Saudi mulls eight-year limit for expats

[somebozo]

Saudi mulls eight-year limit for expats
Saudi mulls eight-year limit for expats - Culture & Society - ArabianBusiness.com

January 06 2014 10:39
Kingdom proposes maximum timeframe on length of service for expats as part of labour shakeup
By Courtney Trenwith
Monday, 6 January 2014 10:39 AM

Expatriates in Saudi Arabia could be forced to leave after eight years and prevented from taking their families to the kingdom under further measures being considered to bolster employment of locals.

The Labour Ministry released the proposal on its new website, which translates to Together in English, to seek public opinion on labour policies, in particular its controversial Saudisation programme.

The new proposal includes a points system designed to discourage foreign workers from taking their family to the kingdom as well as make it less appealing for employers.

An expat receiving a salary of SR4,000 ($1,066) would be worth one point, while SR2,000 would equal half a point, SR6,000 would equal 1.5 points and SR8,000 and above would equal two points.

On top of the expat worker’s rating, his non-working wife would be worth half a point and each child worth a quarter of a point.

However, professionals with valid degrees would be exempt from the points system.

The points would be counted towards the total tally of the expat’s employer, who must meet strict quotas for employing Saudis. Therefore, employers would be more likely to hire a foreigner only on a low wage or a Saudi.

Points also would be allocated depending on how long the foreigner had been in the kingdom, with one point for up to three years and increasing by half a point annually until the maximum eight years.

Saudis and expats have opposed the proposal, according to Arab News. They suggest it would discourage foreign professionals from working in the kingdom and negatively impact on businesses.

The kingdom wants to reduce unemployment of Saudis, around 12 percent, by forcing out some expatriates.

More than 1m left the country under a seven-month amnesty on illegal workers last year.

About 8m are estimated to still be in the country, many of whom have lived in Saudi Arabia all of their life.

A recent report found expats spend an average of 6.9 years in the kingdom, while unskilled workers stayed an average of 7.7 years.

2013 Arabian Business Publishing Ltd. All rights reserved.

 

[Arabian Legend]

That is not going to happen anytime soon. Not for the next 20 years or so.

 

[al-Hasani]

That is not going to happen anytime soon. Not for the next 20 years or so.

For now it is but maybe in 10 years time that will be a realistic option.

I would like to see a unemployment rate close to 1-2% instead of 12%. Not a big number compared to all other ME countries and most countries in the world but still too much for my liking.

The biggest dilemma as I see it is what to do with the residents who have been born in KSA and lived all their lives there but who are not citizens? What to do with their children, future grandchildren etc. ?

I am not worried about the local workforce getting fully qualified and by the time occupying the biggest positions and even jobs that are considered less fashionable today.

 

[Arabian Legend]

For now it is but maybe in 10 years time that will be a realistic option.

I would like to see a unemployment rate close to 1-2% instead of 12%. Not a big number compared to all other ME countries and most countries in the world but still too much for my liking.

All Saudis want to live luxurious all the time and will always prefer governmental jobs over private ones. Im taking about positions like labors and so on.

The biggest dilemma as I see is what to do with the residents who have been born in KSA and lived there all their lives but who are not citizens? What to do with their children, future grandchildren etc.

Saudi Arabia should provide them permanent residency.

I am not worried about the local workforce getting fully qualified and by the time occupying the biggest positions and even jobs that are considered less fashionable today.

The six economical cities that are U/C will provide more opportunities and self-satisfactory jobs

 

[rockstarIN]

A good move.

 

[al-Hasani]

All Saudis want to live luxurious all the time and will always prefer governmental jobs over private ones. Im taking about positions like labors and so on.



Saudi Arabia should provide them permanent residency.



The six economical cities that are U/C will provide more opportunities and self-satisfactory jobs

7abibi I understand that but we both know that most can't live a luxurious life and don't do it. I mean if you compare to other GCC states.

The thing is though that the youth who are lesser qualified in terms of education need to realize that they cannot be pampered forever and that they need to look for alternatives. Either further education in a different field or simply take less frowned upon jobs and simply try to advance from there on. There is no society/country where its entire workforce is highly skilled. This is impossible in the society we live in today. Maybe in 50-60 years where advanced robots are developed and certain things will become useless to do as humans such a aim could be made but even then there will be less skilled people that contribute less to the society.

Yes, which they kind of already have somewhat. I am talking about whether to make them citizens and their children/grandchildren etc. Like me and you.

Yes, that is a marvelous step but it will take a few more years to fully develop all those industrial cities.

Overall I am positive but a certain segment in our society must understand that they are very blessed and that they cannot do nothing forever. We have to think about the next generation too.