RIYADH, 31 October 2007 — The Ministry of Labor plans to fix minimum wage for Saudis employed in the private sector to help them afford a decent standard of living, according to a senior official.
“Fixing a minimum wage in the private sector requires a thorough study of various factors governing economic and social lives in the country,” Abdul Qader Al-Qayedi, undersecretary for employment at the ministry, said while attending a graduation ceremony at the Al-Ramizan Training Center in Riyadh on Monday, Al-Eqtisadiah daily reported yesterday.
“There are some training centers which do not rise up to the expectation of the ministry in helping youths to fulfill the demands of the job market,” Al-Qayedi said, adding that such centers should follow the instructions and guidelines set by the ministry to raise their performance level keeping pace with current market requirements.
The official added that the ministry has taken steps to end the problem of companies evading Saudization quotas by adding fictitious names to their payrolls.
Al-Qayedi warned that employers found resorting to such practices would be denied permission to recruit foreign workers for a period of two years. “This negative trend is waning as the ministry is very firm against practices that undermine the ongoing Saudization process,” the official said.
Dismissing charges that Saudi workers tend to switch jobs often and are not reliable, Al-Qayedi said, “There might be isolated cases of workers switching jobs to seek better conditions, but such instances should not be generalized to blemish the work culture of Saudis.”
The solution is to pay Saudi workers wages that guarantee them a decent living, Al-Qayedi said. “Wage is a major factor in keeping workers with a company for long term and so we must see that they get a decent pay,” he said.
The official warned job seekers to apply for jobs through licensed agencies and not to be deceived by false promises of illegal recruitment agents.
