RECENTLY, I had the opportunity of being a silent observer of an interesting discussion that transpired between two groups. The first included expatriates working in the Kingdom — mostly from Egypt, Jordan and Yemen and some from other nationalities, and the other group comprised Saudis who worked in desk jobs, sales and banking sector. Throughout this discussion, I just listened. The moot point bandied about in this discussion was pinpointing blame over employment of Saudis. The Saudis claimed that the reason for nationals not being hired to jobs is due to the presence of expats, who are ready to work at a lesser pay. They blamed the fact that expatriates are the cause of hindrance in the employment of Saudis and they cited many examples and evidences. On the other hand, expatriates too accused Saudis of not willing to work, seeking exorbitant pay and showing general disinterest in a job. They too cited their own examples and evidences. The discussion, which built up to a crescendo, began as any in a group of friends following a remark by one in the group. A response followed, to which, another came. Such to and froing drew an invisible thought line that set apart the two groups as the decibels spiked with every argument. The remark that triggered the debate was on the recent Saudization drive of the telecom sector, especially the mobile market. The response from expats friends that this move would fail just like any other Saudization drives in the past was enough for the Saudis to see red. What fueled the argument (albeit friendly) is the recent population count that showed 11 million expats living in the Kingdom, in a total of 31 million as a whole. The logical extension was that the millions of expatriates could only stay on if they have jobs. That was the core of the argument that these Saudis had. They held that the expats are stealing jobs from Saudis in the private sector. They also claim that expatriates at managerial levels are literally standing as a block to prevent Saudis from employment in private companies. They cited many examples of Saudis recently employed and, how they were given a hard time such that in most cases facing injustices until they were forced to resign or fired from the job. On the other hand, the expat group cited examples of how Saudis are full of excuses and they would come up with any excuse, mostly blatant lies, to be absent from work — even if they had to fake the news of a relative's death they would do it with a straight face. The group claimed that most of them are not serious about learning the ropes on the job and lack commitment while expecting all the perks and bonuses along with promotion as soon as they are hired. They even claim that if it were not for the Saudization quota set by the Ministry of Labor and Social Development they would have fired many of them without hesitation. Needless to say, they also complained that the Saudis do not come on time and often leave before they finish their job. And even during the time they are present they are tardy in their work or just while away their time in talk or on their mobile. There were heated moments during the discussion as both sides challenged the claims and evidences presented by the other group. To me, as the discussion followed its trough and crests, their conversation was going nowhere, as each insisted only their opinion was right. Most of the points mentioned in the discussion had some validity while others were dead wrong. To take it one by one, those who claim that expats are stealing our jobs I ask them, did these expats come through a window surreptitiously or sneaked through the border or did they come with an official visa and with an authenticated contract. They are to be thanked for participating in the development of our nation and in every nation in the Gulf region. Expats and immigrants have participated in the development of Europe and America. The dislike of foreigners in ones country is known to be a worldwide phenomenon. Anti immigrant feelings are growing, especially when it comes to jobs. There are calls to deport or block foreigners' entrance even in the West. Foreigners who are already working in jobs are given suspicious looks and viewed by locals as white-collared thieves, who come from far off lands to steal their jobs. This trenchant view, however, is wrong and we should not view their going to different lands in search for jobs that way. A global reality has to be factored in with the number of jobs dwindling in the face of global computerization and many expatriates being one-up on us in upgrading knowledge or their skills. No one should feel threatened or even show hatred toward anyone who is working in our country because one way or another they are benefiting our economy. The claim that some Saudis are forced to resign and face harassment in the private sector from what they call expat managers, is somehow true but not widely spread. Saudi youth have proven to be successful in private sector and have proven up to the task and challenges while showing that they can work for long hours. The Saudi youth needs to focus more on self-development and improvement and they should know they need to show patience. For slow and steady does win the race. Some of the earlier Saudization drives in various sectors did fail or failed to takeoff due to impatience. We need to see our Saudi youth being productive in any jobs they fill and to work with passion. They should view every facet of the on-job training as a knowledge graph that would stand them in good stead not only in their drive toward a rise in the firm but also as an enhancement of their skill levels. The blame game should stop because it will take all nowhere. We are proud of the expats who are working along our side and participating in the wheel of development. At the same time we are proud of the Saudi youth who are working alongside expats in markets and factories and taking up the reins of challenges to take their nation forward. — The writer can be reached at [email protected] Twitter: @anajeddawi_eng
