The presence of an estimated 8.8 million foreigners in the Kingdom is described by Labor Minister Dr. Ghazi Al-Gosaibi as alarming. To tell the truth, there is a related problem that should also set alarm bells ringing: Many of that number are unqualified to do the jobs which they were brought here to do or, even worse, there never was a job for them here in the first place.
These facts seldom attract the attention of those in charge of the Kingdom’s foreign labor recruitment policy. Past indifference and failure to enforce strict measures which address the problem make one wonder whether we really want to avoid the adverse effects that the presence of many unqualified workers will produce — to say nothing of those who should never have come here in the first place.
In our private meetings and gatherings we used to joke about the poor qualifications, capabilities and the education and cultural background of foreign workers.
Saudis talk of how the Kingdom “has been transformed into a large experimental field” where any foreign workers learn professions. We complain of our household appliances, utensils, cars and other equipment getting damaged very fast and we blame the unqualified foreign workers dominating the market and working in jobs other than the original ones for which they were brought here.
Is there any link between poor quality service and economic growth? The latter is the indicator of any country’s progress and standard of living. The answer, then, is yes. There is certainly a strong connection because the work force is instrumental in influencing production. Production increases and improves and improved production factors lead to greater production which in turn leads to economic growth. In other words, with a highly able and qualified work force comes economic growth and prosperity.
There are, however, other factors influencing development. Most important among these is the relationship between the recruiter and the recruited. In large businesses — whether governmental (health sector for example) or private (major businesses) — the work force is mainly qualified and skilled. This is not the case in many other businesses in which Saudis, because of low job prestige, refuse to work. The best example of what I mean are the many small shops and businesses filling our streets; as we know, Saudis seldom work in these.
A simple question: Why not introduce an assessment and classification system whereby all foreign workers coming to the country are subjected to tests to determine their skills and capabilities and show clearly whether they are qualified to do the work for which they were recruited?
Such a system would serve two aims: Reduce the number of foreigners recruited each year and guarantee that those recruited from abroad have the skills and abilities to help increase production and improve the quality of both goods and services.
