Expat workers hold 86% of private sector jobs

Foreign workers and employees held 86.6 percent of private sector jobs in 2012, local media said quoting a source at the Ministry of Labor.
The engineering sector dominated the highest number of jobs occupied by foreign workers with more than 3 million foreign workers compared to 149,000 Saudis in the same field, the source said.
However, Saudi citizens dominated top-ranking managerial and clerical posts, with 85.7 percent (92,000 jobs), and 97.8 percent, equivalent to 311,000 jobs, being occupied by Saudi citizens respectively, a local daily reported.
There are in excess of 100,000 Saudis working in the fields of science, technology and humanities, equivalent to 18.11 percent of the population, compared to 462,000 foreign workers in the same field, the source said.
In addition, there are only 10.8 percent of Saudis employed in the service sector, which is equivalent to 265,000 employees, compared to more than 2 million foreign employees, the source said.
On the other hand, there are 106,000 Saudis working in sales (39.8 percent) and 23,000 (9.14 percent) in the chemical and food industries, compared to 160,000 and 232,000 foreign workers respectively, according to the source.
Saudis held the least percentage of jobs in the agricultural, animal breeding and hunting domains. There are scarcely 3,046 Saudis working in those fields, equivalent to 0.42 percent, compared to 730,000 foreign workers, the source added.
An official at the Council of Saudi Chambers (CSC) said 80 percent of the car service sector is run and operated by foreigners working independently under cover-up businesses.
Faisal Al-Zahrani, a member of the national commercial committee at the CSC, said the cover-up business phenomenon and the big financial profits generated from this sector has made it a safe haven for irregular foreign workers.
The grace period given by governmental departments for the legalization of workers, which expires on Nov. 4, will put an end to irregular workers, a step that will allow Saudis to take up and run this sector and thus achieve enormous financial benefit, he said.
The volume of investment in the car service sector is estimated at SR10 billion, which is used to serve car users in the Kingdom in light of the increased number of cars, he noted.