Proactive labor policies sought for job creation 1390938638610236500.jpg Siddeek Ahmed, CMD of Eram Group. JEDDAH: P.K. ABDUL GHAFOUR Published — Wednesday 29 January 2014 Last update 29 January 2014 2:12 am Foreign workers and investors have applauded the Labor Ministry’s pragmatic decision to postpone the implementation of a proposal aimed at restricting the stay of expats to seven years and discouraging them from bringing their families to the Kingdom. They said the decision would have multiple benefits and boost the Kingdom’s economy and reduce foreign remittances. They urged Saudi authorities to adopt proactive steps to create jobs for Saudis and strengthen the economy instead of taking decisions that would have a negative impact on local businesses and scare away investors. “Nobody can ignore the great contributions made by expatriates for the development of Saudi Arabia. Millions of foreign workers are still required by the Kingdom to carry out gigantic development projects across the country,” said Siddeek Ahmed, CMD of the Eram Group based in Alkhobar. “The Kingdom must adopt proactive policies, like setting up more projects that create jobs with the support of multinational companies, train young Saudis to take up various jobs currently occupied by expats and encourage them to work hard for the development of the nation through educational programs,” Ahmed said. There are thousands of job opportunities for Saudis in existing and new projects. Many companies face the problem of not having enough qualified Saudi workers. Infrastructure projects alone will create at least 4.5 million jobs. “Driving away qualified expats is not the solution to find jobs for Saudis. It will only affect businesses and scare away investors. A balanced policy is required to support businesses and meet development needs,” he said. Highly experienced engineers are required to carry out projects for Saudi Aramco, SABIC, Saudi Electricity and other companies. The Eram chief proposed the establishment of a women-only IT park with the support of international companies, which will help create at least 500,000 jobs in five years. “Setting up world-class nursing colleges with foreign partners can meet the shortage of Saudi nurses,” he said. Ongoing development projects in Makkah and Madinah, as well as new public transport projects in major cities, will open more job opportunities for Saudis. Ahmed emphasized the need for promoting work ethics among Saudis to make them more productive. “Expats living with families will spend about 60 percent of their salaries in the Kingdom on children’s education, shopping and house rents,” he pointed out. A large number of expats had expressed their disappointment when the ministry made its proposal public. The latest decision has come as a relief to many. “The ministry has indeed proven that they are open-minded enough to listen to businessmen and expats,” said one expat blogger. Some of them commended Labor Minister Adel Fakeih for his determination to bring the Saudi labor force into the mainstream. “In the long run, it will be beneficial to companies and shareholders,” said a blogger, who introduced himself as Nasser. However, he said the phase-out period must be determined by businesses after taking into account their requirements. “Sending out a worker after seven years of experience will be a big loss for any company,” said another blogger.
Posted on: Wed, 29 Jan 2014 12:50:04 +0000
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