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| Arabia |
| SA Grabs a Demographic Clue - Employment |
| 2005-04-16 |
| Custom will rule, until rejected by the populace. If you begin to see featured stories of businessmen griping about the slugs foisted upon them, then they'll start to turn the corner. Check back in 50 yrs. No, better make that 5-10, they won't make it another 50 the way they're going. Labor Minister Dr. Ghazi Al-Gosaibi yesterday warned unemployed Saudis that his ministry would consider only serious job seekers for employment. "Any Saudi who demands a salary that does not match his qualification and training or refuses to join training courses or shifts from one place to another or rejects any jobs other than government jobs will be considered not serious," he explained. This will come as quite a surprise to those who get jobs through their connections. Pronouncements will not change the dynamics of wasta. "The ministry will not be responsible for the employment of those who are not serious as it cannot force them to work," he added. "Last month alone, we have employed 12,104 Saudis in various parts of the country," Gosaibi told the Saudi Press Agency. They represented 7.8 percent of the total male job seekers (155,579) who registered with the ministry during an employment campaign four months ago. A separate campaign would be organized next month to register female job seekers. The minister commended those Saudis who enthusiastically responded to the campaign to make use of available opportunities in the private sector. Gosaibi said his ministry started finding employment for registered job seekers last month after providing them with training. "We have instructed all labor offices to receive applicants, conduct interviews and coordinate with the private sector to employ them." He hoped the ministry would be able to find jobs for all registered job seekers before the end of this year and thanked private companies for accommodating large number of Saudi job seekers. A total of 180,443 Saudis registered for jobs at 46 centers during the employment campaign. Of them 24,864 were removed from the list as they were either employed or running their own businesses. Gosaibi estimated the number unemployed male Saudis at 4.9 percent. Howler of the Day. Saudis aged between 16 and 25 accounted for 68 percent of the total registered job seekers. Among them 88 percent were unmarried while 57 percent had their education level below secondary. Fourteen percent of the job seekers held bachelor or higher degrees. Gosaibi warned that the ministry would punish companies which are negligent in implementing Saudization regulations. At least 30 percent of employees at companies having 20 or more workers must be Saudi by the middle of next year. There's the real rub. Forcing employers to take Saudis who consider work beneath them solves nothing as it drags down the economy with lower and lower profitability in this make-work scheme. You can only cut the pay of the imported workers (the money has to come from somewhere) so much before they stop coming. They are who actually make the business successful, both because they do the real work and because they're cheap. But eventually, the burden of the losers will break the business cycle. Then what, Dr G? He said the ministry would continue to control recruitment abroad to curtail dependence on foreign workers. Last year, recruitment visas for private companies were cut by 17.8 percent to reach 684,201 from 832,244 the year before. Ahmed Mansour Al-Zamil, deputy minister for labor affairs, said the employment campaign for women would start next month. "We'll open women's sections at labor offices in Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam next month to receive job applications from women," he told Al-Yaum daily. However, he pointed out that job opportunities for Saudi women were limited compared to men, despite orders from higher authorities to create jobs for women at industrial regions and markets. Duh. Ya think? I guess that's how he got his doctorate. The Saudization Program is a social scheme which, like all social schemes, costs them at least as much as it saves. More people with jobs does not equal more productivity when a sizable percentage of the people are either untouchable (connected) or infected with the mindset that anything short of upper management is beneath them. Demographics demands changes, to the wasta system, to the Islamic women are child-factories system, to the Royals taking everything for themselves and doling out only a fraction so they can support unbelievable lifestyles - the whole thing is rotten to the core and all of the dynamics are negative. Those customs will die hard, but die they must if there is to be an end to the downward spiral in SA. |
| Posted by:.com |
| #14 This truly is the bandit kingdom. |
| Posted by: OldSpook 2005-04-16 1:03:07 PM |
| #13 Haven't they been unsuccessfully trying this employment thing for the last decade? What makes them think this time will be different? |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2005-04-16 10:18:25 PM |
| #12 Troll is just a cutout. |
| Posted by: Ask not 2005-04-16 2:43:02 PM |
| #11 Don't ask, don't tell. Unless there's a signed book deal, of course. |
| Posted by: rkb 2005-04-16 2:25:02 PM |
| #10 Of course I'm not The Mossad. I'm Flagg, so who knows. |
| Posted by: The Mossad 2005-04-16 2:11:51 PM |
| #9 hee hee The Mossad knows that OS has indeed trolled at times and places herein not mentioned. |
| Posted by: The Mossad 2005-04-16 2:10:58 PM |
| #8 This truly is the bandit kingdom. |
| Posted by: OldSpook 2005-04-16 1:03:07 PM |
| #7 This half assed "employment program" will not solve their problem with the stupid twits that see themselves as Another jobs program that will not work. Mostly because it's the |
| Posted by: Sock Puppet 0’ Doom 2005-04-16 1:45:59 PM |
| #6 hehe ! Thought we had OS's nemesis :) |
| Posted by: MacNails 2005-04-16 1:16:01 PM |
| #5 No, I screwed up and need Fred's help to fix it. |
| Posted by: rkb 2005-04-16 1:13:28 PM |
| #4 Old Spook a Troll? What's this? An impersonation of Old Spook? |
| Posted by: Whiskey Mike 2005-04-16 1:11:37 PM |
| #3 This truly is the bandit kingdom. |
| Posted by: OldSpook TROLL 2005-04-16 1:03:07 PM |
| #2 However, he pointed out that job opportunities for Saudi women were limited compared to men, despite orders from higher authorities to create jobs for women at industrial regions and markets. Anything I might add to it, would be totally superflous. |
| Posted by: gromgoru 2005-04-16 11:21:54 AM |
| #1 It would be a mercy to relieve them of their oil stress. The Sauds could then concentrate on the holy sites and live a more islamic lifestyle. It wouldn't hurt their pride much, I understand most of the stress is concentrated in a small narrow strip on the east coast. We need to help these noble lions of islam. |
| Posted by: Shipman 2005-04-16 11:04:32 AM |