Many readers have commented on what I wrote on the impact of the status correction campaign. One reader wrote, “Before the launching of the campaign, it was not possible to predict its outcome regarding high wages, shortage of manpower and the possibility of replacing expatriate workers with Saudi manpower. This latter point, however, remains doubtful because many of the jobs occupied by the expatriates will not be accepted by Saudis. Then let us wait and see.” Another reader said that he has a factory and is now losing money because of the lack of qualified workers. A third reader said, “The correction campaign is a good thing, but the Labor Ministry has not prepared a substitute. The majority of violating expatriates used to work in the contracting sector which is now really suffering.”
I would like to comment on what the first reader has said about Saudis not willing take over the jobs that used to be filled by expatriates. This is not entirely true. Jazan Governor, Prince Mohammed Bin Nasser said that the residents of the region are not ashamed to do manual work. I also read that a number of young men in Qatif are now cleaning fish. There are also thousands of women working in lingerie shops. A number of young women are working in an olive oil factory in Tabuk. I say to the owner of the factory: try to employ more young Saudi men and women and you will not regret it. The contracting sector has been hit hard by the absence of expat workers because we used to offer projects according to the criteria of the lowest bidder. The result was that many projects were offered to small and medium-size contracting companies which depended on the cheap labor that has now left the country. We now must bear the consequences of this mistake. We should instead offer projects to the best and most qualified contractors. We should also apply the FIDIC system to attract international companies.
