Your article "Laborers' exit dents Saudi construction sector" (Aug. 12) said that growth in the sector "is expected to be subdued in the second half of the year at between 5 percent and 15 percent". The article, which quoted "recent industry reports", said that the lower growth rate is due to "delays in project implementation brought about by a recent labor market correction in the Kingdom." I believe that the phrase "recent labor market correction" refers to the crackdown by the labor and passport authorities on illegally staying workers which resulted in their exodus back home. I am an expatriate but I hope my comments will not be taken by the authorities as meddling in local affairs but as an eye opener to some flaws in enforcing good labor laws. There is no denying that Saudization of the labor sector is a good policy. Saudis should be given priority in employment as the Kingdom is their country but it is a fact that there are industry sectors that cannot still be filled with Saudi workers, particularly the jobs that are considered menial. A laborer's job is one of them. We know for a fact that Saudis don't like to work as laborers. The recent crackdown affected the menial workers, mostly those in the construction industry, and when they go home, it follows that there will be a shortage of labor in the construction industry. This is also true in the service industry like the delivery of drinking water which needs menial labor. The crackdown affected many households, which used to wait for drinking water to be delivered to their homes, but are now forced to look for the basic commodity in stores, which often have no stocks. Cracking down on menial workers will not curb the unemployment rate among Saudis but will disrupt services to the the households of both Saudis and expatriates alike. The labor authorities should determine which jobs could already be and could not yet be taken by Saudis so public services are not disrupted. Concerned expat, Jeddah
