The government's Nitaqat Program is based on a “moving average” which calculates the number of Saudis at a company over successive periods of 13 weeks. It is aimed at tracking whether employers are holding on to their Saudi employees, said Hattab Al-Enezi, spokesman of the Ministry of Labor. The ministry started calculating the Saudization percentages from Jan. 24 this year. In the first month the Saudization percentage is calculated by counting the new Saudi employee as a one-third employee, in the second month the employee is calculated as a two-thirds employee. In the third month each new Saudi is counted as a full employee. Al-Enezi urged companies to stick to their Saudization quotas so that they continue to enjoy government services and incentives. Under the Nitaqat Program, there are varying Saudization percentages for various industries. For example, the quota at banks employing 500 people or more is a minimum of 49 percent. For the media sector it is 19 percent. Commercial establishments, insurance companies and public schools also have to stick to the 19 percent minimum. For some business activities, like lingerie shops, 100 percent Saudization is required, specifically aimed at providing employment to Saudi women. Official figures put the level of unemployment at 10 percent, but among women employment rate could be as high as 30 percent. Unemployment statistics do not include citizens who do not actively seek employment.
