Taxi driver recruits maids, sells herbal products

Tough economic conditions have forced many expatriates in the Kingdom to do more than one job to make ends meet.
Malik Asghar from Pakistan came to the Kingdom nine years ago and worked for a Saudi family as a building caretaker. Holding a bachelor’s degree in economics, he applied for other jobs to increase his income. He was later employed as a part-time receptionist at a private company.
He later realized he needed a bigger income and decided to work as a taxi driver. He soon found that working as a driver gave him an opportunity to make more money by doing freelance marketing for Asian herbal products, spices, and sometimes acting as a middleman for recruitment of housemaids. He has been a taxi driver for past five years.
“As a taxi driver you meet many people of different backgrounds. The income I get, including salary and commissions for marketing creams, herbal mixtures and popular Asian spices and commissions for the recruitment of housemaids, ranges between SR 5,000 and SR 7,000 a month.”
Asghar said he did not plan to sell these products. “A friend suggested I work as a salesman for an Asian grocery. He asked me to promote some products in exchange for a percentage of the returns.”
He said he found it profitable and made agreements to sell those products.
He said many people ask him to hire housemaids because of the complicated procedures for recruiting them legally from abroad.
“Housemaids are more comfortable dealing with us because they see we are in the same situation and have much in common with them.”
Another driver, who did not want to be named, has a day job at an insurance company. He has secured many insurance customers while driving his taxi.