JEDDAH: Deputy Labor Minister Abdul Wahid Al-Humaid has ruled out the possibility of canceling the sponsorship (kafeel) system in the Kingdom. However, he promised that his ministry would do whatever needed to protect the rights of both employers and employees.
“The Labor Ministry is not the only party to take a decision on the sponsorship system. Saudi citizens spend a lot of money on recruitment of foreign workers. It is not sensible to cancel the system,” Al-Watan Arabic daily quoted the minister as saying in a report published on Thursday.
Al-Humaid made this comment when asked about a proposal made by the National Society for Human Rights, demanding the cancellation of the system. He said the system must be in place for sometime in order to prevent foul play until alternative solutions are found. He said he feared the cancellation would harm the interests of Saudi employers.
Al-Humaid said the official unemployment rate for Saudi women stands at 27 percent and for men, 10 percent.
“We have found jobs for 142,318 Saudis in private companies last year. We were also successful in reducing the number of recruitment visas issued in 2009 by 23 percent,” he pointed out.
He said efforts are under way to Saudize jobs in mobile phone sales market. “We are studying the market, in terms of technical requirements, its structure and owners as well as the readiness of the government to apply the rule,” he added.
He disclosed that Labor Minister Ghazi Al-Gosaibi is now outside the Kingdom for treatment, adding that his health condition was making steady improvement.
The ministry has opened new offices in Asir, Qassim, Madinah and Hail for the recruitment of house servants.
