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Riyadh: Saudi businessmen are split over the reasons behind the high number of Saudis leaving their jobs in the private sector at a time when the Saudi government is strongly calling for Saudisation. Adel Kaaki, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Makkah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MCCI), held national companies and establishments responsible for the drop in numbers of Saudis working in the private sector. He added that the regulations have failed to provide a good and suitable atmosphere for the employees. They are not able to work in an environment that does not suit them and help them achieve good financial returns on their work, he said. Speaking to Gulf News, Kaaki pointed out that statistics confirm that 67 per cent of Saudis who get jobs in the private sector eventually leave their jobs.
In contrast, he said, big national companies, including Sabic and Aramco, have been able to keep their employees due to their ability to create a good working atmosphere. Over the last decade, the Saudi government has prioritised Saudisation, as an initiative aiming to increase the employment of Saudi nationals across all sectors of the domestic economy in order to reduce dependence on foreign workers, and recapture and reinvest income that would have otherwise flowed overseas as remittances. However, small and medium-sized business owners, on whom enforcement of Saudisation was not strictly applied, have complained that Saudisation measures place unfair pressure on them. They have to choose either to hire an unqualified Saudi or to pay large amounts of money to attract more professional local workers, which they cannot afford. Kaaki said the most important obstacles to Saudisation include the fact that Saudi job-seekers are not attracted to training and they hope for high salaries, viewing the salaries offered as meagre. He expressed fears about Saudis dropping out of general education due to lack of jobs. Kaaki said that if the graduates are not provided with suitable opportunities, they will be a menace to society and they may even deviate down wrong paths.
It will be society that bears the responsibility for this, he said. The Ministry of Labour, he added, recently realised this danger and started treating the problem through vocational training and providing jobs with support from the Human Resources Fund. Some Saudi youth blamed their expatriate bosses for putting too much pressure on them until they left their jobs. Kaaki pointed a finger at the social perception about the private sector and emphasised the role of family in changing this perception. Kaaki said families must create awareness among their children on the specialisations needed by the labour market so that they do not remain unemployed due to the unavailability of jobs that suit their specialisations. 67% of nationals leave employment 67 per cent of Saudis who get jobs in the private sector eventually leave their jobs, according to statistics. Small and medium-sized business owners, on whom enforcement of Saudisation has not been strictly applied, have complained that Saudisation measures place unfair pressure on them. Some Saudi youth blamed their expatriate bosses for putting too much work pressure on them until they left their jobs.
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