The last available official study puts unemployment among Saudis at 8.34 percent at a time when 500,000 foreign workers are unemployed. In the absence of long-term solutions no one knows what the future will bring or how many Saudis will be unemployed in only a few more years.
Temporary solutions focusing on Saudizing low-grade jobs such as vegetable markets and small groceries have only exacerbated the problem.
We boast of achieving a 75 percent Saudization rate in the oil and mining sectors when the rate is no more than 15 percent in other industries, 18 percent in transport and storage and 11 percent in wholesale and retail trade — all of these being vital sectors of the national economy.
The reasons behind such low percentages lie with some Saudi businessmen who have, until now, failed to offer even a fraction of what some others do. Companies such as Abdul Lateef Jameel, Zamil and others provide scholarships and training for thousands of young Saudis and employ many others.
Opening universities and institutions of higher education is not a goal in itself but simply a means of attaining higher objectives. The Manpower Council says 80 percent of the courses offered in our universities are theoretical and do not prepare students for any kind of employment.
The current Five Year Plan aims to direct 95 percent of university graduates to private sector employment. Does this mean employing all those who major in Arabic language as factory workers? Or finding graduates in social studies on assembly lines?
To make the job replacement process work, we must set clear priorities and proceed with a clear vision, knowing where our country should stand in future. Why not do as other countries do around us do? India specializes in computer programming, Israel in technology and the Far East in heavy and light industries.
Arab News From the Local Press 6 August 2003
