A total of 306 recruitment firms and offices have now published their hiring rates on the Labor Ministry’s services and information portal.

The information, which is available on the ministry’s Musaned site, is mandatory because the government wants to ensure transparency in hiring procedures, and competition between providers.

The ministry suspended the business activities of 59 recruitment companies a month ago for various violations including not publishing the cost of recruitment on the Musaned site, charging more for hiring than stated, not cooperating with the ministry, and not renewing expired licenses.

The ministry also plans to rate the services of all hiring offices and firms so that the public can make educated choices. It has promised that this service would be available soon, according to information on the website.

The Musaned site provides the names and addresses of all licensed firms across the country. It also published a range of information so that sponsors, workers and firms are aware of their rights and obligations.

The site enables the ministry to monitor the activities of recruitment agencies and ensure they perform their duties in a professional manner.

The website was launched a year ago and has already seen 10,000 registrations. The site also hosts comprehensive information on licensed recruitment offices, provides mechanisms for filing complaints and reporting disputes, displays samples of required documents including exit/re-entry visas and residency permit forms.