Saudi Arabia is currently facing the problem of unemployment. Our government is taking various measures to address the issue. Various programs have been initiated to create jobs for young Saudis.
In simple words, finding job opportunities for Saudis means lowering the unemployment rate and supporting projects of young. There is a great need to understand the various aspects of this problem. Without understanding the root causes of this issue, no efforts will yield the desired outcome.
Efforts are underway to develop and strengthen the economy by creating a direct link between decision makers and key players in the national economy to overcome any problem that may hinder economic development.
Earlier, many initiatives were taken but most of them failed to produce tangible results. The reason was simple: The outcomes are always evaluated in terms of the number of the employed and the unemployed. To address this issue effectively, we need to provide our youth with the best possible education and training so as to enable them to enter the labor market fully equipped with all necessary skills and expertise.
But the question is: Do we have organizations, universities and centers to develop the youth and train them? This is the core of the problem. Nobody could claim that there are no proper jobs for the Saudis. We should admit that our youth need training to fulfill their responsibilities effectively. Secondly, we need to promote the idea that no job is beyond our dignity. If we conduct a simple survey, we can easily discover that 50 percent of the jobs available in the market are unthinkable for the Saudis because of their quality or discipline. The remaining 50 percent makes the situation more difficult for several reasons, mainly due to high competition, salaries paid to non-Saudis and the imported expertise being better and cheaper than the local one. When we talk about the public sector, we find that it contributes to the creation of jobs even if they are unnecessary. But the case is different with the private sector because profitability and sustainability are involved. Of course, when an Arab expatriate can do a job at SR4,000 more efficiently, why would a company offer twice as much to a Saudi with less expertise and experience. This case highlights the underlying cause of the problem.
Given these facts, what is the way out? I believe that the solution lies in giving the private sector the opportunity to strengthen itself and resist the pressure of Saudization. The problem is not with this sector, but rather with our young men who want to get salaries while sitting at home.
I don’t wish to generalize here, but I am referring to a certain number of youngsters. We are heading toward the open market and issuing laws that attract foreign investments. The foreign investors will be prepared to offer jobs to productive Saudis who can help in achieving their goals but they will never adopt the Saudization process to merely reduce unemployment in the Kingdom. Therefore, the ongoing Saudization drive has to end, and the Human Resources Development Fund needs restructuring because it creates unemployment in disguise.
The problem can be solved by setting up a special framework to look for the Saudi youth who are willing and ready to work and present them as models for the rest to follow.
