Under the Nitaqat Program, all Saudis employed in the private sector will have to undergo regular performance evaluations, said Abdullah Redwan, a member of the Contractors Committee at the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (JCCI). Employees will be assessed on their punctuality, dedication, productivity and quality of their work. Training courses, skills and experience of employees will be taken into account during the evaluations. Redwan was quoted Tuesday in an Arabic newspaper as saying that the initiative was revealed by Adel Fakieh, Minister of Labor, at a gathering with businesspeople a few days ago. Like the Nitaqat Program, the evaluations will be color-coded. Top-performing employees will be placed in the green zone; those who need to exert more effort in the yellow zone; and those performing poorly and absent from work, in the red zone. Employees' criminal records, if any, will also be included in the evaluation criteria. Redwan said the ministry wants to increase productivity and competition among Saudi employees in the sector. He said the minister made it clear that the Nitaqat Program will be applied to all Saudi workers in the private sector regardless of their qualifications and skills. He said business owners and company managers will help draw up the evaluation mechanism. The ministry will create a new department with technical staff to oversee the implementation of the plan. Meanwhile, sources quoted in the Arabic press said that the Ministry of Labor, with the Council of Saudi Chambers of Commerce, will gather statistics on the employment of Saudis in the contracting sector under the Hafiz unemployment aid program. The ministry has also asked the council to provide the Human Resources Development Fund with lists of job openings for Saudis.
