Saudi Gazette report JEDDAH — The economic power of any country is evident by its human resources factor. This factor effectively contributes to the development and the economic and social pace of the country. Retirees are a part of this factor but have been largely marginalized. Despite repeated and frequent calls for engaging them productively in the social and economic process, they have been neglected for years. In view of the international efforts to activate all possible development factors, these human resources should not be neglected. An effective link should be created between retirees who have the desire to work, and government and private bodies who wish to utilize their expertise. Economic experts stress that retirees in the Kingdom represent the nation's forgotten treasure. Their long experiences in different professions and fields should be employed in the development and economic activities. Developed countries have invested in these human resources by employing them in consultancy centers. Research and consultancy centers should be created, where retirees can offer their expertise. These centers will benefit the development process. Their experience will benefit the young, who are in need of direction. Committees entrusted with the welfare of retirees lack the capabilities to promote their role. The Chairman of the National Retirees Association Abdulaziz Al-Henaidi told Al-Riyadh newspaper that retirees are a national treasure with high qualifications and long professional experience in various fields. He said the association was founded seven years ago with the purpose of utilizing retirees and changing the views of some that they are useless dependents. The latest statistics, he added, show that there are 850,000 retirees in the Kingdom, of whom 16 percent are women. Economic analyst Ali Al-Towati said that there should be a study of the qualifications and experiences of the retirees. They should be categorized according to their expertise, and support government bodies as consultants. Many can easily replace the hundreds of thousands of expatriates in mid to high levels of executive management in public and private organizations, thus adding to the success of the Saudization program. Developed countries have achieved many positive results by utilizing retirees. There are many retired qualified leaders that remain unused. The lack of society's awareness of these retirees is a hindrance that often has a psychological affect on them, said Al-Towati.
