Poor response to drivers’ jobs by Saudis during Haj

JEDDAH: A total of 2,000 Saudis have applied for drivers’ jobs for this year’s Haj season even as there are 22,000 vacancies, an official told local media on Monday.
This poor percentage of applicants shows that nationals are not keen on taking up the seasonal jobs for various reasons such as lack of interest or experience.
Marwan Al-Zubaidi, secretary general and official spokesman for the General Syndicate of Cars (GSC), pointed to the weak response for transport jobs by Saudi national, saying these are among the least wanted jobs by Saudis.
He said 175 Saudi drivers and technicians have been registered during the past two months, and 1,900 drivers and technicians have been hired to work in school transportation sector.
Al-Zubaidi said the GSC conducted awareness campaigns to attract Saudis to the transportation sector during the Haj season, but the response is below expectations.
“Saudis refuse to work in the transportation sector because of the absence of training institutes for drivers of heavy vehicles and insurance companies’ refusal to ensure cars during the Haj season unless the driver has a heavy transport license.”
He stressed the importance of an institute to train Saudis and foreigners to drive heavy vehicles and introduce them to the rules and regulations related to them.
“Company offer training which might lead to mistakes by drivers, leading to traffic congestion. Moreover, majority of Saudis don’t wish to work because of commitment to dates of flights and transporting which needs commitment and accuracy,” he said.
Al-Zubaidi said the GSC has set a minimum wage of SR3,000 for drivers, besides performance-based incentives.
Companies prefer to recruit drivers from Arab countries because of the language factor, he said.