Every year the Haj season creates thousands of seasonal jobs eagerly sought after by many Saudis - most of them already employed in both the government and private sectors. This extra work during the Haj season on top of regular full time employment results in a lack of efficiency among many Saudi workers. Seasonal jobs are very common during Haj, especially in Jeddah, Madina, Makkah and other holy sites. The Labor Office in Jeddah recommends that government and private organizations provide seasonal jobs to students and the many unemployed Saudis who wish to serve the pilgrims. However, Saudi Gazette has learnt that many of those who take up these jobs are, in fact, already employed. More than 20 government and private organizations at the Haj Terminal employ around 15,000 temporary Saudi workers every year over the two months of the Haj season. Ministries of Health, Haj, Islamic Affairs and Endowments and private travel agencies account for most of the seasonal job opportunities. Furthermore, the United Agents Office (UAO) temporarily employs around 6,000 Saudis from various government and private companies every year without any regard for the stipulation that they should not be employed anywhere else. Assad Abu Zaid, general manager of employment at the UAO, said that the monthly salary is SR3,000 for university students, SR3,600 for graduates, SR4,200 for postgraduates and between SR8,000 and SR10,000 for those with higher degrees. Saeed Thebyani, a computer teacher at a secondary school in Jeddah, said that this was his 12th year working at the UAO as a clerk. “I have to work around 14 hours a day in the month preceding Haj,” he explained. “I can't take a nap between the two jobs because I only have an hour after finishing school before setting off on the 40-km drive to the Haj Terminal.” A trainee coordinator at Saudi Arabian Airlines, Saleh Al-Oufi, complained about one of the trainees, an executive engineer. The trainee asked for 10 days sick leave during the month so that he could cope with extra work as a director at the Transportation Syndicate Office in the Haj Terminal. The problem is exacerbated among some university students. Dr. Malik who is a lecturer in the college of Humanities and Arts at KAU, noted that the average turnout of students in his lectures decreases during the Haj season especially during the month preceding Haj. “I've learned that most of the absentees are engaged in temporary jobs at the Haj Terminal. And you can imagine the poor academic grades they will get because of this absence,” he said.
