http://www.arabnews.com/?page=1§ion=0&article=123785&d=18&m=6&y=2009
Thursday 18 June 2009 (24 Jumada al-Thani 1430)
Saudization is not racist, says official
Galal Fakkar | Arab News
EXEMPLARY MOVE: Labor Minister Ghazi Al-Gosaibi honors Tariq Abdul
Rahman Faqeeh, center, for his efforts to employ more Saudis in his restaurant
chain, as JCCI Chairman Muhammad Al-Fadhl, right, looks on. (AN photo by Salman
Marzouki)
JEDDAH: Deputy Labor Minister Abdul Wahid Humaid has refuted accusations
that Saudization of jobs is a racist program.
"It's our legitimate right to create employment for our citizens.
Countries in the East and West give priority to their citizens in employment,"
he said.
Humaid said the Saudization program was essential for creating jobs for
the country's unemployed citizens. He said the Kingdom would continue to depend
on foreign workers to do many jobs.
"Recruitment of foreigners to work in the private sector and for Saudi
individuals will continue," he added. At present there are nearly seven million
foreign workers in the Kingdom.
The Labor Ministry intends to Saudize more jobs in the hospitality
sector. According to sources at the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry
(JCCI), there are at least 30,000 jobs in the sector in Jeddah alone, and
foreigners currently hold 99 percent of these jobs.
Labor Minister Ghazi Al-Gosaibi spoke yesterday at a restaurant in Jeddah
to encourage Saudis to take up more jobs in this vital sector, as part of
efforts to reduce the unemployment rate among young Saudi men and women. The
minister wore a waiter's uniform during the event.
"We should be ready to take up any jobs in order to have a brighter
future," Al-Gosaibi told the gathering.
Khaled Fahd Al-Harithy, chairman of the hospitality committee at the
chamber, said a study conducted by his committee showed that 97 percent of
Saudis refused to work in hotels and restaurants because of their negative
ideas about such jobs.
Tarek Abdul Rahman Faqeeh, director general of Tazej restaurants, which
has 112 branches inside the Kingdom and 12 foreign countries, disclosed his
organization's plan to train Saudis to take up various jobs in the sector.
"More than 215 Saudis currently work in our restaurants," Faqeeh said, adding
that they represented 30 percent of the total number of his employees.
Humaid said his ministry still faced many difficulties in Saudizing
certain jobs, especially in the private sector. "Our ministry receives several
applications daily from Saudis who want to recruit house servants. In many
cases, the number of house servants exceeds the number of family members," he
pointed out.
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