The general director of the manpower council, Abdulwahed Al-Homeed, has announced an unemployment compensation program. Plans for the program have been referred to higher authorities for a final decision. I am pleased that we have begun to think about our citizens and I hope that we will reach the level of other countries in taking care of them. Although we are happy, we are also sad to have reached a stage when there are millions of available jobs for non-Saudis. To admit there is unemployment and to give compensation because of it, the meaning is that we have failed to Saudize many jobs and we have reached a dead end in employing Saudis in these jobs.
Countries around the world give compensation to their citizens if they are unemployed. The job-seeker is allowed three chances. In other words, if he refuses three times to accept a job that he is qualified for, he is removed from the list of those receiving compensation.
Unemployment compensation should be the final solution after government efforts to find jobs for Saudis and replace foreign workers. If there are more Saudi workers than jobs available in the market, then compensation is the only solution. That means that if there are no jobs available for a period of time, the government must take care of costs. The government must find ways to find jobs for Saudis and get them out of the program. The compensation program is an additional cost, which will be lower if there are jobs available in the market. What we are afraid of is that the compensation program will be a way to silence Saudis who have not found jobs and have lost interest in getting rid of foreign workers.
It is very difficult to understand that we have an unemployment problem and need a compensation program when there are more than 6 million foreigners working here. Saudis must learn all kinds of skills so they can do all kinds of jobs, just like citizens in other countries. I wonder whether there is another country in the world with a big unemployment problem and so many foreign workers.
Starting the compensation program is a dangerous sign that the government has failed to Saudize jobs and to limit the number of foreign workers. That means the government failed to find the causes for the failure to employ Saudis. If the government cannot find the causes of this failure and treat them, then we will surely keep adding more Saudis and more money to the compensation program, with an increase of foreign workers coming to the Kingdom every year.
Arab News From the Local Press 17 February 2003
