We may become minority: Saudi minister

Saudi Arabia’s labour minister warned in remarks published on Sunday that nationals of the world’s dominant oil exporter could become a minority in their own country because of a steady flow of foreign workers sought by the private sector.

Adel Faqih said expatriates in Saudi Arabia, the largest Arab economy, have exceeded eight million and their number is set to rise in the future. He gave no figures for Saudis but the Kingdom’s total population is estimated at 28 million.

“We could become a minority in Saudi Arabia because of this non-stop recruitment of expatriates by the private sector,” he told Okaz Arabic language daily.

“Expatriates in the Kingdom are now more  than eight million and they dominate the bulk of the private sector jobs…the continuation of this situation is not right and many Saudis do not accept it because it has negative security, social and security effects.”

Faqih’s figures showed foreigners, mostly Asians and citizens from other Arab countries, account for nearly 89 per cent of private sector jobs. He said his ministry is working to reduce that ratio by making the private sector “more attractive” for Saudis.

Saudi Arabia has been locked in an aggressive drive to replace expatriates by Saudis in the private sector in a bid to reduce reliance on foreigners and tackle festering unemployment, which is officially put at around 11 per cent.

Officials said early this year the programme, dubbed Nitaqat (ranges) has so far produced nearly 250,000 jobs for Saudis in the private sector.

Experts have described Nitaqat as the most radical measure taken by the Saudi government to force its massive private sector to employ more Saudis following the failure of previous procedures and expansion in local unemployment.

The programme comes amidst reports that unemployment in Saudi Arabia continued to widen because of the private sector’s preference of cheaper foreign labour and the fact that the population is growing faster than the economy.

Officials said the initiative could create more than 400,000 jobs for Saudis every year, adding that the private sector’s preference of expatriate labour has left more than one million Saudis jobless and raised the specter of social turmoil.

Under Nitaqat programme, which was launched in June 2011, private sector establishments were given four classifications—excellent and green with high Saudi labour percentage, and red and yellow, with low Saudi labour ratio.

Foreign workers in the first two categories can stay as long as they want while the stay of expatriate workers in the two negative categories will be limited to six years in case the company fails to adjust to Saudization rules.

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