Labor minister discusses manpower issue in India

JEDDAH: Saudi Arabia aims to streamline recruitment from India, as some of the newly arriving manpower does not match the job for which they were recruited.
Labor Minister Adel Fakeih met with Indian Minister for Overseas Indian Affairs, Vayalar Ravi, in India.
He said a system was needed for the certification of skills levels, prior to their visit to the Kingdom.
The Indian community of over two million laborers in the Kingdom is the largest foreign work force, said the Saudi Arabian minister.
He noted there generally were “good conditions and relations” between them and the Saudi employers.
He also said there are very few disputes between Saudi employers and Indian employees.
Indian Minister Ravi said he was keen to avoid problems, and wanted everything — from recruitment to work conditions — to be perfect.
After a delay of months, Saudi Arabia and India agreed to discuss issues relating to Indian laborers working in the Gulf nation and to sign agreements in this regard at a later date.
India sees the meeting as a major breakthrough in securing the interests of its migrant laborers in Saudi Arabia, and in setting up a system to match the skills of eligible workers and the needs of Saudi employers.