Ibrahim Al-Sanie, deputy chairman of the recruitment committee at the Eastern Province Chamber of Commerce and Industry, has rejected speculations that fees of recruitment companies would be unified or defined.

“Licensed recruitment offices are still assuming their work, until the gradual change in the market improves,” said Al-Sanie, referring that licenses to hire out male foreign labor would be withdrawn by the end of 2013.

But these companies would continue recruitment in any case, he said.

He told a local newspaper that the Saudi market, and not only recruitment offices, suffered from others manipulating it, and operating randomly. “This puts citizens and actual businesses in trouble,” he added.

The ministries of Interior and Commerce are charged with the task of detecting and tracking down those manipulating the markets, said Al-Sanie, so as to protect all parties concerned.

He explained that the Labor Ministry had to decide on the continuity of the work of these offices, after assessing the role and importance of their practice for the market.

“Their operation may go on for two or three more years, but the competent ministry will grant them a grace period to wrap up their mission and obligations, financial and others,” he said.

New measurements and arrangements for recruitment offices with their various products are expected to meet the needs of citizens and businesses of household labor.

Start-up recruitment companies, although already having obtained a license, are still in need of more time to get organized and operate, but citizens and businesses would have more choices with five companies operating and competing to provide services, Al-Sanie added.

The members of the committee stressed on the need to raise citizens’ awareness on the different measures and procedures of the recruitment process.

They approved holding a lecture on this regard, which may evolve to an annual meeting with the aim of preventing legal violations that delay or hamper the recruitment process, as well as other obstacles facing recruitment, and discussing issues concerning the countries available for recruitment, with any caveats involved.