RIYADH: A total of 86,549 domestic workers among the 847,927 workers ran away from their workplaces during 2014, according to the annual report for 2014 released by the Ministry of Labor here on Sunday.

Among the runaway workers, the report said, 40 percent were males and the rest were females.

During the year, the number of visas issued for domestic workers amounted to 847,927 representing 493,125 male workers and 354,802 female workers.

The number of visas issued to government agencies was 104,466, representing 68,530 males and 35,936 female workers.

The total number of work visas issued during 2014 reached 1.57 million while the number of seasonal visas was 62,152.

During the same period, some 531,000 workers were absent from work, which included 43 percent from the local staff and 53 percent of expatriates who did not return to the Kingdom after going on re-entry visas

The report attributed the issuance of the high number of visas to giant projects such as the expansion of the holy mosques projects in Makkah and Madinah and the construction of the metro in major cities.

Las year, the Ministry of Labor launched a website to create an awareness program among domestic aides and their respective sponsors regarding their rights, duties and the role of recruitment agencies. It also contains a pictorial display of workers’ duties toward their sponsors and vice versa.

According to diplomatic sources, the reasons for maids running away from their workplaces include lack of proper communication between the employee and the employer, breach of contract by the sponsor, harassment, insubordination of workers, lack of knowledge of the host country’s regulations and culture and nonpayment of salaries.