There is a tremendous debate going on within Saudi society about the problem of unemployment among the youth.
The public sector blames the private sector for the low employment and accuses them of selfishness. In return the private sector accuses the public sector of trying to foist on them unqualified young people whom the government has not prepared for the job market.
I would like to propose a radical idea to solve this problem once and for all — the reintroduction of slavery.
Wait!
Before you all jump down my throat, listen to my proposal!
One of the main reasons the private sector has difficulty in implementing Saudization schemes is the delay in payment that they are forced to endure from the public sector.
It has become common practice for the government to delay payments to contractors and other companies that provide it with its needs in terms of goods or services. This payment delay can be several months or even years and in the meantime the contractor is expected to continue providing the goods or services or face penalties and further delays in payment.
Added to this is the fact that private sector companies working for the public sector (which means most companies) must pay certain government employees fees and offer them gifts in order for them to receive their payments.
This is regarded as a way for the private sector to show their joy at being allowed to work for the public sector.
The reason the private sector is able to survive under these conditions is their ability to economize radically by delaying in turn the payment of their own employees’ wages, forcing the latter to pay for their own medical insurance and work permit/iqama expenses. Employers also force their employees to do extra work without compensation.
All of these measures are possible because the majority of the private sector employees are non-Saudi and have “flexible” and “adaptable” human rights.
It is thanks to the patience of the Pakistanis and Egyptians, the fortitude of the Bengalis and Filipinos and the enormous tolerance of the Sri Lankans that the Saudi private sector survives.
No employer would be able to get away with treating Saudis this way.
Their complaints would be loud and frequent and would cause great headaches to all concerned, from the governor of the concerned province all the way up.
It is quite obvious from the above that for a Saudi company to rely on mostly Saudi employees would be tantamount to suicide.
This explains the dismal rate of Saudis in the private sector.
Here is where my brilliant plan comes in.
If Saudi youth were enslaved they would no longer have any rights and would then be subject to the same treatment as we give to their non-Saudi counterparts.
Private sector employers would no longer be reluctant to hire them and would employ them by the drove thereby reducing unemployment to zero. The public sector can continue to delay payments with a completely clear conscience. Public sector employees can continue to receive gifts from the private sector and our government can continue to implement projects with no regard to its budget, revenues, five-year plans and other boring details.
We would all live happily ever after.
