The total number of the work visas for the government and private sectors have dropped by 14.9 percent in 2009 compared to 2008, it has been confirmed by the Ministry of Labor. It confirmed that 1,808,769 visas were issued in 2008, but this dropped to 1,539,655 in 2009, according to Abdullah Al-Ajlan, Director of the General Administration for Labor Statistics at the Ministry of Labor. He said the number of visas issued for private sector establishments totaled 1,241,960 in 2008 compared to 982,420 in 2009, showing a decrease of 20.9 percent. The visas issued for the government sector totaled 70,924 in 2008 compared to 61,143 in 2009, a drop of 13.8 percent. Al-Ajlan released the statistics during an address to a workshop organized by the ministry at its headquarters in Riyadh recently. A number of government agencies participated in the event, where it was pointed out that the drop was because of the ministry's policy of cutting recruitment, including a greater emphasis on hiring local labor. He also reviewed the Saudi employment strategy approved by the Council of Ministers in August 2009.
