RIYADH – The construction industry accounted for nearly 58 percent of work visas approved by the Ministry of Labor in 2012, beating other sectors by a wide margin, Al-Watan daily reported Saturday. An informed source at the Ministry of Labor said during 2012, the ministry issued nearly 1.6 million work visas with the building and construction industry topping the list with 900,000 work visas. The source, who requested anonymity, said the figure was up by 33 percent compared to 2011 and cited several ongoing construction projects in the Kingdom for the increased demand. The source said the Labor Office in Riyadh issued the most number of work visas – around 600,000 — in 2012. Eastern Province came second with 400,000 visas issued. Makkah province came next with 150,000 work visas followed by Qassim and Najran provinces with a little over 100,000 visas each. The ministry issued over 800,000 visas for individuals during the year. — SG
