& Abdul Aziz Ghazawi Okaz/Saudi Gazette JEDDAH — The second and third stages of the Hafiz unemployment aid program will be launched soon, said Dr. Adil Fakieh, Minister of Labor. “Hafiz helps job seekers until they find a job. Job seekers shouldn't rely on it as a stable source of income.” Fakieh made the comments at a meeting Saturday with over 200 businessmen and women as part of meetings organized by the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (JCCI). The minister described the Nitaqat Program as fair and logical. He urged the private sector to improve workplaces and motivate their workers. Fakieh added that the International Labor Organization (ILO) was studying a minimum wage for expatriates in the Kingdom. “The ILO won't interfere in our internal policies. The recent Royal Decree called for private sector involvement in this study to set minimum wages for expatriates, without compromising the competitiveness of the private sector.” The National Labor Force Observatory will start working in six months and will allow the ministry to measure market indicators more accurately, he pointed out. “The observatory will allow us to obtain accurate information about markets and provide sustainable services to the private and public sectors and job seekers.” In the next two months, companies' transactions will be completed online and the ministry is coordinating with the Passport Department to transfer services, he added. Regarding remittances, Fakieh said expatriates in the Kingdom transfer SR98 billion every year. On the unemployment rate, he said 448,000 male and female citizens are jobless, according to 2009 statistics. “The ministry is making every effort to solve the unemployment issue by replacing expatriates with Saudis and creating job opportunities.” Fakieh told Okaz/Saudi Gazette that the ministry will unify employment contracts for all private sector employees and is working on preparing drafts and presenting them to the JCCI and businesspeople for comment. He announced six employment programs that will help create jobs including a job search engine which will start next month. “Every week the ministry will hold training courses and classes to prepare job seekers for the market.” __
