The annual recruitment of nearly 1.2 million foreign workers has hampered the Kingdom’s nationalization initiatives, said Saudi economists and experts, while urging the government to review its recruitment policy.
“We recruit about 1.2 million foreign workers annually at a time when we have more than a million Saudi job seekers,” said economist Abdullah Al-Maghlouth. “It is a big challenge for the government to find jobs for more than a million unemployed Saudis,” he added.
Saudis account for only 15 percent of jobs in the private sector, with expats taking the lion’s share of 7.5 million while citizens holding 1.4 million jobs.
The Labor Ministry claims that it has created jobs for 750,000 Saudis during the past three years through the Nitaqat nationalization program.
“A foreigner may be ready to work for 12 hours daily for low salary and Saudis would not be able to compete with them. This is the main reason for private companies hiring expats,” Al-Maghlouth said. He added that Saudi Arabia has been spending billions of riyals every year on manpower development through education and training. “Still, we don’t see results from this investment.”
Essam Khalifa, another economist, called for a qualitative improvement of the Saudi labor market to increase the demand for Saudi workers compared with expats. “Saudis should be ready to take on any job and they should be given proper training to compete with foreigners,” he added.
Pointing to the crux of the problem, Prof. Habibullah Turkistani of King Abdulaziz University said the private sector prefers cheaper foreign labor to inexperienced Saudis, who demand higher salaries. “Saudi workers should be given a minimum salary of SR3,500 because of rising living standards and increasing prices of goods and services.”
He expressed dismay over the private sector’s neglect of national manpower despite various government incentives. “The Human Resource Development Fund has offered to pay 50 percent of Saudis’ salaries for three to four years,” he pointed out.
Recruitment of 1.2m expats ‘defeating Saudization drive’
Recruitment of 1.2m expats ‘defeating Saudization drive’
Saudi watchdog warns of possible health risk from Nestle baby formula
- Company voluntarily recalls its Nan, Alfamino, S-26 Gold and S-26 Ultima products over concerns they might be contaminated with cereulide, a toxin produced by bacteria
- Saudi Food and Drug Authority says recall is precautionary and no related illnesses have been reported, but advises consumers to dispose of recalled products immediately
RIYADH: The Saudi Food and Drug Authority on Tuesday warned the public not to consume certain Nestle infant formula products, after the company issued a voluntary recall over concerns about possible contamination.
The advisory covers products marketed under the Nan, Alfamino, S-26 Gold and S-26 Ultima brands. They might be contaminated with cereulide, a toxin produced by the Bacillus cereus bacteria, which can pose a risk to infant health, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
The Saudi authority said the recall was a precautionary measure and no related illnesses have been reported. Possible symptoms of exposure can include nausea, repeated vomiting and abdominal pain.
It advised consumers to dispose of the recalled products immediately, and said it was coordinating with Nestle to ensure they are removed from stores and is monitoring the process.
Full details of the affected products, including batch numbers, are available at the Saudi Food and Drug Authority website. The organization said consumers can report any food safety concerns by calling 19999.
