We see Japanese, Americans and Germans working as electricians, plumbers and shopkeepers and also working in advanced technology fields Why do Saudis refuse to work as electricians and plumbers and prefer to be jobless instead? Why do they want office jobs and high salaries? There is nothing shameful about working as an electrician or a plumber. These are the accusations leveled at Saudi youth by some members of our society. But those people forget one important thing when they compare Saudis to Japanese or Americans: Western countries are advanced because their governments have invested in people and built research centers for them. There is nothing wrong with working these sorts of jobs. The problem is that those members of the public who want Saudis to do these jobs must realize that these jobs are suitable for people with limited capabilities. However, what about other Saudis who have dreams and want to get married and raise children and send them to private schools for better education? There are some groups that try to promote the idea that expatriate workers are stealing jobs from Saudis. They forget that the reason why expatriate workers are controlling the market is because we do not have regulations. Some groups call for replacing expatriate workers with Saudis and increasing the salaries of Saudis. They also forget that increasing salaries means increasing the prices of products. Some want the authorities to replace all expatriate workers with Saudis because the former transfer over SR160 billion out of the country every year. But they forget that Saudis transfer SR650 billion overseas every year by importing miscellaneous goods from abroad. We pay this huge amount of money to non-Saudis abroad who own factories and manufacture products. Why don't we manufacture these products here? We need to realize that most of the jobs performed by expatriate workers in our country are low paid and are not up to the expectations of Saudis. If we were today to replace all expatriate workers with Saudis, our economy would not grow or improve and we would continue to import products from abroad. I would like to ask everyone to stop killing the ambitions of Saudi youth and stop asking them to fill these low-salary jobs. Our government spends a lot of money on citizens from the cradle to the grave and pays for public health, education, etc. We need to give our Saudi youth a chance to rise to the occasion and play an important role in Vision 2030. We must develop businesses and create lucrative job opportunities for young Saudi men and women.
