The Assistant Governor of the General Organization for Social Insurance (GOSI) for Insurance Affairs, Mr. Fahad bin Abdulrahman Al-Howaimel said that the number of Saudi workers in the private sector of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Member States who are currently registered with the Social Insurance Scheme in accordance with the Unified Law of Insurance Protection Extension reached 1314 in early July 2010. "In terms of numbers, the State of Kuwait was ranked first with 999 Saudi workers, who are in employment and registered with the Social Insurance Scheme, followed by the Kingdom of Bahrain (184), the United Arab Emirates (73), the State of Qatar (43) and the Sultanate of Oman (15)," the Assistant Governor said in a statement published on GOSI website today. Mr. Al-Howaimel pointed out that since January 2006, the Social Insurance Law has been compulsorily applied to all Saudi workers in the private sector of GCC Member States except for the United Arab Emirates and the State of Qatar where the Social Insurance Law was effective from January 2007. The Saudi workers in the private sector of GCC Member States can enjoy all the benefits offered by the Annuities Branch as if they are working in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The Assistant Governor also said that the Unified Law of Insurance Protection Extension aims to provide social assurance for the citizens of GCC Member States, ensure a decent life after their retirement, stabilize their living situations, and facilitate the movement of national manpower among GCC Member States, while enjoying the same pension and insurance benefits received by their peers in their home countries. Mr. Al-Howaimel concluded that applying the Unified Law of Insurance Protection Extension is an important step in standardizing the laws of GCC Member States, and an opportunity to take advantage of the benefits provided by the civil retirement and social insurance schemes of each GCC Member State.
