Saudi Gazette report RIYADH – All jobs occupied by expatriates in the public sector are considered vacant until qualified Saudi replacements are found, Dr. Abdul Rahman Al-Barrak, Minister of Civil Services, said in a statement to the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) on Sunday. The ministry will not approve any recruitment application submitted by a public agency no r will it renew the employment contract of an expatriate employee unless the agency announces the vacancies in the press and finds no Saudi replacements, Dr. Al-Barrak stressed. The ministry will also take into consideration the supply and demand in the labor market before approving such requests, he said. “This also applies to the health sector, which has the largest percentage of expatriate employees compared to other sectors,” the minister said. This percentage can be attributed to the fact that most of the students who graduate with health degrees are not qualified enough to fill some of the specializations and positions available in the sector. However, the Ministry of Health should always place job advertisements in newspapers and post the same on its website. Qualified Saudis should be appointed immediately if they meet all job requirements. All academic positions filled by expatriates will be replaced by Saudis if and when qualified applicants become available. Last year, the ministry did not renew 9,267 employment contracts and refused 2,607 job applications to recruit expatriate employees, Dr. Al-Barrak said. He asserted that the ministry will continue to focus on replacing expatriates with qualified citizens. “We're coordinating with all academic institutions to see to it that all graduates meet the needs of the current labor market and that all institutions offer specializations held by expatriates,” he said. Dr. Al-Barrak said the ministry has so far received the five-year Saudization plans from 79 public agencies. “We're studying the plans and related details to specify the type of jobs held by non-Saudis,” he said. A royal decree was issued a few months ago calling upon all government agencies and organizations to come up with their plans to localize jobs over the next five years.
