The Ministry of Labor has launched a welcome tightening of the employment rules for Saudis in the private sector. In an attempt to clamp down on abuses, it provides that unless a Saudi is paid a minimum of SR3000 a month, his position will not count fully toward an organization's obligations under the Nitaqat program. Moreover, it will no longer be possible for a part-time worker to be hired by more than two companies. If the firm pays a social insurance subscription for workers with a salary of at least SR1500, such jobs count for as “half a worker” under the Nitaqat scheme. However, it seems clear that these part-time workers have been engaged by several different businesses and paid less than the minimum pay. This bending of rules, with the consequent statistical distortions, will hopefully end. Those employers, who have been breaching the principles of the Nitaqat program, should be ashamed of themselves. The dishonest pursuit of short-term financial gains has been doing long-term damage to the Kingdom. The Saudization policy is pivotal to our social and industrial development and to fostering a non-oil economy. It is madness that we have high unemployment rate, most particularly among young people, when there are plenty of jobs being done by expatriates that could be taken over by Saudis. The truth is that, more often than not, employers prefer foreign workers because they are cheaper and that the work permit system makes them cooperative and uncomplaining. A year ago, it was shown that of the eight million foreign workers in the Kingdom, six million are employed by the private sector. Their total remittances were put at SR100bn ($27bn). On cost grounds alone, that is an immense drain of wealth from the country. Some expatriate workers are always going to be essential, but when we are looking at a jobless figure of 10.5 percent, it is surely ludicrous to permit the current unbalanced job situation to continue. The limitation of work visas, which was floated 16 months ago, needs to be applied in a targeted and reasonable manner, taking into account the interests of foreign workers who have given loyal service to their Saudi employers, as well as the future of unemployed Saudis, who could actually be doing these jobs instead. One great announcement this week from Labor Minister Adel Fakieh was that every disabled Saudi given employment in the private sector would count as four workers in the Nitaqat program. Coming in the week that the outstanding Saudi athlete, Hani Al-Nakhli, won the silver medal in the Paralympic discus, this is an excellent move. Al-Nakhli's triumph gives the Kingdom only our second-ever silver Olympic medal — our equestrian team won bronze in London this year and again in 2000 at the Sydney Games. However given the clear propensity of some unscrupulous employers to cheat the system, how long will it be before it is discovered that perfectly able-bodied Saudis have been hired, with fake disability documentation, and are being counted as four workers under the Nitaqat scheme?
