While talking about poverty at the global level, we should consider many reasons that lead to poverty in any country and society.

However, it is very important to clarify what sort of poverty is under discussion. Poverty is sometimes very loosely defined so sometimes it is illogical to associate it with the rate of unemployment. Laborers in some countries earn little to make their ends meet and thus classified as poor. On the other hand in many countries due to the presence of social safety nets even an unemployed person cannot be described as poor.

If we look closely at the Saudi situation, we could discover many factors that render the poverty theory invalid. It is true that unemployment is one of the reasons behind poverty, but it is unemployment in disguise and has nothing to do with availability of jobs or low wages. In this country, the government gives full support to a citizen until he finds a job with secure income. The Saudization system is also in place, which requires every public or private sector organization to hire a certain number of Saudis.

We can safely say that jobs and government support are available and opportunities are enormous. Having said that, we wonder as to why there exist poor people who have no fixed income and seek help from development funds?

Naturally, we cannot ignore some justifiable cases like the absence of a family supporter who leaves his family with no income. In such cases, the government takes care of such families; in addition to that numerous charity and non-profit organizations also play a pivotal role.

But the question is: Why are there large numbers of young men who are idle despite all available support and opportunities? This case needs full review to diagnose the causes. Naturally, these young people shouldn’t shoulder the major part of the blame. The civil society should shoulder part of the blame thanks to its cultural attitudes that impact their outcomes and decisions. On top of the society-driven problems is the “theory of shame” whereby the young Saudis refuse to work in certain professions under the pretext that those jobs are not meant for Saudis.

There is another aspect relating to the level of education. Although the government gives full support to the private and public sectors, and despite the ever-increasing numbers in admissions and scholarships, we have to admit that the overall inclination of the young Saudis to pursue higher education is very low. This requires a comprehensive study to understand the causes and implement an intervention plan. We must, first of all, combat the culture of shame and the stigma attached to certain jobs and we must highlight the importance of certain professions, like plumbing and carpentry etc.

However, we should think carefully before taking any step in this respect because decision-makers in the economic sector are cautious in the localization of jobs. Such an attitude doesn’t encourage young men who dream to enjoy a respectable lifestyle.

Nevertheless, we have to admit that as per international standards there is no poverty in the Kingdom. All what we need is an outreach program, monitoring and planning.