A large number of young Saudi male and female graduates are worried about finding jobs. Expatriate workers compete with Saudis and seem to dominate the private sector. This is because expatriate workers are willing to work in work environments that Saudis are unable to adapt to. Education has not been able to reduce the gap between Saudi youth and available jobs, the majority of which are monopolized by non-Saudis. Without pinpointing a certain nationality, it is known that the ceramic and marble business is controlled by expatriate workers of a certain country while jobs involving heavy machinery, such as tractors, are controlled by another group of expatriate workers. The same is true for the clothing retail, spare car parts, food and catering, livestock and farming sectors. Each of the above sectors is dominated by a certain group of expatriate workers from either Arab or non-Arab countries. Rarely does one see a Saudi employed in the above sectors. Instead, they either find employment in government jobs or work in the private sector if they are lucky. The unlucky ones remain unemployed because they choose not to work in the above sectors. However, here is some food for thought: There are over eight million expatriate workers in the Kingdom which is listed second in the world in terms of the largest amount of expatriate remittances. In 2014, expatriates transferred more than SR154 billion abroad. If the money transferred was earned legally then there would be no issue. However, many expatriates earn cash through illegal means, such as a tasattur business (when a business is registered in the name of a Saudi but operated by expatriates). How can we explain the Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency's (SAMA) 2012 report which noted a huge difference in total wages paid to expatriates and the volume of foreign remittances by expatriates? While the total wages that year were SR83 billion, the total remittances reached SR125.2 billion. This indicates that some of the cash transferred was earned illegally, perhaps through tasattur. If we had robust technical programs for our youth, then this money could go to our young people. Many Saudis today are unable to compete with expatriates because they do not have strong technical backgrounds and the authorities fail to protect their interests. When a Saudi works in the technical field, he will most probably not be welcomed by his expatriate co-workers. The Shoura Council should try to find a solution to allow citizens to take advantage of job opportunities in sectors dominated by expatriates. There should be laws to protect our youth against unfair competition.
