JEDDAH – Private companies should use modern technologies to reduce dependence on foreign workers, said Labor Minister Adel Fakieh in reply to a Saudi Gazette question here Saturday. Fakieh was talking to reporters after addressing the 4th Jeddah Human Resources Forum under the theme “Toward a Sustainable Human Development.” The minister informed the forum that some 86 percent of those registered at Hafiz are women and they are looking for jobs. Up to 30 percent of these women have university degrees, compared to only 5 percent of men registered at Hafiz, said the minister. Another challenge, he said, is the increasing number of disabled people who are looking for jobs. Some 1,400,000 people are benefitting from Hafiz program. The minister said that the labor market monitoring system was “weak” and therefore they have created 1,000 job opportunities for field inspectors. They will be doing field inspections in cooperation with the Ministry of Interior and security officials. The aim of these field inspections is to monitor and follow up on the violating companies and people who do not respect the law. “The aim of these inspections is not only to punish and fine violating companies but also to reward those who are abiding by the law,” said Fakieh. Ibrahim Al-Moaiqel, the Director General of the Human Resources Development Fund (HRDF), said the Kingdom has spent SR27 billion on Hafiz. It has received 10 million calls from the start of the project. The satisfaction level ranges between 89% and 91%, he said. Starting next week, the ministry will provide electronic training for all those registered at Hafiz. Those who do not attend the training or are not punctual will have their Hafiz monthly financial support reduced, he said. Official statistics indicate that 38 percent of people sent for training did not show up while 8 percent did not complete their training. This has driven the fund to put penalties on people who did not show up for training or those who did not complete it. “We are serious about the training. We will encourage private companies that give training to Saudis,” said the HRDF director. According to him, 75 percent of all registered females are looking for teaching jobs at public schools, something that is “impossible to satisfy.” The fund has signed 25 agreements with recruitment offices in the Kingdom. These agreements will help recruitment offices as well as people looking for jobs. The fund will pay fees to find jobs for Saudis registered at these recruitment offices. According to HRDF director, they will soon start a Nitaqat system for Saudi employees at the private sector. Based on this system, dedicated employees will be placed in the green category while reckless individuals will be put in the red category. Amal Sheer, Human Resources Director at Schindler Olayan Elevator Company, said that private companies do not know how to reach Hafiz data and recruit people registered there.
