MADINAH, 12 December 2006 — The Haj Ministry said yesterday it expects to employ more than 5,000 Saudis during the Haj season, providing jobless locals opportunities to work for about 75 days.

Hassan Bakri, head of Madinah’s Haj Ministry regional office, said that the jobs will be available through the government’s efforts to facilitate the pilgrims, including public transportation and assisting lost pilgrims find their way back to their housing.

“There are 500 youths working right now with the Haj Ministry,” said Bakri. “Many of them are between the ages of 20 and 35.”

He said that these workers are working on the entrances and exits of Madinah and in areas that pilgrims visit more often in order to serve and guide them.

The head of the transportation company National Adilla Establishment, Yousof Saeed Hawala, said that they recruit around 3,200 people every season, or which 95 percent of them are Saudis. The rest he said are from different nationalities employed mainly for translation purposes.

They different languages include French, German, Urdu, Italian, Indonesian Basha, and many other languages. The average salary is SR4,500 a month said Hawala.

Muhammad Saleh Shukri, head of a car syndicate in Madinah, said that they are offering more than 2,000 jobs this season, mainly to drivers.

“Drivers are asked to take pilgrims from the airports to Madinah and Makkah, and even between the holy sites including Mina, Arafat, and Muzdallifa in Makkah,” said Shukri. “The buses also carry the pilgrims back to the airports after the completion of their Haj. Everything goes according to set times and schedules assigned by the ministry.”

Shukri also added that 80 percent of these drivers are Saudis while the rest are mainly Egyptians.

Ali Al-Amri, a Saudi student and part-time data-entry employee, said that he feels pleased to serve pilgrims and earning money while doing it.

“At the end it is better to invest my time in a job rather than staying useless walking the streets and wasting too much time in coffee shops,” said Al-Amri.

Another Saudi youth is Yahya Al-Zahrani, who works as a driver in local Haj institution. He said: “Though driving is tough and exhausting because of the long hours, but it remains our pleasure to serve pilgrims. I like to drive and I have my own taxi cab but during Haj I dedicate my full time as a driver for pilgrims.”

Sami Al-Magmasi said that he depends heavily on Haj and Umrah seasons to earn money because he is unemployed.

“I left school when I was in fifth grade,” said Al-Magmasi.

“These jobs provide great opportunities for me and people like me who do not have a job. I even save some of what I earn during these seasons to help myself during the rest of the year.”

Al-Magmasi also urged the authorities to make these jobs available all the year round as this will decrease the number of unemployed Saudis.