The mega recruitment companies that will soon be permitted to operate may be allowed to recruit expatriates in specialized fields such as medicine, Mufarrij Al-Haqbani, the Ministry of Labor's Undersecretary for Planning and Development, said Sunday in a meeting with owners of recruitment agencies. The meeting was held to discuss regulation of the companies and the organization of recruiting workers. Al-Haqbani told the businessmen that the regulation has already been issued and that they should think about a way to start, not to stop, because their objections will be discussed only after the companies are founded. He said representatives of the National Committee for Recruitment attended initial meetings that discussed the regulation before it was issued and that their views were considered. The Chairman of the National Committee for Recruitment, Sa'ad Al-Baddah, called on the businessmen to quickly form consortiums and start companies to prevent other investors from getting into sector. Four companies, two in Riyadh, one in Jeddah and one in Dammam, have started setting up the businesses and developing plans and strategies. They set the salary for housemaids at SR1,500, with no fees for visas, housing costs and medical care. Saudi Gazette reported on July 10 the Ministry of Labor's statement that only mega recruitment companies, with a capital of SR100 million, will be licensed and allowed to recruit foreign workers for the domestic market. These companies will replace all smaller operators in the market. __
