. The advertising market in our country, according to statistics, includes job opportunities that cannot simply be neglected or ignored. Can we not open the door to this market for our youth so they can learn and benefit?
