With the long Eid holidays coming to an end, Saudi families are drifting back to their hometowns from the summer resorts. Their biological clocks are gently being reset from the slow pace of holidays. Unfortunately most families are soon jarred back to reality when they realize their foreign driver has left for a better deal. A hectic search — one that Saudis are all too familiar with — thus begins. The high demand for drivers and the temptation of higher salaries means that it is rare that a driver will be found working for his original sponsor. Which is why out of the millions of foreign drivers in Saudi Arabia, the number of drivers and housemaids working for their original sponsor is only around 950,000. There are a wide range of nationalities to choose from. Salaries for an Indonesian driver range from SR1,500 to SR1,800. This compares with an Indian driver who costs SR2,000 while a Pakistani driver commands SR2,500 for his services. However, the Indonesian drivers — despite their reputation for absconding — remain the number one choice for Saudi families. So why does this hectic search come about every year? Sami Al-Zahrani, the owner of a private recruitment office in Jeddah, said the need for drivers is governed by the economic principles of supply and demand. He said: “The demand outweighs the supply several times over. This is the reason why drivers run away from their employers.” This is small comfort to Saudi families looking for a driver this year. Less still for those looking for a driver who can speak Arabic, knows Jeddah's roads and most rare indeed
