People were also employed to work in different government sectors such as education and administration, and in other technical sectors. There is no doubt that recruitment during that period played an important role in developing the Kingdom to meet the needs of citizens.

However, the current changes in the Kingdom make the review of procedures, programs and systems necessary. These changes should reflect current needs. The Kingdom is witnessing major changes in population growth and there is a great need to create job opportunities for locals. There is also a rise in the number of Saudis graduating with degrees; tens of thousands are graduating every year.

Young Saudis now possess the abilities and efficiency to perform jobs that non-Saudis do. These realities of today are enough to force us to rethink the way we recruit foreigners. There are indeed many problems with the current recruitment system that are summed up in the following four points.

To begin with, there are over 7 million non-Saudi workers in the Kingdom. Many people feel these workers are doing jobs that they were simply not recruited for. Secondly, the recruitment system as it stands now does not provide workers with stable lives as many of them do low-paid jobs and cannot bring their families to live with them due to lack of funds or the system not allowing them to do so. This has negative consequences socially, morally and economically.

Many of these people do work with families as maids and drivers, while others work in retail shops or as taxi drivers. Newspapers publish, on a daily basis, details of crimes committed by these individuals. This is the perfect environment for such crimes to happen and they will continue to exist as long as these workers remain in this country away from their families for long periods of time.

This is in addition to huge remittances abroad every year. Foreign workers transfer home large amounts of cash since they do not have families here to spend on. This is not good for the national economy.

Thirdly, there is an imbalance in the competition between a Saudi worker and a non-Saudi worker. Foreigners accept low salaries and are ready to work extra hours, sometimes up to 12 hours a day. Saudis, on the other hand, are unable to compete because of social obligations. They also cannot work for low salaries, as their costs will not be met.

Fourthly, the number of Saudi graduates is increasing every year. This makes it difficult to create job opportunities in the government sector on an ongoing basis. There is also a need for a mechanism that can contribute in finding jobs and help accommodate the large number of graduates every year.

These are some issues relating to the current Saudi labor market, which is seeing huge changes. Rules and regulations need to be formulated that would then reflect positively on recruitment.

One of the proposals includes calls for a minimum wage in sectors where Saudis would look to get employment, such as in retail, tourism, the service industry, and the private education sectors.

This proposal, if accepted, will increase the chances for Saudis to compete for jobs and will encourage the recruitment of better quality workers from abroad.

There should also be procedures to allow non-Saudi workers to bring their families to the Kingdom, especially if their wives work. Allowing workers to have their wives with them will benefit the Kingdom socially, morally and economically. Some of the money they earn will be spent in the Kingdom instead of being transferred abroad. This step will curb the rise in moral crimes.

There should also be a review of the existing sponsorship system, which is an easy way to earn illegal money — instead of the sponsor paying his worker money, he takes large amounts of money from the worker in return for giving him the opportunity to work in the Kingdom. This phenomenon has opened the door for all types of illegal activities.

There should also be a penalty system to punish those who violate recruitment procedures, which should be considered a national crime rather than just a violation as it goes against our national values.

In conclusion, the recruitment policy needs to be revised to accommodate changes in the Kingdom; it should also be flexible to cope with these changes.