Aliyah Al-Shalhoub Al-Riyadh Just as the storm over the change of the Thursday-Friday weekend to Friday and Saturday for government staff subsided, another storm started brewing over a proposal to enforce a two-day weekend for employees in the private sector. The Shoura Council held serious deliberations and voted on the proposal to reduce the weekly work hours to 40 with a two-day weekend. All these efforts were aimed at strengthening the stability of the private sector and attracting Saudi employees to the sector. But will these moves help boost productivity? It is certain that there is a noticeable difference between the nature of work in the public and private sectors. According to an earlier report, the productivity of a Saudi employee is three hours a day. Some reports say the average productivity does not exceed 34 percent. These are negative indexes that affect the Kingdom's economy in particular and society in general. There are clear indicators that prove the productivity of government employees is less than that of private sector employees. There is no point in analyzing the reasons for the low productivity of government employees. Let us examine the average working days and holidays for government employees. It was revealed in a survey about official holidays at the G20 Summit that Saudi Arabia tops the countries with 59 holidays or around two months a year. Brazil and France come next with 41 days each while China stands at the bottom of the list with five holidays. There are only 12 holidays in India and 15 in South Korea. If we link the number of holidays to average economic growth, we can see that China, India and Korea are now making great strides on the economic front as well as in industrial and technological advancements. This means that the major factor of success is work and productivity and not the number of holidays. If we compare the Kingdom's 59 holidays with China's five days, we can see that there is a gaping difference. The government sector is regarded as the engine and fuel for the country's economic development whereas the private sector relies on businessmen and the laws governing the sector. In all situations, the important aspect is a strong desire and work culture where there is increased productivity and work hours and reduced holidays. We have to admit that there are deficiencies in the productivity of employees. Is it appropriate for us to have the highest number of holidays? We know about the immense losses due to a halt in work and how it affects the interests of citizens and society as a whole. We suspend classes all of a sudden when there is a change in weather. Indeed, we need to reorganize and review the calendar of working days and holidays so we can stand up and compete with the systems prevailing in advanced countries.
